Training, Volunteering, More Training, Charity…

The fight is won or lost far away from witnesses – behind the lines, in the gym, out there on the road, long before I dance under those lights. – Muhammad Ali

We are now about 4 weeks into the Ironman Arizona training. A lot of pool swims, a few at the lake, more miles on the bike, and the usual slow plodding through the run, but I am happy to be back in the swing of training. Makes for longer days, but I still enjoy it all.

I volunteered as a bike course marshal on the motorcycle for the Ironman Texas event last weekend. I had some friends racing, and I figured as long as I was down there, I may as well volunteer. I went down Friday after lunch, and once I checked into the hotel, I got the motorcycle off the trailer and drove the bike course so I would know what to expect Saturday morning. I kept thinking “this is not a bad bike course” the whole time I was out there.

I learned a lot from the race officials – and how much of a variance there is from one official to another.  I was able to ride alongside some pros for a while, and later many of the age-groupers.  There were a lot of participants dropping out of the race during the bike portion, because it got hot and windy. The headwinds they faced were on the second half, in-bound part of the ride, and it had indeed started to get hot. I pretty much decided that if I was ever going to do this event, they would have to schedule it in much cooler weather! Speaking of that, we found out that while volunteers normally can register for the next year’s event the morning after the race, the Ironman folks have delayed opening registration because they supposedly have not obtained the permits and such – a number of us were talking, and we think it is more likely because some of the political supporters of the race were up for re-election, and until that was determined Ironman might not get approval – and maybe they ARE trying to change the date of the race. I am guessing a lot of the volunteers who had made the trip specifically so they could register Sunday morning were quite frustrated.

My friend Kristi completed IMTX, her first Ironman! Definitely something to be proud of! A couple of the athletes and volunteers from our Team Red, White and Blue tri camp in Austin also were racing, and I saw in the results that they also finished, with great finish times. So congrats to all the finishers!

Other news – on Thursday before I left for the race, I received the letter from IRS approving Do It Like It Means Something as a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt charity! So we can now accept tax-deductible donations! Very exciting for me – another big step in my support of the fight against cardiac disease.

June 2nd, I will be riding the ATLAS ride, the first leg of the Texas 4000. We will finish the 70-miler at Pillar Bluff winery, which is a great way to end a long ride. I am also riding from the house to the start so I can make this my century for June.

On the 3rd, I am volunteering as a kayaker for the Danskin women's tri. It is always good to give back when you can.

Father's Day I will be doing the Pflugerville Tri for the 3rd year in a row. Sprint distance so it will be fun on the bike.

Onward - rubber side down...