Catching Up on 2014 - Part 1

I had all these wonderful intentions of reviving my blog as I revived my triathlon career last season.  I managed one detailed report from my 1st race of last season.  I wrote a very detailed report of a small race I did in New Hampshire, but half the text vanished into the Internet's version of a back hole.  Hours of writing....poof!!! Gone.  Instead my followers (do they actually exist?) got treated to a travel piece accompanied by lots of photographs from my Alaska trip.  Did I ever tell you in my dream life I'd be a widely read travel blogger who gets free trips to write about?  Wishful thinking.  Just about as likely to happen as winning my age group at ITU Age Group World Championships. 

When I left off last season I was sweating about doing the West Point Triathlon and what time I'd leave the house.  Neurotic old tri-geek left early.  The short version of my West Point race report: In my age group I got trashed in the swim.  I roared back and passed them all on the bike, but reverting to an old pattern, I got caught on the run.  So 2nd place in F60-64. I was satisfied since that has always been a very competitive race.  I finally got to meet the other Polly who does triathlons.  She finished 3rd and did stay for the award ceremony.

Labor Day Weekend I did a road trip with my sister and did another small race in New Hampshire.  The Circle Triathlon.  Nice course with a serious badass climb on the bike course.  The one thing that stuck out about this race was playing cat and mouse with this one kid on the bike course.  I was getting kind of annoyed because he's riding a plain old bike with no bike shoes or toe clips.  I couldn't get rid of him. (The inner bike snob in me was showing.)  I'd pass him and then he'd pass me.  Every time he passed me he give me a look, and when I passed him I'd give him a look.  We came into transition together and after that I never saw him again.  When I looked at the results I'm thinking how did he have those crazy fast transition times.  Turns out he did the entire race including the swim in Vibram 5 toed shoes.  He's a really fast runner, and I should point out about 45 years younger.  No age group awards in that race either.  I can't remember where I finished overall.