Me and Dad went run run run and it was fun fun FUN!!!

I heard Dad get into the the big big box he has all his clothes in and he opened the drawer that has running pants! I couldn't believe it and was so excited that I had to wake Mom up to tell her!

When he got my leash for racing out it was the best thing ever. I was so happy that I had to push Dad's face with my nose to make him hurry up and get his shoes on.

We drove to a nice park and I got to get lovings from a lot of people and even kids too! I wasn't very hot out (67⁰F) but it it felt kind of hot. Me and Dad got his bib and his shirt. It's kind of dumb. Only babies wear bibs and he's never going to wear that shirt.

I got very excited to start when everyone lined up. I kept yelling "Let's go!". "We have to run run run!". Dad took me behind a big building so I would not make the race director feel bad for not letting every one run so he could talk a whole lot. These people use a lot of words but don't really say anything.

There was a big big loud noise from a firetruck's special horn and we all went run run run as fast as we can! Me and Dad was passing lots of people. After what dad says is a "mile" it seemed like people were going faster and starting to pass us more. Dad as going pretty fast too. One guy who was crazy old was talking with Dad about everything he does with me that is wrong. The first thing the guy said was, "I'm going to give you some advise". I could hear Dad roll his eyes. Dad had the wrong leash for me. When we go run run run in the woods, I should never be off the leash because he had a dog run in the road. He didn't let Dad say anything. After a long time all Dad said was, "That's nice". Which mean's "Bless his heart".

He told Dad that I should not get treats because I will be a pest when ever I think I should have one!

Let me bite him Dad!!

We got to a place where nice people had cups of water. I drank two of them right down!. Then I set down for a minute to catch my breath. I could tell that Dad was worried and he kept telling me I was a good boy. I got up and we walked for a little bit and then I started to go run run run again. Dad kept telling me how I was such a good boy too! We walked for a little bit and then ran. When a nice person drove up next to us and she asked Dad if I was OK, I went run run run fast again! We got tot the finish line and lots of people yelled for me! It was so nice. Dad got me lots to drink and I laid down on the grass. Dad got a big handful of ice and rubbed my back and belly with it and that was nice too. I got up and started to walk around again and Dad gave me lots of bites of treats because I'm a good bot.

When everyone was done with the race we all lined up and cheered for everyone who got hardware. We got a pancake breakfast for racing and it was good good good.

Posie - my IM mentor Frank and Sister Madonna have also Chelan'ed.

However, sorry you didn't have a chance to do the Try-a-Tri

with the quarter-mile swim if I can do anyone can

(as as did with your DS-1 in Kirkland in 2014)

ps - wish I could figure out pics like you

(and everyone else) can do.

.

10th and 40th triathlon anniversaries (1987 / 2018)

with Super-nun Ironman Sister Madonna Buder

After annual triathlons since 1978 to provide some variety from annual marathons I started in 1977 to maintain off-season skiing fitness without bothering in training for them, since 2005, when my poor swimming finally caught up to me, I’ve focused me on the increasing-popular, non-competitive (and much more economical - $$$), local super-sprint distances with abbreviated 1/4 mile swims and no time cutoffs that anybody who can float and doesn’t mind lots of leisurely side-stroking, back resting, etc. that I have to do can also do without that much, if any or no, swim training,

In addition, though it's even too much cheating even for me, as a further safety measure, it’s even okay to hang on to course monitors’ paddle boards along the way to rest, clear goggles, etc.

However, one-half mile swim be darned, I registered right away for the Sprint Division in the 2018 Seattle Seafair Triathlon (I’d done off-and-on from 1990-2005) when I found out Ironman legend Sister Madonna Buder from Spokane was entering to celebrate her 88th birthday that same week.  

It would be a fitting 40th triathlon anniversary celebration for me too as I first met Sister Madonna in my 10th year of triathlons on October 10, 1987 on the Kona lava fields under the full moon (that they then timed the IMH to in those days) in the finale marathon in that year’s Ironman Hawaii.  It was Sister Madonna’s third qualification for what would be more than 25 IMH’s through 2012 at age 82 to say nothing of more than 300+ tri's all around the world she’s still doing today.  However, for me, it would be my first and only IMH.
.
It doesn't matter, though, as the glory of just getting in the IMH

is just as vivid today as it was back then.  In particular, three reasons

conspired to permit entry to a slacker like me who trains for swimming

even less than for running:
. 1.  during the last of a four year sojourn in Japan,
. . . I realized any foreigner who applied would be guaranteed
. . . an automatic entry into the overabundance of the 100 slots
. . . reserved for “gaijin” in that year’s IMJ,
. 2.  a typhoon and concerned elites had fortuitously abbreviated
. . . the daunting 2.4 mile swim to 1.8 miles but with the same time
. . . cutoff as for the original distance and
. 3.  for some reason I truly cannot fathom, so many of the real qualifiers
. . . in my AG declined their automatic IMH entries
. . . that I got in on the last roll-down.
.
By rights, there's no reason I should have been anywhere

close to Sister Madonna.  However, she was limping along

at mile 18 on a twisted ankle and two broken toes.

Nevertheless, she was more interested in how I was doing.
. . . Me: “Couldn’t be happier but this’ll be my
. . . . . . last Ironman distance, that’s for sure.”
. . . SM: “Oh, so sorry to hear that. You’re really doing great.”
. . . Me: “Not really, even swimming in more buoyant salt water,
. . . . . . I finished last place with only a minute to spare
. . . . . . before the 2hr/20min cutoff:
. . . SM: “Oh my, exactly the same to the minute for me too, . . ..
. . . . . . but don’t count yourself out:  I DQ’ed my first time
. . . . . . in 1985 when the cutoff was 2hr/15min
.
As a result, 15-years later in 2002, when my Ironman mentor from those days too told me about a new, first-come/first-served IM in nearby Coeur d'Alene, ID that I didn’t have to qualify for (and he knew I couldn’t have) had been scheduled for June 2003 and he was driving over, I not only registered myself but also entered my non-trainer son and, in spite of my first (and only, . . . so far) DQ that year because of my poor swimming, we had the times of our lives for three years and I finished both the 2004 and 2005 editions with about a half-hour to spare before the midnight deadline after reluctantly acknowledging to myself that I couldn’t swim 2.4 miles anymore in the 2hr/20min cutoff time without wearing my IM mentor’s second-hand wetsuit I still consider to be a kind of cheating and have never used again.  In addition, the increase of entries to over $500 was starting to get a little daunting too.  
.
A month later, in June 2005, celebrating her 75th birthday, I was one of many triathletes Sister Madonna left in her dust in a Half Iron up at Lake Stevens a little north of Seattle. Little did I think the next time I’d see her would be when I was 75, . . . and she’d be 88 as happened at this year’s Seafair Tri.
.
As fully expected, after floating around, side-stroking, resting on my back, etc. pretending to be swimming for a half-mile in Lake Washington, it was no surprise that Sister Madonna whipped me out-of-the-water by over six minutes.  Fortunately, my the no-shoes transitions permitted by barefoot biking and running plus enough remnant muscle memory in 75-yo skiing legs vs. 88 years allowed a timely enough finish to get to help celebrate her 88th birthday afterwards.

For my birthday toast to Super-Sister, I mentioned how great it was for a 75-yo guy to get to feel so young around an 88-yo triathlete, . . . . . . until she beats me in yet another triathlon again.  That’s okay, though, I’ll do better in 2031 when I’m 88 too, . . . . and Sister Madonna is 101!
.
ps - when I mentioned a new “retro” division in a super-sprint triathlon coming up in September up at Lake Stevens where we had swum/cycled/ran in 2005 and she chided me, “oh, those are for kids,” I had to remind her that she’d said that a lot of her initial affection for triathlons was the swimming, biking and running she still does with the same abandon as in her childhood days in St. Louis.  Me too.

^{Time    2:02:24)
. . . OA      447/466
. . . Sex     221/223
. . . AG      2/2
Leg       place          time    pace}

^{Swim  469/474 . .  26:26    52:52m/m    
T-1      005/474. . . . 1:25    na
Bike    471/474. . . .48:48    14.78mph
T-2      020/474. . . . 1:06    na
run      463/474. . . .44:37    14:24m/m}