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jimsjournal



An athletic weekend -- 07/27/13








This weekend features the Blessing of the Fleet Run on Friday night and the Crabman Sprint Triathlon on Sunday morning.

The Blessing of the Fleet is a ten mile road race (also a ten mile walk) I've not run this race in a few years (the number of years keeps mounting -- the last time was when my brother and I ran it back in 2005) although I did walk it more recently (okay, four years ago). And I did not run it this year... but Jill has been running it most years...

So, Nancy took a father-daughter pre-race picture....


And I took a post-race picture after Jill arrived back home.


The reason she is outside with her cell phone in her hand is because we were trying to get a picture of a rainbow. She said it had been spectacular over in Narragansett -- making a full arch across the sky -- and it was still visible from our house -- more than three and a half miles straight line distance from the finish point of the race -- plus however long it had taken for her to walk to where she had parked and then work her way through the traffic on a seven mile drive back home. Very cool rainbow. I don't think I've ever seen one last that long.
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Oh -- results -- Jill did the 10 miles in 1:26:20 which is a pace of 8:38 per mile. My brother-in-law Tom decided he would walk it this year (like me, it's been a while since he last ran it) and he did it at a very brisk pace, finishing in 2:05:04, a pace of 12:30 per mile.

I caught a really bad cold this week -- which is why I didn't even serve as Jill's chauffeur and photographer. Yesterday my throat was painfully on fire and I hadn't had a decent night's sleep for two nights -- to the point where I was thinking that I probably should not attempt the triathlon tomorrow.

But I am feeling better today. Not exactly feeling good, mind you, but despite feeling a bit stiff and definitely congested, I no longer have body aches and no longer have that painfully sore throat -- so if I can get a decent night's sleep tonight -- or, rather, part of one (we have to be there between 5:00 am and 6:15 am) -- I should be able to sort of fake being slightly athletic.

My purpose in doing this triathlon is not to have some spectacular athletic achievement. It is more to gain some experience -- how does it work, how do you cope with the transition areas, how do you pace yourself through three different athletic events, etc. So even if I end up walking most of the run (1/4 mile swim comes first, then 11 mile bike ride, then 5k race), I will have gained a lot of valuable experience and will have a month and a half to train for doing another triathlon in September.

And now I have to go and pick up my race package this afternoon so I don't have to stand in line tomorrow morning to get it.




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