Still Breathing

I received this in an email today...funny stuff. Lil' Clyde cracks me up.

I saw this online the other day...ads from the 50's/ 60's...

Yep...
shoepants. Anyone? You can actually order these, today.

When was the last time YOU forgot to use Chase Sanborn Coffee? Ladies, step up or be punished... er...I mean SPANKED

Oh yes they did!!

This was an email I received from J-Wimm- stunning...(be sure to click on it for better reading)

So, you now know I haven't been up to much. Right after my Jan 20th post I left for North Carolina for a week. Came home with a viscious strain of bronchitis. Kicked my butt and had me in bed for 2 weeks. Except for Bigun's Gasparilla Marathon, I got out of bed for that. His mom and her hubby were in for a long weekend as Mama Bigun raced the half marathon. They left on Tuesday and then my friend Lisa and her husband arrived late Thursday night. Crazy, crazy schedule. Bigun had other priorities, you know, like blogging and podcasting. That meant I was picking up the slack. Yep, I went there...lol
I've missed you guys, I am hoping to get back to my old blogging self. I have been lurking and catching up on your posts as often as I can.
Thanks for stopping back in. Post with you soon!!
Di

p.s. I finished The Pillars of The Earth and thoroughly enjoyed it. Rumor has it, Iron Jenny just cracked the spine on her copy....

Gasparilla half Mary- Di's point of view....

Well, The race is over and I don't want to rush to the natural ending of this entry but, Bigun did Awesome!!!!! Amazing! Fantastical!!!! Phenomenal!!!!

4 am comes early no matter what day it is. When it's Sunday and you have a cold it's still way too early. I have to confess I almost did not go to this race. I felt so crummy this morning trying to fight off the watering eyes, sniffles and slight congestion. Yuck to say the least. What made me feel worse than this crummy cold was the thought that I would miss a race. So, I bucked up and got dressed ( slowly).

We piled all of our stuff into the truck and hit the road. Now, we are only 15 minutes away from where we needed to be so what "stuff" could we possibly have to pack you ask? Let's see, my camera bag, a canvas bag with a change of clothes for Bigun, a cooler bag with breakfast(bagels, cream cheese, salmon and coffee creamer) and a good book (for the hour between start time and when I can wake up our friend and race hostess, Hope). Let's not forget my purse...That's a lot of junk.

On the way to the race I had to stop for some Kleenex. Talk about miserable. Being the great guy that he is, Bigun didn't complain even when we had to make 2 stops because the first quick stop didn't carry tissues. Can you believe it?!?!? Who ever heard of a quick stop that doesn't carry tissues? I never.

Arriving downtown we start looking for a place to park. Tons of lots everywhere and tons of garages. We decided to try our luck at finding a place near the "Start" of the race. Our luck was amazing. We nabbed a spot practically 50 feet from the start. Awesome. It's still O'Dark thirty (5:30 am in Tampa) and wicked cold. Did I tell you that we are FREEZING in Florida right now? FREEZING. GLACIAL. (see word of the day) FREAKIN COLD. Anyway, I digress.

We mosey over to the starting point and it's really chilly and the wind is whipping itself up into a mild frenzy. Not too bad yet, it proved pretty soon afterward that it could indeed be worse. It's still dark, the race is delayed by about 10 minutes on the start because of the torrential rains we received during the night. Bayshore Dr and Davis Island both have a habit of flooding whenever it rains harder than a mist. That happened to be the race route. I know, it all sounds dismal doesn't it? It wasn't soooo bad really. The race started with a bang. I watched the start from the back of the Avalanche and I have to tell you, it was a GREAT vantage point! If I had only been given a ray of daylight I might have been able to get some shots of Bigun at the start. Unfortunately because of lack of light, I couldn't get a focused shot. I was bummed. After the athletes run by I get back in the truck and crank up the heat. It was nice and cozy while I read Ludlum's "The Bancroft Strategy". At about 7:15am I started gathering up our "Stuff" and locked up the truck. The spot we parked in was only a block away from our friend Hope's condo. The sun is shining. Not too bad on a warm sunny day, but as you all know... that isn't what we had going on this morning. Brrrrrrrr.

Hope was up and at'em and ready for the fun. She has an amazing view from her Balcony. It was really nice to be able to watch the festivities from a warmer vantage point. As 7:45 rolled around we thought we should make our way downstairs to the curb so we could cheer Bigun on as he ran past us heading towards the finish line.

We didn't have to wait long. When he came running toward us, his gait was strong. I could tell by his posture and his face that he was still feeling great after 13 miles. It was really exciting to see him finishing so strong! I was so proud of him! He has been training hard and it really showed this morning. Bigun is well on his way to being ready for his Ironman goal. Well on his way.

Bigun crossed the finish line and collected his finishers medal then made his way back down Bayshore ( about a 100 yards) to where Hope and I were standing. Hope and I gave him due props and oggled his medal and then hightailed it back to the door of the lobby. We quickly retired to Hope's lovely condo and enjoyed a light breakfast with a view of the finish line. What a truly nice way to start the day. I am so glad I didn't allow myself to stay home this morning. So glad.

After a couple of hours we left our Wonderful Race Hostess to her quiet Sunday and we made our way home. Today was a nice day. Did I say that already? Sorry, it was. Despite my crummy cold and achy muscles. I'm so proud of my man.

Today turned out to be a bright, sunny, (wicked freakin' cold) wonderful day at the races.

BRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR

Okay. I live in Florida. This whole "freezing" temperature thing is for all of you other people. It's 32 degrees here! The grass has frost all over it and the trees are quiet. The birds are chatting up a storm. I think they're all screeching "WTF? It's cold out here. I didn't move to Florida for this." Birds.

I took the girls out for their morning constitution and both of them looked at me like I had grown a second head sometime in the night. 'Biner was a blur. She ran out and next I knew she was huddled under her woobie in the kitchen. I never saw her fly past me to get back inside. Chournie. Chournie went out and quickly did her business. I think she held back. 20 seconds later inside she is scratching to go back out. repeat. She doesn't like wet or cold on her delicate toes.

Briscoe is in heaven out on the patio chasing the finches and Redwing Blackbirds all around. He can't get to them but he can see them flitting everywhere on the other side of the screen. They are really full of energy this morning. The Pelicans are on the lake in a feeding frenzy. The water is all a twitter with the sounds of it's inhabitants. I saw a fish fly 2 feet in the air while I was photographing a pair of Ibis at the shore. Wish I could have caught that on digital.

All of this pretty talk is very nice and well but let me get to the real issue at hand. Bigun. He has a half marathon in the morning and the temps aren't promising to be much warmer. The race starts at 6 am. My girlfriend Hope has a condo that sits facing Bayshore. Bayshore is where the athletes will be racing. Right on the water. Chilly. I am thinking that I'll be watching from the balcony rather than the street. I hope that Bigun can hear me cheering from 15 floors up. Under the electric blanket. Warm. Eating a bagel. Drinking HOT coffee. I can only pray that Hope will open her door that early in the morning. I'm calling her today to see if she's down with that plan. I'm bringing the lox and bagels...maybe that will pry her door open a little earlier.....cross your fingers for me.

You know, it just doesn't seem right to be looking out at the banana tree in your yard and see it surrounded by frost. It just ain't right. I know....kwitchurbitchin. Here's a shot of an Ibis cruising the shore this morning.

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.