Greetings Friends and Family,

This story comes to you only 2 weeks after the race.. which means I'm getting better :)

A Special Race

Terry Davis, race director for the Wildflower Triathlons, intr

oduced Robin & I two years ago.  We were both at the Church Service he arranged before the race that year.  We will probably be there every year from now on.

This is our first Wildflower as husband and wife.  We have much to thank God for.  It's a very special place for Robin so, in step with her desire to glorify God in triathlons, she has chose it to be the place for her baptism... right after the race.  She has invited friends and family and we have packed for the usual camping expedition to Lake San Antonio.  We're sporting new "Team Soares" logos on our suits thanks to Robin's creativity and sewing.

The Long Course Deluge

The half Ironman race, the day before, is long known as painfully tough and HOT.  This year it is the wettest, coldest, most uncomfortable conditions I've ever seen!  All night it rains and blows.  The athletes wake early and prepare their bikes and gear in the mud and cold.  It's so cold, some ride their bikes to the race start with full wetsuits on!  Throughout the race the rain kept coming.  It was tough to watch them head out for the 56mi loop.  Some wore rain jackets and slickers.  Other die-hards rode only in their Speedos.  The muddy run trails were impassable.  The course was changed to an all pavement, double loop up a 500ft hill.  Tough!.  We give everyone that finished our utmost respect:  Like John Dougery, Jami Andrews, Sherwick Minn, Rochelle Zolna, David Krevor, and many others.

Helen Kim Gets Married

We raced back to San Jose and experienced the joy of witnessing our dear friend, Helen Kim, long time marathoner & ultra-achiever, marry charming, Curt Barker.  It was a grand time of great beginnings!

Our Race!

What a difference a day makes!  The sun is out & the water is sparkling.  At the Wildflower Church Service the praise music is soothing.  We sit reflecting on God's greatness.  The pastor asks for volunteers and Robin goes on stage to tell the story of our beginning at Wildflower, our "Press On.." motto, and her baptism later at the water's edge.  I think her example was encouraging to others there.

Setting Up

With 30min before the race we set up our transition area.  The weather is great!  Many of our friends are also prepping their sites, like Leonie, Kristin & Britt (our camping partners).  Friends, Marco & Kevin, are here and sure to place high in our age groups.

Suddenly I see my bike isn't working right.  It won't shift into the smaller gears, which means I can't go fast.  The cable housing is corroded from the constant rain.  I ask for lube or WD40 but none is found.  The bike repair tent is backed up with a long line of bike problems... probably more serious than mine.  I do my warm-up run and pray for a solution.  Robin sees me and gives me GU and a Powerbar (which I forgot).  Only minutes to spare and an idea comes to mind, Pam cooking spray!  Sprayed in the cable housing, my shifting works much better!  I also spray it on my wetsuit and legs for a speedy removal.

Troy's Swim

Stretching & moving closer to the water, I look up to see Robin's parents on the hillside waving and taking pictures :)  I say a prayer, giving the race to the One that has granted me this privilege.  I look up again and now see Robin there, too.  Her wave is 40 min later.  The national anthem.  The warm-up.  It feels good.  The countdown... GO!   Wow, it feels SO good to be able to breathe fully!  Swimming at Oceanside with pneumonia in one lung was terribly restricting.  I feel fast.  I'm having a good time.  I find feet to draft behind.  At half-way I pick it up.  The water is so choppy.  Is there some kind of boat race going on?  The swells throw us off direction.  I draft off another guy.  He veers off course.  I feel good so I charge home.  It's good to be racing again.  I'm even passing people.  I finish in 24 min.  My wetsuit comes off great.  I'm happy with the swim, but I'm in 23rd place.

Robin's Swim

Robin & Leonie prepare to enter the water.  They are a good support to each other before these big events.  The sun shines brightly on the water.  The horn goes off.  Their huge wave of swimmers rush towards the first buoy.  Robin would love to stay on Leonie's feet but instead watches them kick their way forward to the lead pack.  Leonie's a very fast swimmer.  She comes out in 10th.  Robin’s having a good swim but finishes 3 min back (26:25) in 25th.  She must make up time now on the bike.

Troy's Bike

Leaving the transition area, we immediately climb the first hill.  Very tough.  Soon I'm flying along the flats, passing triathletes in the earlier waves.  A great feeling sweeps over me.  I'm doing what God has helped me train for.  For the first time since breaking my ankle a year ago, I'm injury-free.  "All is right in the world" I think to myself.  It feels great!  I encourage those I go by.  Then someone passes me.  In my age.  I pass him back.  "We're going to make it hurt for each other" he comically says.  "We'll make each other go faster.. let's push it!" I reply.

Mile 9:  He passes me again.  I felt confident that I'll pass him back in a bit.. after I recover a little.  But he's getting pretty far ahead.  I turn it on... but I can't gain on him.  "He's dropping me!" I realize.   He's now out of sight.  I "Press On.." to the turn-around.  I'm determined to catch back up to Rob Williams (I learned his name later).  The wind is behind us now.  I'm feeling good.  Passing people left & right.  A car on the course is going too slow;  I kindly yell for them to pull over so I can race by.

Mile 18: I still can't see Rob.  I look over at the athletes heading out and catch a glimpse of Robin whizzing by.  "Yay, Robin!"

Mile 21: The last long climb.  I focus on my form and hammer on the pedals.

Mile 25: The steep descent; a welcomed sight!  I'm able to stretch my calves and drink the last of my Cytomax.  I coast into the transition area in 8th with a 1:12:35 bike.  I never caught Rob but plan to do everything possible to catch him in the run.

Robin's Bike

As usual, Robin makes quick work of the transition, passing a competitor (Clea, who would later place 9th) in the process.  The water is still dripping off of her suit, as she ascends the first hill.  The climbs in this race have been Robin's strong point.  She used to live at the base of the Santa Cruz mtns in Portola Valley.  But after moving to "flat" San Jose, hills began to feel harder.  Recently she's worked very hard on the bike, so expects to feel strong again.

Mile 10:  Robin catches Leonie and encourages her as she goes by.  After the turn, the wind is behind her.  Everything's going well.  Hamstrings feel good.

Mile 15:  (Without her knowing it, the bolts holding Robin's chainrings together, are starting to come out, one-by-one)

Mile 20:  Robin starts to notice some strange sounds from her gears.  Starting the last hard climb, 4 miles from the finish, she looks down to see her chainrings coming loose!  She makes a good decision not to shift but to ride out the gear she's in.

Mile 24:  Her bike is really rattling now!  She makes it to the top and flies down the hill to the transition.  4 of the 5 chainring bolts had fallen out!  The last was hanging on by a couple threads.  Later many would inquire seriously as to "who is her mechanic!?"  This is where I keep silent.. vowing quietly to myself to better maintain our bikes.  Anyway, Robin's time of 1:24:40 now puts her in 8th place.  :)

Troy's Run

Transition goes well.  I had come in seconds behind a guy named, Shane Caulkins, but am leaving 1 second ahead of him.  Thankfully my calves didn't cramp this time while putting on my shoes.  I head out in 7th place through the cheering spectators.  Onto the hilly course.  Instinct tells me "don't go too fast in the first mile".  I realize quickly the oddness of that thought in a triathlon because the first mile, after coming off the bike, is always the hardest.  If I think I'm going too fast, I must be feeling pretty good off the bike.

Mile 2: A brief stretch takes us through "volunteer city", the huge campsites of the college students.  They always offer you beer as you run by.  Now it's up Beach Hill!  I haven't run this hill since '92.  The course has gone through the dirt since then, but the muddy trails required the change back to this dreadful climb.  Half way up I see coach, Muddy Waters.  He says, "You're in good position, not get that guy ahead of you".  I look up and see Rob far ahead.  I better make some gains because I know Muddy will give me another time split soon.  At the top, I'm very close, but must stop to tighten a shoe lace (rookie move, I know).

Mile 3: I charge forward again. I'm right behind Rob.  But the other lace needs tightening!  Finally, on a long downhill I catch him, pat him on the back, and tell him, "Free speed. Push the downhill".  We fly down the grade side-by-side.  I see Marco Campagna, in 4th & working on 3rd, racing up the other side.  Thinking ahead to the possibility it's me and Rob near the downhill finish, I want him to think I'm a faster descender.  I suddenly pick it up and sprint to the bottom.

Mile 4: After the turn-around we go back up the long climb.  Seeing my "Press On.." patch, a spectator tells me to do so. Near the top & very tired, I think of what Robin says about the importance of "pushing up AND over the top".  I follow through on the advice

Mile 5: I'm passing other age groups and feeling exhilarated.  I imagine the finish line at the top of the last little hill.  Finally, the very top!

Mile 6: All down!  Pounding quads. Steep descent.  Is this bad for my joints?  Every second counts because there is a 2nd wave of my age group that started later.  I imagine a virtual competitor running alongside me.  It's exciting to be healed up and running.  I thank God for choosing to have me still racing.

The Finish: Robin's parents are there.  The race has gone perfect for me.  It's been a long year of setbacks recovering from the broken ankle and illnesses.  My run time, 39:15, was the 3rd fastest and moved me to 6th place with a finish time of 2:18:26.  I get to meet Rob at the finish line.  We share stories and learn he was the only bike to pass me and I was the only runner to pass him.  The next one in is a nice guy named, Shane Caulkins.

Robin's Run

Another great transition.  Robin's off on her favorite leg, the run!  Where equipment can't fail you... although muscles can.

Mile 2: The steep climb doesn't phase her much.  She’s focused on form, being good to her hamstring, which tightened up at mile 6 of her last race.  Her friend, Diana, an awesome triathlete, is sitting on the hill shouting encouragement.

Mile 3: Robin is back and forth with a tough runner, Elizabeth, but finally prevails into 7th place.

Mile 4-5: The long, gradual climb works to her advantage as she finally catches another one, Kate Salvino.

Mile 6: She's in 6th going into the last mile.  It's a tough downhill. Not Robin's favorite.  It's tough on hamstrings.  But she races down.  She notices other girls struggling a bit down the steep pitch.

The finish:  Friends & parents and I watch as Robin rounds the corner a few steps behind another girl in her age, Stephanie Morris.  Entering the finish chute, she tries to pass.  Both go into a full sprint!  We cheer, "dig deep! You can do it!".  Robin starts to pull ahead.. and then darts through the finish line!  Her run time of 45:03, was the 4th fastest. She finished in 2:39:38.  The "big pass" moved her into 5th place!  Coincidently, the girl in front of her, Kathleen Caulkins, also had a husband in the race, Shane Caulkins, who finished 2 places behind me.  Both of them are friends of a woman that works with Leonie.  Small world.

Afterwards

The results, however, showed Robin to be in 6th place, and Leonie, who really wanted top 10, was in 11th.  I finished in 6th place also.  We got a kick out of the fact that Robin & I both got identical places 2  yrs in a row.

We all gathered at the water's edge.  Pastor Jeff Mitchum, from San Diego, who was Robin's brother's pastor some years ago, was there to explain this special moment.  Jeff talked about the history of baptism and the important fact that sacrifices and rituals are not required to go to Heaven.  But that Robin's baptism serves as a public display of her choice years ago to follow Christ.  And that it symbolizes dying to the "old" and being born "anew" in Christ.  Robin gave her testimony and was dunked beneath the waters of Lake San Antonio.  I've seen how much Robin puts Jesus first in her life.  It was a great moment for all of us to witness her baptism.  She was so thankful that her family and friends came to be part of it.

Amazingly, moments later, the results were changed due to an error and Robin was awarded a medal for 5th place and Leonie indeed finished in the top 10!

The sun had dried out our camp.  We all packed up and headed north to In-n-Out for some delicious burgers and fries.

Thanks for reading our race report :)

We wish you health & happiness and will report soon after our next event.  God Bless.

Troy Soares