I had a long run on Lundi Gras and decided to run all the way down St Charles, which is the parade route. It was 7:30 on a Monday morning and people were already out getting their areas set up on the neutral ground for the parades that night. It was like running through an obstacle course- ducking through tents, dodging around camp chairs and barbecues, weaving in and out through barricade tape. I was in the Carnival spirit though so I enjoyed it. I love the excitement that you can feel in the air at Mardi Gras time. Over the weekend while I was running I spotted the Rolling Elvi, complete with police escort, all ready for the night's parades... (pictures courtesy of rollingelvi.com. I didn't have my camera with me)
I was all ready to catch a 100th anniversary Zulu coconut, the most prized of all Mardi Gras throws, on Fat Tuesday. But unfortunately I had to leave early that morning to drive to South Carolina for my uncle's funeral, who tragically passed away at the much too early age of 60. It was very sad, especially since he remarried about ten years ago and has a 6-year-old daughter. I'm glad I got to be there though, and I'm glad I got to see my family. They don't all get together much. It was a long drive, about 750 miles, but fortunately I was able to bring Miz Kai along as a most excellent traveling companion. Everyone loved her, especially the kids. She was such a very, very good girl with all the commotion, new people, and being in a strange place. She was steady as a rock. I couldn't be more proud of her. Did I mention that she and the kids loved each other?
The day after I got back was my birthday, and I celebrated by going for an 80-mile ride followed by a 30-minute run. My coach offered to give me the day off on my birthday, but I mentioned that it would probably be a better idea to give me the day *after* my birthday off, so that's what she did. But after that long ride, I was so tired I didn't make it past midnight and one drink!
As I usually do on my birthday, I did a bit of reflecting on the past year. 26 was a pretty good year for me. One of the bigger milestones of that year was my first triathlon. I had been thinking about triathlon off and on for a few years by that point and I finally decided now was the time. I was coming off of a long layoff due to shin splints and I was barely up to running 3 miles but I wanted to do it anyway. Not to mention the fact that I'd never swum in open water, nor did I have a road bike. So off to Alabama I went for the Grandman triathlon, with the hybrid bike in the back and Beverly along as moral support and cheering section. I got scraped up before the race even started by falling in a hole unloading the bike race morning. That day taught me two things: I really CAN do this, and I will NEVER again ride a hybrid bike in a race.
So, here comes 27. Just about 12 months from the day of Grandman I'll be doing my first Ironman. I'd like to do a few other things in my 27th year, like run my first non-Ironman marathon, enter an agility trial with Kai, get a little better at this cycling thing, get a better handle on how to balance training/job/Kai/etc, be a little more social, a little happier with myself, and when all is said and done, to not forget to enjoy the ride.
No comments:
Post a Comment