July 2014

It feels very strange to be writing an entry from a place other than sandwiched between two large men in the middle seat somewhere on the back-half of a Southwest flight. Got to L-O-V-E having boarding position C48 every. damn. flight. Anyways.

Massachusetts

Swim openwater, ride bikes, run track, run trails, boston harbor, american authors / the script / one republic show, grilling out, playing with puppies, holding hands, mrs. murphy coffee, little sisters, staff meetings, Nonnie's home-cooking, riding the "T", hugs from Nick Davis, lay on the beach, briefly trespass to enjoy the lazy life of the rich and famous, long walks on the beach (cliche as it is), the beauty of small town Southwick, gossip with the girls, sushi, red wine, more red wine, lobster chowda, the worlds best salad, following your heart and working toward your dreams.

Cohasset Race

Great weekend for the crew. RJ was 2nd pro, I was first amateur, Dad was 3rd in his age-group and Nick was 2nd in his age group. Not a bad morning.

It started a bit interesting though.....at swim start for the 2nd wave I noted lots of women around me a wearing caps with their hair sticking out, still in flip-flops, race number tattoos were backwards and upside down. Being a little unsure I asked what wave this was, and got the bright eyed blue-bell answer of "GOODMORNING! This is the Beginner Wave. It's for novice racers. This is my very first triathlon! Are you nervous too!?" Uhhhh. Oh Shit. There was some confusion at check-in and I was given a random number, ended up being assigned to rack with the 45 year old men and apparently a start with the newbies. My actual wave of EA's and pros had gone off 10 minutes prior. It was no doubt the friendliest open water swim I had ever done, zero body contact with anyone. This brings me back to the title "Racing with Ghosts" After half way through the bike and catching the back half of the first wave, I was on my own. Nobody in sight behind or up front. The run course was just as lonely. It was a good mental game of staying motivated and focused knowing my competition was out there..somewhere....working hard and moving fast. Better splits than last year so no complaints. But the icing was being able to share the day with family and friends.

The east coast has a huge chunk of my heart on reserve and getting to spend time on the shore is priceless. But it is great to be back to the 303 where I truly belong.

So this brings us through June. (Sometimes life just gets crazy, busy, fun, and there isn't time to blog. Deepest apologies. Sarcasm)
Next post will be much more exciting.....much. more. exciting.

Quote of the moment:

Here's to peace, laughing until it hurts and then laughing more,
Aubrey