Race Goodies
So all these crazy races and triathlons I do give out goody bags to the participants. Usually, they are filled with all kinds of promos and ads for expensive sporty stuff ("10 cents off your next pair of $500 running shoes at Fleet Feet" or "5 minute sports massage for $90"), some non-food (Cliff bars or Gu) and a toothbrush (there's this one dentist in the South Bay that gets his toothbrushes into every bag).
The toothbrush has proved to be the most useful item for me, as I routinely forget to bring one when I pack my tri-bag for the hotel the night before the race. Recently, the bags have been carrying mini Degree antiperspirants -- very useful post-race, but I wonder why it took so long to realize that sports events are so stinky.
But I must say, the best race goody I have gotten was not something I could take home with me (legally, anyway). It was this:
Bagpipers and a band of musketeers at the beginning of the race. Priceless. It set the tone for a fantastic day (with no sinus marshmallows in attendance). I had a great .9 mile swim amidst the sea lions around the Santa Cruz pier, a ridiculously fast 25 mile bike ride up Highway 1, and a slow, but not too painful 6 mile run along the ocean cliffs. Oh yeah, there was a naked guy on the run course too: plain as day walking out of the ocean below the cliff, with hundreds of tired runners looking down at him from above.
posted by lizski @ 12:07 PM
5 comments
5 Comments:
So, what were the bagpipers doing there? Where they going to show you guys how to do a triathlong Scott-style? Did someone contract them to come and see you guys off?
What do you classify as ridiculously fast? 25 miles in, what, an hour? two hours? I have no sense of what a fast bike leg in a triathlon is.
I was wondering... is Eric part of a triathlon spouse/sig-o club? When he goes to events, does he hang out with "regulars" that are there to support their athletically-inclined better halves? Or does he kill time by jammin' with the bagpipe men?
The bagpipers were there to help send us off. They played some tunes before each wave* of racers was released into the water. Shortly after the bagpipers finished, the musketeers would fire, and the wave would be off and running down the beach!!
My ridiculously fast bike leg was 1:19.03 (or 18.8 avg mph). If you want to see what ridiculously fast is for the truly ridiculously fast folks, more race results can be found here.
As for E, I only see him a few times while I'm out on the course - usually when I come out of the water, when I return from the bike leg and when I finish. At Sentinel, he hung out with another groupie that my friend Stacey and I have managed to collect. But I don't know what he does when there are no familiar groupies around. I think there is coffee and a book involved.
*They send different age groups and genders off in waves ten minutes apart. This reduces the likelihood of people losing arms and legs to other racers during the swim.
Where do I sign up for the LIzski groupie club? Do you have jackets? I like jackets. :-)
Having all your limbs at the end of the race is a definite plus in my book. All other alternatives suck, just ask this guy.
So, how did you finish the race? Where you happy with your placement?
What ever happened with that job offer you had? Did you take it? Are you "leveraging" it to get a better one?
Working on the groupie jackets... I'll let you know when we get the logo proofs back. :)
I was very happy with my time for the race. It was a couple minutes slower than my first Olympic distance tri in June. But I was much better prepared in June, and I expected to be much closer to 3 hours for this one. I think the week of being sick prior to race helped too, because it forced me to take the week off and actually taper.
Yup. I accepted the offer. There was no leveraging, just a whole lotta thankfulness that I won't have to go into default on my student loans.
I watched Mike Badalov in the Chicago triathlon back in August. It made me wistful for the days when I could have competed myself. I'm in awe of your stamina, Liz.
And not in a nasty way either, so nobody make the joke.
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