The Lone Star Triathlon

This past weekend was the Lone Star Triathlon and it was an exciting weekend. 8 months of training came down to a tough race on Saturday.

We arrived in Galveston Saturday morning and after getting settled I went out on a short run on the actual race course to get myself more familiar with the route. It was hot and humid and the course was fast with lots if turns. After my run I gathered the team together for the safety meeting and then it was off to the swim start for a short swim. The water temperature seemed good and I think everyone felt better about the first leg of the race. After everyone was out of the water we headed back to the hotel for a short nap and then we met for the pasta party. The team looked great in their running shirts and it really showed our team unity. The pasta party started off with comments from the head of the South Texas TNT chapter and then I addressed the group. I was asked to speak about the race course, rules and what to be ready for. After my speech Johnny Romano's mother Julie spoke to the group about her experience with TNT and about our team's inspiration Johnny. I don't think their was a dry eye in the house. It was a touching story and we could not have asked for a better honored teammate in Johnny. When the pasta party adjourned we had a brief team meeting with some final instructions and some recognition. Norma made a really neat poster for each member of the team and the team bought me a super cool bike helmet. It is the same helmet that Lance Armstrong wears and I can not wait to wear it. Thanks for the gift team! After the meeting it was off to bed for some shut eye.

3:45 am on Sunday came quickly. I was tired and a little anxious for the team. We all met in the lobby and we headed down to transition for body marking and so everyone could set-up their transition area. Our team did not start until about 8:30 so when they finished setting up they headed back to the hotel for some rest. Everyone looked nervous as they headed down to the swim start and while they were waiting for their wave to get in the water. The race got a little behind but when it got started everyone looked good and I headed over to the swim out to watch everyone run into transition. Everyone looked good coming out of the water. There were a few surprises about swim times. Most of the team finished the swim faster than I anticipated and that was great. Coach Liz was out on the bike course at the turn around to keep an eye on the team for me so I could watch everyone leave onto the bike course. (Thanks Liz!) After the last swimmer was on the bike I went to grab my bike and headed onto the bike course. I rode out to the last bike aid station to watch the riders. I was there for about 30 minutes before I saw my first athlete. Jonathan flew by with his head down and I figured that I should head back because I knew a few more of the team would be coming by soon. I took a side road back to Moody Gardens and as I was riding the wind, which was already bad, really picked up. This worried me because quite a bit of my team had wave starts towards the end and I knew they would be riding through it. When I got to Moody Gardens I started getting updates from Liz. She said she saw everyone and had to help Nikki change a flat tire. Unfortunately Nikki got a another flat and crashed coming into transition. (She had a rough day). Heather was the last of my team to make it in off the bike. She was not feeling well but she wanted to keep going. I told her talk walk for a while and try to take in more fluids. I felt bad for her but I knew she would make it. I talked to most everyone when the entered the run course and they were hurting but moving. As everyone was running I moved all over the race course to keep an eye on everyone and cheer them on. They were all tired and dehydrated but they weren't going to quit. I had the opportunity to run in with a few of the team trying to keep them motivated to finish and that was a great experience for me. I am proud of each and every member of this team. They all finished the race and they all raised thousands of dollars for cancer research. It is a great accomplishment.

This post doesn't include everything that happened race day. There was so much going on its hard to write it all down. It was so enjoyable talking to families of the team and hearing how proud they were. I enjoyed talking with my tri friends and I was just happy to be part of the experience. It was nice seeing people who early season I had my doubts about finish and finish strong. It great to see those people who wanted to quit the team and those who wanted to do the shorter tri tough it out and finish. It was inspiring to see people like Norma who couldn't even swim two years ago finish her first half-ironman. I'm super proud of her! This was one of the most enjoyable experiences of my life and I look forward to next season. For now I'm focusing on my family and my race schedule. Good luck to all of my team in whatever comes your way. I know you will all do well. Bye for now and I will see you on the race course.