August 28th
Now August 31st.
Usually these posts come in rapid fire succession as approach a race. Not this year (obviously). The fact that I started this post one August 28th and all I got was the date typed is pretty indicative of how the year has gone. Hopefully I will be able to catch things up in the next couple of weeks.
I have been post about the events in our lives and I admit I was a little apprehensive about a long drive. It seems that most things this year have occurred in bunches this year. So on departing for Louisville my mood was a little guarded.
The trip did begin with an amusing incident. We left Dallas Wednesday after my wife finished work. We packed up the vehicle, I racked my bike and headed to the gas station to 'fill er up'. AS I started to pump the gas a car pulled up behind me. I noticed the Tri bikes in the rear of that SUV. I saw the driver and passenger commenting on looking at my bike. As the driver got out we exchange a quick glance and I ask him where they were going. They were going to Louisville for the same race. Small world!!
Thankfully the trip was uneventful. Dallas to Little Rock the first day and then Louisville Kentucky the next day. Also different was that my Mom was along for the ride. Most of the talk in the car was catching up on family news and talking about future plans for the families. Along with everything else our youngest daughter got engaged this month and so we discussed plans for that. Mostly how we will work the Wedding around my race schedule HA HA!
When we got to Little Rock the first night I realized that I had forgotten my charger for my laptop. Actually it is a Surface RT. It is not doing that well in the market but I really like it. So without the charger I had to be careful about my battery life. My wife had her laptop so if I really needed internet access I could use hers. (as I type this I realize that I left the charger at work). So I was hoping that the charger was the only thing I forgot this trip. If it was I was doing just fine.
Upon arriving in Louisville we spent most of the evening relaxing and getting settled in our room. The Galt House is a beautiful hotel. It is the kind of place that I would usually not stay in, but this trip is a special trip so we splurge and live like royalty. Louisville is also know for a horse race (ah Duh the Kentucky Derby).
The Galt House seems to be one of the premier places to stay in Louisville so I assume that many of the wealthy horse people stay there. Horse racing is called the sport of Kings. So I was wondering how the hotel staff view the different groups. We (the triathlon community) come in with our gear and our nutrition. I am not sure how the Derby crowd looks but I am pretty sure that they all do not bring bikes into the lobby. We walk around in shorts and compression socks and the Derby crowd dons fancy hats and jackets and ties. I am obviously speaking from a complete lack of knowledge about people that attend the Kentucky Derby. I am only going by what I see on the telecast.
On thing that we do have in common is financial blessings to stay in such a nice hotel. Being a triathlete is not an inexpensive past time. Bikes alone can cost up into the lower 5 figure ranges. When it comes to financial investment I fall into the middle usually. At a big WTC event like any Ironman event I am usually in the lower middle of financial investment in the sport. Some of those people have really nice bikes. At a local race here in Dallas I would put my self near the upper middle.
Our family has been through many trials this year. At times it has been difficult to move forward. There were times this year were I was so distracted by family events that I could not train. It was not that I was doing anything, it was that I was so upset and distracted that I felt unsafe riding my bike. I made the decision to start training in spite of the events. By training I felt that I made my contribution to my family and the difficult times. It was the simple fact that training was a representation of life and living. Training I felt infused life into a family that was running low on life. I trained by putting one foot in front of the other.
I count my blessings this way. One at a time. My life is full of blessings, family, safety, health, etc. It is hard to poll them unless you do it one at a time.
One thing I have learned this year is how to work at counting your blessings.
No comments:
Post a Comment