Sunday, April 16, 2006

Three Sports, One Race

I’ve been running for over thirty years, including more than 20 marathons, but last fall a foot injury sidelined me and I didn’t run, except for a few trial jogs, until Saturday, when I ran 2.25 miles to finish off my first triathlon. It was an experience. On a windy day in South Dakota, the pool is calm, but going out with the wind on a bike means you’ll turn and “Whoa!” you’re down four gears and looking for a good tuck. I was fine until I whipped in, jumped off my bike, and tried to plug it into a bike rack made for 20-inchers, then jammed it into another rack while nudging several high-dollar models into reclining positions. It was time for a run, and after working out the kinks, the legs worked okay, and my friend Roger Reed welcomed me to the finish and the plastic flags snapping in the wind. Former students, colleagues, and local friends helped make my first triathlon a good one. Posted by Picasa

2 comments:

Phil B said...

Tri. That is something I have long though would be fun to do. Being a former swimmer (Dakota Splash, '94--the only swimmer in history to blow out a knee doing the backstroke--) I think intigrating swimming with running would be wonderful. I have a long way to go before I feel I will be able to even train for a tri...I need to rebuild my base after years of self abuse. Anyway, congratulations on getting back out there and racing a tri...IronMan here you come!

P

April said...

I didn't even know you were doing this! Congratulations on your first triathalon! Your foot must be feeling better--I'll look forward to going on a jog with you soon.