Half Mary

I heard Marc mention he had a "Half Mary" coming up. It took about 10 seconds for my brain to compute it into race terminology. I am thinking...."he doesn't like bloody marys, thats my thing"...also, "who the hell is Mary?" and quickly before the brain retagged the coment as a race term "is that a new dessert?" Well, as you all know, he meant a half marathon. Welcome to my world folks. I swear it took me atleast 10 seconds of the thought process I just laid out for you to finally catch up. Yet I describe myself as "an avid fan"...

The half marathon I am speaking of took place right here in our little burb of Tampa, Brandon, Florida. The time of day once again was O'dark thirty when we arrived. When daylight hit I ventured out of the truck and into the parking area. It was time to begin my search for The Perfect Spot. You know,the spot that would afford me great photo ops and a great cheering position. Easy to do since this event had no transition quandries to solve. One spot could do it all. (All that was missing was my Bloody Mary.)

It was an exceptionally friendly atmosphere. Ofcourse, in case you didn't know, I have NEVER met a stranger. So for me to say this event was exceptionally friendly I mean that people were talking to me first, not the other way around. Kinda weird. Maybe having our dog, Chournie, helped to create conversation. Dogs definitely make it easy for people to start up conversations. It was nice. Chournie thoroughly enjoyed all of the little kids who wanted to pet her. The spectators and athletes alike were in high spirits. From a spectator's point of view the race coordination was a little haphazard. Not bad, but haphazard. My understanding was that it was also haphazardly coordinated from the athletes point of view as well. Overhearing quite a few of the athletes' comments verifed Marc's feelings of the lack of aid stations, water, etc. Easy things to "fix" on the end of the organizers.

In my wandering I discovered there were quite a few triathletes running. There were some entered in the 5K as well as the 1/2 Mary. A training day. I met a really nice couple from Spring Hill, Amanda and Jim, who drove down for the 5K. Jim just finished the Florida Ironman last month. They had their daughter with them and Jim ran the 5k pushing his daughter in her jogging stroller. I think she had as much fun as anybody. Quite a few Moms and a couple of Dads competed while pushing their kids in front. Pretty fun to see them cross the line. I saw a little boy cross the finish line in good spirits and still strong. He ran the 5k with good time and if he was a day over 7 I'll be amazed. I'm being gracious because in all honesty I don't think he was older than 6. There were numerous children in this race. I think most of the kids were running slow, holding back for their parents who were trying to keep up.

As usual I was armed with my camera, fold up chair, coffee and voice. In addition to the normal luggage I lug on these things I brought Chournie. I know I mentioned her earlier but she is worth more than a mention. Chournie was awesome. She will be 12 years old next month. Hard to believe she has been a part of our lives for 12 years. Where did the time go? Well, Chournie is a great dog for spectator or activity events. She has accompanied Marc and I on many a rock climbing venture over the years. Her die hard companion on these trips is our 11 year old Chihuahua, Cara'Biner. ('Biner...pronounced Beener) for short. Those two can climb just as nimbly and quickly as anyone I've seen on the end of a rope. Great girls, they really are. On Sunday, Chournie was the hit of the party so to speak. Every little one out there wanted to pet her. She was in heaven. Her compadre', 'Biner, did not get to go on this last jaunt. Just too many things to worry about on my end of the deal. No, I did not choose favorites Chournie just likes crowds more.



In our amble over to The Perfect Spot near the finish line Chournie meets this young lad...She was totally into this young male Rodesian Ridgeback named Hart. Did I mention she has good taste? Talk about bouncing like a puppy. Chournie bounced until the Rodesian started bouncing back. He was still a puppy in doggy terms. Only a year old, huge and still growing. Beautiful dog and he had to weigh at least 80lbs, maybe 90. I kid you not. Chournie on a fat day weighs in at about 25lbs. She was done playing in about 30 seconds. Pretty good for a chuckle. I felt sorry for the young lad she had teased into playing with her. Funny when you suddenly realize you have bitten off more than you can chew. Chournie had done just that. Our little girl's new found playmate could crush her with one paw. All he wanted to do was play and bounce around with her but her bounce only lasts about 30 seconds these days. She was done. We ambled further along. Poor Hart.




Getting back to the race... Afterall, that is the whole point of this blog isn't it? Or is it? I haven't quite decided yet. Anyway, as a spectator at these events you notice many things going on around you. You get to witness an entirely different event than the athlete experiences. The people, the dogs, the volunteers, the food, the children, the traffic and more. I love my fold up chair for the reasons just listed as much as I love it for being able to watch Marc and his fellow athletes compete. In my VAST experience at these things (1 duathlon, 14 tris and one 1/2 mary) it still amazes me at how lethargic the majority of the spectators are. Come on folks!!!! Step up and put out!! Put out some emotion for these athletes. Sure everyone cheers for THEIR athlete but what about the rest of the competitors? I seriously thought about a cattle prod. Maybe I could go around and goose everybody one time and hear a little life out there. Puhleeze.






The best fellow spectator I have ever met is my Tri Spectator Companion Erika. She doesn't get to attend every race though. Her Husband trains and works out with my husband. Erika's husband competes in atleast half of the events annually that Marc competes in. So, for half of the events she arrives with 2 year daughter old in tow and lots of cheers for every athlete. When Erika is not at the races I definitely miss my shouting mate but I will not let my being a lone cheerleader stop me from shouting out whatever words of encouragement I can. Did I tell you that Erika bought us Pom Poms for the Tris? Oh yes, she did. Red and White ones. That is the spirit I am talking about folks.



My hope to see more life at future Tris is a hope I think to be hopeless. Perhaps I could supply the Bloody Marys. To the best of my knowledge, short of a glass of OJ, a Bloody Mary is the best way to kick start your day. They'll have to be in sports bottles simply as a tribute to why we are all there to begin with. Ofcourse the cocktails must be portioned out for your lung capacity. The more accolades you shout to the athletes, the bigger your sports bottle will be. What do you think Erika? It could work. Who is going to bring the tobasco?










I know, I can't really cattle prod anyone or loose the crowd with Bloody Marys but a girl can dream can't she? What if I use sports bottles with a built in coozy and a straw? I know, no. Sorry. I'll have to stick to the pom poms I guess.