First, let me congratulate the members of the TBC who competed at Ironman CDA, this weekend. So far as I could tell, everyone finished the race in fine fashion. This includes:
Bigun - who now adds Ironman to his list of accomplishments
Geek Girl - who finished her second Ironman with plenty of time to spare (and proved she didn't need the time trial start used in Kentucky)
Sweet Baboo - who continues to amaze his family by completing all day endurance events
Bold - who proved you can continue to "have a life" while competing in Ironman events
Neoprene Wedgie - another first time Ironman finisher, and he did it in fine style
Spokane Al - all the training Al is able to do pays off in Idaho
Taconite Boy - showing off his super powers (and his WIFE's Flashpoint wheels)
Trigreyhound - Lawyer, advocate, husband, two time Ironman (does he share some of Tac Boy's superpowers?)
If I missed anyone, please let me know.
Now, on to other weekend events. With Friday off, I was able to get some good bike training completed. Thursday evening I headed out toward High Cliff to bike the hill only to find a bunch of Tri Foxes near the swim start for the High Cliff Triathlon. They were holding a "newbie" swim, and I stopped to help out as best I could. We always put together a swim gauntlet to get people used to swimming with a bunch of people. Anyone who can survive our swim gauntlet will be fine in a mass start. With the ride home, it was just over 20 miles, though with a 40 minute break between sets.
I woke up early Friday so I could get in a 90-minute ride before Mrs. Pol left for the day. I went closer to 1:45, cranking out 33 miles in that time. It was cool with nearly dead calm air. The rest of the day was dedicated to my kids, including repairs to the training wheels on Monster Girl's "big girl" bike.
Saturday I volunteered at set-up for the High Cliff Triathlon, then headed to the pool for a swim workout with the tri club kids. It turned out to be only one young man, allowing us to focus on a few weak areas of his stroke. Summer always makes group workouts a challenge. The rest of Saturday was spent disassembling, cleaning, and rebuilding our clothes dryer. Apparently, I still need a few parts, as it won't run. Mrs. Pol is searching for those items, and I'll be going through the process again when we have them. For now, we have the cleanest broken dryer on the planet.
Sunday was filled with preaching at church and training. I headed out for a planned 2.5 hour ride once the kids were napping. After about 18 miles, minimally threatening clouds suddenly darkened, and I found myself on the very edges of a rapidly developing lightening storm.
While I'm not one to let a bit of rain deter me from a ride, I've been shocked enough to know getting hit by lightening shouldn't be on a "to do" list. I decided to heed the storm's suggestion I head home. The turn around was a bit of a bummer as I had just reached the bottom of a fairly major hill. The electricity in the air motivated me to get back UP the hill at nearly 18 miles per hour. I finished the 36 mile ride with an average pace of about 19.5 mph.
The new route I was using turned out to be a very nice change. On Friday morning, I passed a deer while riding through the state park. We were only about 10 feet apart when I passed, and it never moved. I passed another deer on Sunday, though nowhere near as close.
All in all, it was a pretty good weekend. Added to the work, training, and volunteering is the fact that my back somehow stopped bothering me Sunday morning. I didn't really notice it until I went to put my shoes on and had no trouble doing so. For the past several weeks, shoes and socks have been quite a chore because I couldn't really bend properly. Yesterday and today, absolutely fine (knock on wood).
This is a good omen as I have less than four weeks until my next race, the Spirit of Racine half-IM.
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