Why Not Tri ?

I woke up to gray skies and rain this morning. Instead of sleeping in and curling up in bed I opted to participate in a mini triathlon this morning. I think it’s the last race before Xterra comes to Saipan. I headed out to meet up with Ken & Crystal at 6:45 am. We met all the other race competitors at Pau Pau Beach for registration and briefing. Brad was also there.

This morning was the first time I felt really cold in Saipan. It was windy and rainy. Standing in the rain and getting soaked almost made me regret waking up so early. But that all changed when I met the other race competitors! I really dig their energy at 7 am. It just feels good to be around active people who are really passionate about competition and sports. I also think they’re pretty hardcore especially since the weather was crappy. Rain or shine the race is still on.



I think the highlight before the race was that I met a guy named Louie (Hi Louie!) who read my “it’s gross, neh!” blog entry about flossing. As I passed him he said, “I’ve been flossing ever since I read your blog entry!” =) You don’t know how happy that makes me feel! That I could actually have some impact on someone! I was laughing and was kind of surprised he knew me from my blog. I just never thought meeting people online could be so amazing!



Ken is quite the athlete and did the whole race on his own. Crystal and I formed a three- man team with Dr. “B”. Crystal swam a couple of laps around the dock at Pau Pau Beach. It looked like a tough swim because they were swimming against the current. She did really well and kept up with the guys. During the first lap a couple of guys were horse playing around the dock. They stood up and did a dolphin dive in the middle of the race. I believe Brad in Paradise was one of them.

After the swim, they had a chicken dance content to see which biker would get a thirty second lead from all the rest! Russ from the Mariana’s eye institute won and as he was jetting away in his bike he had this mad funny laugh like he was saying see ya suckers! I was laughing at him! They biked from Pau Pau Beach towards the grotto to Bird Island. After he came up the hill he tagged me and off I went into the jungle.



I did the Laderan Tangke Trail run. Keep in mind this is the first time I have ever ran a trail. It was pretty challenging for me! It was rainy and all the stones were slippery. I was scrambling in the jungle climbing over rocks, branches, and hills trying to follow the flour marks on the ground. I was trying my best not to wipe out or twist an ankle. What a workout! Though I might have strained my knee I was just happy I finished the trail run. Its set! I want to train for the Xterra tri next year. This year would be too soon=)

Thanks Crystal for the pics!