"the spring breeze melted snow on the hills then quickly disappeared.
i wish i could borrow it briefly to blow over my hair
and melt away the aging frost forming now about my ears."
we've had a really nice stretch of unseasonably warm weather . . . deep blue skies, t-shirts, the smells of the earth readily available . . . today is much closer to what you might expect on a november day . . . .
yesterday i ran the only competitive race i entered this season - the dirty duathlon. this is (despite its competitive nature) a really fun event that sees a range of abilities, ages, shapes and sizes show up for the privilege of running 3.9 km, biking 10 km, and then running 3.9 km more. this is all done though hilly woodland about a kilometre south of where i live. this year (as with last year) i split the duties with my much younger neighbour matt who is a fantastic cyclo-cross racer and who is the speed of the team without a doubt. last year we won the relay element of the race.
the discussion board for the organizer had mentioned that the "reigning champs" would be back but that they would be challenged by two very fast teams. they weren't joking! in my own opinion, the dirty duathlon was really ramped up from last year. the calibre of participants was a lot higher with national 5000m champion runners and some high-end teams from various universities in attendance, not to mention the various mountain biking stars that showed up.
the deal is i run 3.9k off road, tag up with my buddy matt who rides 10k flat out on trails and then he tags me up for 3.9k more. the first run left at a near sprint which really rocked me and left me with jelly legs half way through the first lap. i kept plugging and eventually tagged matt (after i had fallen well back in the pack) who then took off and hauled us back up to fifth overall, third in the relay at which point he tagged me and i took off and happily my legs were with me for the second 3.9 so i kept our position finishing third in the relay and eighth overall. i met the two teams that took first and second - all but one member was half my age and thus the tone of the poem i threw in up top in this entry.
there's nothing like a 25 year-old blowing by you in a race to remind you of what you once had and what you are left with! on the positive side of the finish we did get to stand on the podium, and i think we both know that i'll do better next year, and that we got beaten by two really strong teams. no shame in that!!!
my whole body hurts today so it'll be an advil day!!!! as soon as i get the pics from my neighbour's parents i'll up them here.
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