As you already know Leticia Martinez is one of my peeps who I put tons of faith into, someone who when they call (text) will certainly brighten your day, someone who not only levels out the negatives and makes it all worth the while, but someone who can actually make me see past myself:) For the better part of the past 2 years Leticia and I have texted (via an app which adds voice to text). We keep one another updated on the goings on if you will, we encourage each other...I try to send her good vibes about her training and let her know about my race results while she keeps me motivated and encouraged by not only her remarkable race results, but by her shear resilience, will power, drive, and positive attitude. A couple years ago I remember Leticia being really happy when we took our annual Colorado family vacation because it meant a lull in her triathlon training for a few days (mostly the running). This summer as we are in CO... so is Leticia, only she is also training and racing....AT THE OLYMPIC TRAINING CENTER!!! Yeah she is a total bad ass swimmer now. She attacked that sport much the same way she attacks everything in life...pedal to the metal! Currently Leticia is ranked number 1 in the United States and 6th in the world among blind swimmers! Her current goal is to break :30 seconds in the 50 free, her longer term goal...London 2012!! To express how very proud I am of her would be extremely difficult, so most of the time I just say keep it up or good job or something along those lines. It's not until later that it all begins to sink in and I realize just how far she has come and how dramatically sports can change a persons perspective on life... makes me very happy! A funny on Leticia.... I remember when we would train for the run, Leticia would do this little trick where she would not only loosely tie her shoes, she would also tie one just a fraction looser then the other..Why, you ask yourself?? Easy, because as we would get to running first one would "mysteriously" come untied, then a a little while later the other one would do the same... She would get to rest, sit, and tie her shoe, not once, but twice! I would let her for the most part and just pretend not to be hip to her trickery, but then during the Socorro Triathlon when it was game time one little shoe came untied and I quickly tied them both...TIGHT! She said,"what are you doing I usually tie my own shoes"... not this time I explained. We needed to hustle to the finish line and sitting down in the middle of a triathlon to tie not one, but two shoes (in a quarter mile) was just not an option, she sort of gave a frustrated sigh, then later a little chuckle, and at the end a huge thank you as we crossed the finish line....
On the racing/training front... Last weekend the Montoya Mafia was in Tucson (thanks to Jaclyn for not letting me off the hook) The Tucson race in July is always hot! This year it was no different. A few cool things about the Tucson races: you never know who will show up and try to out sprint you, there are always familiar faces, there are always races within the race, and I can always count on pushing as hard as I possibly can... in 100* weather! This year perhaps the the three most memorable events were racing Seton to the line for a beer and pushing the limits with Leo...again, and the fact that this race was going to be my 200th career triathlon. At the beginning of the race Seton and I shook hands and sealed the bet. He had a slight head start and I knew it would be close and mutually beneficial not to mention a hell of a lot of fun to race each other. Trouble was, when he caught me on the run I was way too out of sorts to go with him. He opened up a gap and I tried to close, but it was too little too late...plus he fricken sprinted to the line as well! Seton, I owe you a cold one next time I am in Tucson.. As for Leo, man the guy don't quit! We usually race within a few seconds of one another there, but in that kind of heat... and our age... whew, lucky to get out of that one without loosing consciousness..FOR REALS! Marlene asked me after the race what it's like to push that hard in that heat....EZ, come out of the swim with a two minute deficit, ride the bike so hard you puke (just a little), then run side by side pushing the threshold to the point of your surroundings getting a little blurry from time to time... then cap it off with a sprint to the line.. IT HURT A LOT, but it was totally worth it and that's what part of this amazing journey has all been about.
Right after the race we loaded up the car and headed for Denver CO. 15 hrs later we had driven across the Salt River Canyon, back through Show Low AZ, and were at our destination by 4:45 the next morning.. Which brings me to today. Today is our anniversary! 16 years ago today it is safe to say Marlene didn't know what kind of roller coaster she was getting on, but for the grace of God it has been a wonderful ride (for me anyway)! Huge THANK YOU to Mar for putting up with me for so long. The consecutive training days are still a go and today just happens to be number 200! Maybe a sunset run with Mar through the forest trails?? Lastly all systems seem to be a go for one of the biggest races I have done in quite some time, The Boulder 5150. Should be stacked with the best of the best.....Bring It!!
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| The finish line is often times just the beginning |
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| Good thing Leo is Mortician... at least he can make me look pretty after he gives me a heart attack!! |
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| Seton totally laying it on the line for that beer!! |
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