WHAT IS COOLER THAN BEING COOL…?

ICE COLD!!!

For some strange reason that is the song I had stuck in my head much of the ride at the Portage Lakes Triathlon this past Sunday. Don’t ask me why but I am sure it had something to do with the fact that it was around 47 freaking degrees when we got on our bikes! That my friends was brutal out there. It took the better part of the 25 Miles of the bike to be comfortable. I was riding as hard as I could to keep the engine going and feel some relative warmth. I was in awe of the lady riding in her bathing suit or the dude riding without a top on. Those would be perfectly acceptable any other weekend but this one. If I had a hard time with a top on plus arm warmers and gloves I don’t even want to imagine how it felt for them.
So, the theme for this race was “Let’s freeze the polka-dots off!” I don’t know how I managed to get through the bike portion of the race. I just had to keep the legs moving even if I could not feel my toes towards the end of the ride. The first few steps on the run were rather strange but soon I was able to get my feet to return to a normal state and keep up with the course. And keep up is what I did because this time around for this 10K course I was able to post MY BEST TIME EVER during a triathlon… 43:24, I can’t really believe it!

So, freezing my polka-dots off must have been a good thing as I had a rear end kicking swim of 21:37 good enough for 9th best in the whole race and a total time of 2:19:35 for a NEW PR! So, after all that I was 5th in the 30-34 age group and 37th overall.

I could not done it without the support of Mrs. Clot Buster and of Melissa and Adam. I am very thankful for your support and encouragement. Seeing smiling familiar faces gives me such a boost that I can’t really describe.

So, this is it for triathlons for 2007. The Clot Buster has accomplished his goal of racing well over 300 Miles, now it is time for you to step up and give the Clot Buster the extra hand to continue to raise funds for NATT. Please consider matching a small donation of a nickel, dime, or a quarter for every mile that I raced and donate that total towards NATT. If you are interested in making a donation drop me a line and I can let you know how!

Looking ahead to 2008…

How many miles should I race next summer?

Should I instead concentrate one or two races and have people match donations through those miles raced?

How did you like the auctions and the items up for auction?
Should I continue to do them? What would like to see up for auction more often? I know the Spiuk Kronos Helmet was a hit with people and Thanks to Spiuk-USA’s support I may able to do this again next year.

Do you know of any races that The Clot Buster should do?

Would you be interested in supporting NATT if you can support the Clot Buster movement with a polka-dot technical shirt?

All of these questions and so many possible answers. For now, I need to concentrate in getting as many wristbands out there as possible along with looking for some more donations to round up this year's fundraising. This year is been great so far but we can always do more!

Thanks for reading,

The Clot Buster