At the last Peaman race. A 10 miler, I met Jim at the turn around and we started talking about our experiences at Lavaman and figured out that we both had the exact same bike time (1:13). And thanks to Jim pacing me, I got a really good time on the 10 miles that day.
Or like today, I was on mile 7 of a 9 mile run on Alii Drive and heading back to the pool (my starting point) when another runner zipped by me (going in the same direction as I was) and gave me a wave. Of course, being the competitor I am I tried to speed up and stay with him, but uh, well, that nagging groin injury just slowed me down ... yeah right. Really he was bookin' and I couldn't keep up with him, but I'll blame it on injuries ...
Anyhow, when I got back to the pool, there he was cooling down in the parking lot. And immediately he runs over to me and introduces himself and we start chatting about the Kona and Honolulu marathons and that we both plan on doing them and how our workouts are going, How we did in Lavaman, how we are doing on swimming, etc.
And this is almost a daily experience here. I've met more people in the past 6 months since I've started training than in all the time I've lived here before that. Anyhow, I think it is pretty cool.
This photo is a wire photo from the 2004 olympics: Andy Potts of the United States leads the pack in the first leg of the triathlon in the 2004 Olympic Games on Thursday, August 25, 2004.
2 comments:
Chinese swimmers I see each day at the pool are also quite friendly, too. Of course, it takes a while to get over the fact that I am a foreigner. I sure miss those times in the car park after races in Kona.
I think swimming distance is easy as long as you don't force it. Swim relaxed and work on technique and efficiency. Remember, it is about 6.2 miles to Keauhou from the Kailua pier, so a few thousand meters is still very little.
I could not agree with you more! Big Island has the most amazing athletes! So welcoming and fun... I just love and adore all of you!
Hugs to you and Karen!
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