Spreading the Wealth

I’m a mentor to a group of runners for the East Texas Half Marathon and I couldn’t be more excited.  I train by myself almost all the time especially running and cycling.  I live on blacktopped and dirt roads and that’s where I LOVE to run!  This past Saturday I hosted my first running group.  My coach told me that I could get them to meet me anywhere, so of course, I invited them to my house.  It gave me immense satisfaction to spread the wealth and share my roads with fellow runners.

Ironfish Kid’s Triathlon and Rivercities Triathlon Race Report

The Ironfish Tri was held on Saturday August 2 and my two nephews, age 4 and 6 competed.  This was their first triathlon and they were sooooooo excited.  The race was held on Cypress Black Bayou in Bossier City, LA inside a park that has cabins and RV camp sites.  My parents have a 5^th wheel camper so we made it a family weekend.  The kiddos were excited about the smallest details, getting race number tattoos and the swim cap.  Oh, if I had only known that a swim cap could bring so much joy! 

We had practiced twice.  Each time we set up transition and practiced our bike and run.  Both boys had swim lessons earlier in the summer.  They did awesome in the triathlon!  We got to run along beside them during the bike (for the 4 year old) and for the run.  They both told us after the race that they were ready to race again and get more medals.  This is truly one of the highlights of my race career!

 

My race, Rivercities Triathlon, was held Sunday, August, 3.  The distances are: .5 mile swim. 18.2 mile bike, and 5K run.  I raced this race last year and totally bonked on the run.  I underestimated the heat!  Here are my times from last year and this year:

 

Year	Swim	T1	Bike	T2	Run	Total
2013	22:13	3:06	1:07:24 (16.2)	1:41	32:45 (10:34)	2:07:11
2014	19:41	2:10	58:55 (18.5)	1:30	25:27 (8:22)	1:48:14

 

2014 was a big improvement!  My goal was to take 15 minutes off my time from last year.  I did get lucky because the weather was cooler but I also hydrated and took in more salt the day before.  I’ve also done a lot of work on my swim technique and power on the bike.  My team, Nacogdoches Endurance Training, also had several racers in the race.  My coach, Becky McMorries, won our age group and got 7^th female overall.

 

Overall, I had a wonderful weekend with friends and family.  A great race was just the cherry on top!