Success and Lemons

Saturday, February 27th I started my season off with a pleasant surprise. I competed in the Scenic City 5k, which was a chilly morning for a jog along the Chattanooga Riverfront Parkway, but a good morning nonetheless. Saucony is a wonderful sponsor, and my lime green race kit and Type A3 racing flats had me looking fast. Unfortunately, the lack of sunlight during the Chattanooga Winter had me looking rather...um...not so tan. I ran 15:55 for 5k, bringing home my final mile in 5:03 with a mad sprint for the remaining tenth of a mile. It was a good morning followed by brunch with my dad and some out of town friends. Success. "Running on. Running into the sun..." was a fitting thought by Jackson Browne's 1977 hit. Success.


Lemons. Thursday, March 11, I flew down to Ft Lauderdale to compete in the Miami International Triathlon; this would be my first time racing this event as a professional, and I came down with guns a 'blazing. I was the overall amateur champion at this event last year, and I was looking to see how I stacked up against the world's best this year. The Friday before the race I had a great little swim warm up at the International Swimming Hall of Fame pool in Ft Lauderdale, and my confidence was high. Saturday morning I woke up with a not-so-pleasant cough and a little body ache. No problemo. "You don't have to feel good to go fast." I went down to the race site, warmed up, dropped off my bike, and set sail back to my cousin's house to rest up for the big dance. The rest of day was filled with no hunger (a disaster for me), sweats and cold chills, and a worsened cough. Sunday morning I followed my pre-race routine and headed down to the race site. I attempted a run warm up, only to nearly faint in the process. I got some great advice from Matty Reed and Chris Lieto that there are always other races, and I decided to pull the plug shortly thereafter. I went back to my cousin's house and slept the rest of the day. I woke up Monday morning in hopes of catching my plane, but that idea quickly turned into a trip to the ER because of my 103 degree fever, bad cough and body ache. Lemons. I stayed there for a few hours, got some good fluids and medicine, and they sent me on my way. I was finally able to return home on Weds, after it took a good 48 hours for my symtpoms to subside.


Today is Friday, and it is a beautiful day in Chattanooga. I haven't so much as broken a sweat (other than the fever) in seven days, but now I am seeing the light. Success. My lungs are still weezy, but otherwise I am ready to get back after it. Tina, Brett, Tyler and Brittany, you guys are awesome, and if it were not for you, I would probably be passed out on South Beach somewhere begging for someone to take me to the hospital. Thank you all so much for your support.