Look Out Triathlon World, Here I Come!

This week I've taken a short set of swimming lessons at the YMCA. In just one week I have gone from being a total non-swimmer to being a bad swimmer. I can sputter, cough, choke, and flail my way from one end of the pool to the other. I used to sputter, cough, choke, and flail but not actually go anywhere. It's a world of improvement!

The class consists of me and an African woman named Addie. We struggle in the pool while an audience of impatient children scowls at us. Our adult beginner class is from 2 - 2:30. After that it's open swim. The kids don't get to go in until Addie and I get out. They are less than understanding.

But I'll keep pluggin' away, and the next thing you know I'll be updating you on my first sprint tri.

Wish Me Luck!

The Boston Marathon

Man, these guys are fast. This time I was on the other side of the ropes. I was the dope trying to get a picture of these amazing athletes, and THIS is the best one I got. The guy that won, an Ethiopian named Deriba Merga, finished in 2:08:42. That's a pace of a 4:55 mile, and his final time is a full 12 minutes faster than my best HALF marathon.





This is Richard Whitehead of Nottingham, England. You might notice he's missing a couple of legs there. That didn't stop him from finishing the marathon about two hours faster than my time.










I've learned that running a marathon is simultaneously a humbling and inspiring experience. But I gotta tell you, I was feeling pretty humbled and inspired just watching some of these people go by.