Oh, you want to hear about the Duathlon World Championship I was stressing over? It was really nice, I thoroughly enjoyed myself, and the race wasn't as awful as I feared. Everyone was very friendly - lots of cross-nationality encouragement.
There was a thin European turnout, but the upside was that most people (Americans, Canadians, British, New Zealanders, Australians) spoke English, which made things very easy. As I passed a Mexican woman, I hollered something Spanish-sounding (I may possibly have quoted Speedy Gonzales), and she answered me in English, with no trace of an accent.
I'd ordered the required uniform, specifically getting the men's version in hopes that it would run long and not reveal the muffin top as do all my other triathlon jerseys. It was close to a hundred bucks!! But when I received it, it not only was it annoyingly short, but the remainder of it was unflattering as well - I resembled a red, white and blue sack of marshmallows. (It was also very impractical as a race jersey, having no pockets.)
So I asked around when I arrived, and the lovely Gina of USAT gave me an old uniform from a previous year - a ladies' top, with pockets! Still with the muffin top, but better a free muffin top than a $90 muffin top! I just hope Tri-Zone will take my men's top back.
The best part of the trip (for me) was getting to see my friends who have moved out East - Belle, who lives in Richmond, and who with her husband owns a jaw-dropping mansion that they basically turned into a Bed & Breakfast (& Dinner) for us for the weekend; and Stacy in D.C., who has sadly been ordered into bed rest due to early labor. (Lucky for me, though - she's so seldom a stationary object I was afraid I wouldn't be able to capture her for a visit!) She was bummed that she wouldn't be able to do this for the holiday.
I think the best part of the trip for Ace was getting to see his sister and his nephews. They played wonderful hosts to us a couple of nights as well, and even threw a pizza party when we were there. Ace's nephews, B and B, were a great excuse to trek over the Belle Island bridge - a freaky contraption suspended by cables from two highways overhead that led to an island containing defunct prison camps from the Civil War.
(BTW...Belle reports that Richmond? Is The South. People there call the CW the "War of Northern Aggression.")
The younger B may have a future career in triathlon.
We took Virgin America, because the price was very right.
Virgin's gimmick is that you have your own little TV, even in coach. You can watch TV, movies and videos, order lunch and play games. Novel and absorbing. The downside is that as we hit turbulence on our way into Dulles, my focus on the Anagram game, and Ace's involvement in Doom was a total recipe for quease. Neither of us has ever felt so airsick. We heard people all around us requesting sick bags. I guess they couldn't request those through their little TV.
Ace admired the rack on a stewardess in the international terminal.
It looks like Ace recently knocked up that flight attendant and is proudly stroking her uterus area.
p.s. You are a super champ.
Posted by: Vaguely Urban | November 06, 2007 at 01:48 PM
And you have to pronounce it "The Wah of Nah'thuhn Aggression" and really drag out each syllable ;)
Also, damn, your arms are fabulous.
Posted by: Angela | November 07, 2007 at 10:34 AM
VU - Yeah. I actually said at the time, "Why were you touching her stomach?"
And he said "No no, I was looking at her boobs!"
Oh. That's so much better.
Angela - Tx. Must be what they call "residual" something or other, b/c I haven't been in a pool since July. July! I will drown this weekend!
Posted by: TasterSpoon | November 07, 2007 at 02:45 PM