Doctor, Doctor

I would like to say congratulations to Shawn "Dr. Ice Dog", and Mac "Dr. Skinny". Shawn successfully defended his Ph.D this month after over a decade of schooling at Michigan State. Shawn will help keep this world a little cleaner and will teach the young minds of tomorrow as a Professor of Environmental Engineering at Wayne State University.

Mac completed his ER residence and is officially done this month! Mac finished his last residency in a small village in Africa, where he introduced emergency room medicine and ultimate Frisbee to the locals. Mac and his wife Amy, will be moving to Traverse City this summer.

You guys both dedicated countless hours of hard work to achieve your dreams and you did it!

First Tri

I just wanted to give you all an update on my 1st tri this past weekend. I started off my training with some swim lessons at the Y. I knew how to swim, but usually did this to cool off after laying out, never for a workout. It has been a tough 4 months, but was able to complete a 1500m workout in the end. That I was very proud of!!! The bike and the run were something I did in the basement after the kids went to bed. I would say I got in about 4 outdoor workouts prior to this race. Not the most ideal situation, but did what works best for our busy schedules.

If you are considering doing a tri, I STRONGLY recommend you train in open water and make sure it is not Lake Erie the night before a huge storm. I jumped into the lake after picking up my packet and knew I was in for a tough swim in the morning.

Race for Recovery – 1000m swim, 14 mile bike and 3.8 run.

The swim was very choppy with 1+ foot waves. Not exactly the same situation as I had in the pool training in the Y. I was so overwhelmed not by other people, but by the waves. I ended up swimming a large majority backstroke just to survive. I looked around at one point hoping there was a guard around, so that I did not drown from the mouth full of water I just swallowed. I however completed this leg of the race in 37 minutes.

The bike went a lot better, but again had huge gusts of winds. I was a fast as 19 mph and when I was headed into the wind 12 -13 mph. I however averaged 16 mph and was happy with this.

I was pretty tired by the time I got to the run and started walking for about 25 yards. I then thought to myself, I did not train to walk this and started to pick up the pace. I had no clue if I was moving fast or not, but that my legs were still going. I completed my 3.8 miles with a 9:49 minute pace. I trained on the treadmill around 9:30 miles and was thrilled to death. I thought after lumping everything together, I would be closer to 11 minute miles.

Finished the race in 2:13:13

I had a blast doing this and can’t wait for the next one. I know that I have to get in the lake a few more times prior to the next one.

Michelle

Hawk Island Triathlon - Lansng

I completed my very first triathlon. Thank you to Shawn & Kim for your cheers on the bike ride! You gave me a much needed energy boost! Despite an asthma attack in the water at the onset, I actually finished! My times were, well a starting point! 1:40:35. The tri was a 400M swim, a 16K bike, 5K run. I would definately recommend this to anyone as a first triathlon, but... rent a wet suit. The water was cold.

And to The Dominator, I didn't 'leave it all on the course', but thank you for the recommendation! Also, thank you VERY much for your help with the GREAT hand-out and showing me how to set up the transition area. THat was a HUGE help!