Monday a.m.

Made it to the distant dam!

Ready for the run!

Good morning! This is probably going to be short, because we are leaving for Alabama after I crank out a 5 mile run very soon. We are heading to Huntsville for a few days. We will stay with Kedra's parents for a little while, and I am speaking at the Mayfair church on Wednesday night.

Thursday we head off to Orange Beach for a few days. I am hoping Debby will decide to leave by then. Right now it's not looking too good. I've always wanted to be in a hurricane. Seriously. My problem is that Kedra does not share my desire.

Well, I did my first triathlon on Saturday. The top picture is the lake that we swam in. It was low, warm, and not the cleanest it's ever been, but it was the place to get in and go. My goal was to make it to the turn around, which was right before the dam you see in the distance. If I arrived, I would take a ride back to the dock. (My first goals were not to drown and not to panic.)

I wasn't nervous, which was good, and I didn't panic, not even close, which is better. I made it, which is the best part! It was ugly, but I never stopped. It was slow, but I made it and gained some experience and confidence and some (secret for now - ha ha) insight.  Everyone was encouraging and helpful. I really enjoyed it. It turned out to be a little longer than I have to swim for my first official tri on August 11.

While the experienced swimmers finished, I prepped for the bike ride. I was eager to ride and had been warned by Bill that the paceline will take off without any warning. I was ready for all that, but a few people in front of me had trouble deciding what to do. Before I knew it, the paceline was off and I was not on. Frustrating! Rand, who was behind me, pulled me hard for 3-4 miles trying to catch it. My Garmin shows 2 miles north of 25 mph and a couple of others close. 

I thought we were going to catch them a couple of times, but as the gap increased again, I gave up. Spent! I shouldn't have given up, because the line got stopped by a truck, but before I could get there, they were off again. Oh well, I had a good 30 mile ride to the SAG stop and then enjoyed the last 20 miles with the big dogs.

On the way back Jim, trying to avoid an obstacle in the road, rubbed Mike's rear wheel hard. This usually results in a crash and almost did, but Jim, somehow, managed to stay up. When Jim was sliding sideways, I hit his rear wheel lightly and thought I was going down, but I didn't. We all stopped to check everything out before making our way back without any more incidents. It was a great ride!

Following the ride was the run. Due to a wedding 2 hours away, I had to cut the run short. I only had time for 3 of the 9 miles. It was hot! I got back to the Black's home, which is one of the most beautiful homes I've been in in a long time, took a shower and took off. I missed the feast and story telling but had a great day. The Blacks are wonderful and gracious hosts.

OK, I MAY post over the next few days. Come back and see, I suppose. Thanks!