A little over 3 weeks ago a friend of mine sent me a message asking if I was interested in guiding a blind athlete. I had already been interested in the possibilities of this but really wasn't sure if I was ready for such a task. I thought about how you have someone else's race in your hands and that was quite frightening at the time. I was thinking of more long course guiding rather than sprint or Olympic distance. Well the opportunity presented itself and I basically put my name in the mix and was hoping for the best.
The request was for someone that could swim 750m in 10:00, bike 40K in under 1 hour, and run 5K in 16:30. Well I am not quite that fast in the water and I hadn't ran an open 5K in quite some time so didn't know how close I was getting to that, this past weekend was a good indication that I might be a little closer than I thought. So I was put in contact with Aaron Scheidies, the guy that was looking for a guide, thanks to Caroline Gaynor of Team Red, White, and Blue. She has guided many athletes in the past and has put many people in contact to guide others as well. I looked at this as an amazing opportunity not only to be able to help someone else out, but to be able to give back to a sport I love while still being able to race.
I feel at times that as triathletes most of us are focused on ourselves and don't stop and take a moment to find ways to give back. We consume ourselves so much with the sport and focus so much on our own training and racing that we forget to help out. I have been helping out a little bit here at a local middle school with their new triathlon club that our triathlon club is a huge part of. But I still feel over the past 4 years I have not done enough to give back to a sport I love and that has done so much for me.
So I want to thank Aaron for giving me this opportunity to race side by side with him, well actually he may be dragging me through the water and then dragging me on the run, but on the bike I think we are going to have one heck of a time. We will be racing in Edmonton, Canada on the 22nd of June for one of the main stops of the Paratriathlon ITU series. It will be a 750m Swim, 20K Bike, and 5K run. You can find out more about the race here: http://www.triathlon.org/events/event/2013_edmonton_itu_paratriathlon_international_event
If you would like more information on USAT Paratriathlon check out this link: http://www.usatriathlon.org/audience/athlete-resources/paratriathletes.aspx
You can find out more about Aaron here: http://cdifferentwithaaron.com/
and on FB: https://www.facebook.com/cdifferentwithaaron
Luckily this past weekend, David Bradfield who lives here in Ft Worth and is part owner in Arundel Bikes let me take his tandem for a spin. I was a little worried about the bike portion since I had never ridden a tandem, but thanks to David I feel somewhat comfortable now. Thanks David for helping out with that and for showing me some of the amazing products you guys have!
This past weekend I also ran a small 10K event up in Irving, the Wounded Warrior Half Marathon and 10K. I don't want to go into too much detail but it was a crazy day. One hour delay due to a Thunderstorm that rolled in. Then the course was an out and back with the half marathoners starting about 20 minutes ahead of the 10K. I got out to a good start and ran with a lead pack till about the turnaround point. We caught a lot of the slower half marathoners and part of the course was on a small running trail that was only about 4 wide. By the time we got to that it was covered with half marathoners so we had to run on the grass which was turning into a muddy mess. At the turn around the 2 guys started to put some time into myself and one other guy.
On the way back we ran right back at the half marathoners and now all of the 10K runners as well. The course was logistically a nightmare and the rain did not help the situation. By mile 4 we were back on the road and had a decent size gap had opened between the first 2 guys and myself and a high school kid. We had a rough idea that the course was going to be short so we talked about racing to the line but still running hard to get an actual 10K time past the line. From mile 4.5 on it was clear roads and no more people to dodge, avoid running over, and no massive puddles to run through or hurdle over. With about half mile to go I put in a decent surge and the high school kid didn't come with me and I opened up a small gap. I ended up 3rd across the line for the 5.9 mile race and then ran the extra distance to get a full 10K and a solid PR. My Garmin showed a 35:03 for 10K, which was a 1:47 PR from my last Open 10K and a 1:16 PR from my fastest 10K off the bike, yes it had been a while since I ran an open 10K.
Results: https://www.nolimitstiming.com/results/default.aspx?event=21653&r=5543
3rd out of 1,199- 33:46 Chip Time (35:03 10K Time)
Strava File (http://www.strava.com/activities/59267863)
When you #WEARTHEEAGLE you can Fly, literally ;)
Also, over the weekend Team RWB had a great opportunity to go to the JW Hart PBR event up in Decatur. We had a group of about 50 members and were part of an amazing ceremony. There was a presentation of 5 houses for military veterans and their families from an Organization called 1000 Miles Till Home. It was a great Team RWB event and we were all honored to be apart of the event. After the presentation we stuck around to see some bull riding, have to say it was the first "Texan" thing I have done since living here and it was pretty cool. Don't think I will be getting on a bull anytime soon though. So all in all a great weekend, with great people and some amazing things happening. Thanks to everyone for all of the support and for all of these amazing opportunities. All of this would not be happening without the amazing people that are in my life, so THANK YOU!
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