Hilo to Volcano Ultra Relay 2019

I just looked back and noticed my first post it was in 2011. What the F*&^, time goes by that quickly!  Eight years later and my goals are to change the same patterns. From the outside looking in it probably appears the same, but I feel that this go is much different. I am super chubby, less than in the fall, but in Tennessee at Christmas I weighed in at 207.  I am fairly strong, if I can keep my training from hitting all the normal potholes I could have a totally different race season. My push to build a base seemed to work. On the team "Tres Pollo Loco's", we ran the 50k in 4:46. A good time for a team thrown together at the end of December. It's 3 people, running five legs each, at around 2 miles a leg. It goes from sea level to 4000' elevation. I ran mostly close to 9 minute miles, with the last segment just over 10 minute miles. I was at 8's for about half of the leg running step for step with a high school track girl. This bouncing little track didn't even look like she was breaking a sweat, and I looked like a drunk Russian coming out of a car wash. One of the solo ultra support vehicles pulled off the road, and the support person, who is obviously not a runner, opened his door jumped out, and stood there with the door open, forcing me to drop behind the bouncing pony tail, to avoid push her towards the white line and traffic. And, step by step the pony tail bobbed a little further in front of me. My conditioning was enough to keep me shuffling up the hill, but no kick left to catch the pony tail. I am referring to the pony tail, because there were three teams, of three girls, all small runner girls, and everyone of them had a mid shoulder pony tail. Since I am at least a 100 pounds their senior and in mediocre shape, I watched pony tails bounce away from me all day. My team was awesome, fun, and pushed themselves conquering the never ending hills in our climb to Volcano village. I am considering that race my first official work out towards the training for the Lavaman Triathlon that is at the end of March. My training on Sunday was trying to learn how to sail in a small dingy called a Sunfish. Until you try sailing one of those little boats, you don't realize that it is a full body workout, and your first few sessions are comedy gold. Jaime captained one yesterday for the first time, and we capsized twice in Hilo Bay. The first time our dagger board fell out, the sail went under water, I had to get the dagger board back in place, swim around, and climb my fat butt all the way up to standing on the dagger board to right the boat. Then Jaime went back to shore. I went on a solo sail to get reacquainted with the sailing process, as it was my fourth time. Then I took Otis for a cruise, and then I took Betty for a cruise. Today I may catch a light work out in the afternoon. Most of the day will be spent getting ready for the kids to start back to school tomorrow.