The rest of my year revolved around long time trials, preceded by a swim and followed by a nice cool down run (LTT,PBAS,FBACDR - just to keep it simple). The whole point was to try to qualify for the World Championship LTT,PBAS,FBACDR. It's held here in Kailua-Kona, where the concept of a cool down run is entirely conceptual.
We (the Parry's) are making a wee vacation of things. My 16-year-old daughter is doing about 4 hours of homework a day and my 13-year-old boy is pretending to do about half an hour of homework a day. I thundered into the sand pretty good while boogie boarding yesterday, so that's off the menu until at least Sunday.
Right now I'm filling my time with short effort swimming, BIKING and running. Also checking out the competition, who are all skinnier, fitter and more well acclimatised than I am. Of course I did pass Mirinda Carfrae and Dirk Bockel (they're professionals at the LTT,PBAS,FBACDR thing for the uninitiated) while out for my morning bike ride this morning, so maybe I'll be okay. Anyone who's a cool cat knows that it really only matters 1) who has the biggest chain ring and 2) who gets off the bike first. Of course the winner is the one who finishes the cool down run first, but that's just what The Man says.
I vacillate. Some times I'm really keen to get out there and rip this thing apart, but mostly I keep telling myself that the hard part is over. I qualified, this is the celebration. Given what it feels like to run through the lava fields in 30 degree heat with no shade and the humidex set at 38, it's going to be a strange kind of celebration.
So, have an excellent party. Thank your hostess profusely. Don't throw up on her furnishings. Come Saturday morning, while you're nursing your well deserved hangovers, spare a thought for those of us who aren't quite finished their season yet. We'll be thinking of you (incoherently, while hallucinating about snowfall and pleasant, cool English country gardens).
3 comments:
Good luck Darryl. I still can't believe you didn;t fly me down there on your leer jet for support. I'm good at ordering drinks and lounging about. \i could yell at you to go harder... as long as I don't have to get up.
Well, that was embarrassing. PWs in swim, bike, run and finish. On the plus side: 1) I finished, 2) no med tent, 3) I finished ahead of some women and all of the 80+ year-old men, 4) KONA. I had a great day regardless of my lack of speed. It's hard to deal with a race where 90% of the field finished in the top 5% of their qualifying races. There were some scary fast people out there.
11:49!! Congratulations Darryl
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