1.... 2.... 3... Fawns!

As many of you know, I've been training for another half ironman triathlon in Kansas. The triathlon is this weekend but this time it will go down quite a bit differently than it has in the past.

Backtrack to the Friday before last....

I set out on a 13 mile training run. It was to be my biggest training run of the season before starting to "taper", which means reducing training intensity to keep myself fresh for the race. Luckily before I headed out I asked Julie if she'd like to join me on her pink beach cruiser.. She did so we set off...

After about 6 miles my right hamstring started to ache. I stopped and got some water, stretched out a bit... and tried running again but I could tell my leg needed a break so I stopped running... We were far from home at this point so Julie and I figured out a way that we could both ride together on her Pink beach cruiser to get home. It looked dorky as hell and we got a lot of laughs but we were home rather quickly!

I iced my leg.. stayed off it a few days... The following Wednesday I tried a moderately paced 20 mile bike ride and felt fine... The following day I tried to run. I made it one very slow mile before bagging it... I'm one week before the race, can't run one mile!

I stayed off it a few more days. It's definitely better and I even think I may be able to run on it - but with a full summer of activity ahead I don't want to push it... Better to let myself heal... but what about the race I trained for all winter?

The run for a half Ironman is a half marathon.. There is a relay division in the race (as opposed to doing the entire thing as a single person), so I started to think if I knew anybody that was in shape to run a half marathon at last minute notice. Yeah right! Good luck! My list looked like this:

Josh - my running buddy last year

Amber Reed - My sister in law, a great and very experienced Marathoner - but has been on a comeback from surgery

Todd Faestel - a triathlon buddy of mine training for Ironman... Certainly in good enough shape but he already had race plans and aggressive goals.

Hans Bakker - A high school friend I ride bikes with from time to time.. Definitely in shape as he ran Boston marathon this year.

So I emailed everybody on this list and got the following responses:

Josh: Out because he's in basketball mode this year.

Hans: Already signed up for a bike event the same weekend (Elephant Rock)...

Todd: Todd actually said "BT1 to the rescue!!" and was totally ready to come out! I just didn't feel right about it because he has aggressive goals in the Coer D'Alene full ironman in just a few weeks... Thanks for even considering it buddy!

I also loved Amber's response:

Amber: "What are the logistics? Do we have to fly to Kansas etc.. The most I have run is 10 miles so it is a stretch but not impossible.."
Me: "We drive Friday morning and return Sunday... Everything is already taken care of... I just need you to show up with your working pair of running legs"...
Amber: "(Gulp), When do we leave?"

Boom! All done... So we now have a Morales/Reed relay team that will work as follows:

- I will swim the 1.2 mile swim
- I will transition to the bike for a 56 mile bike ride
- I will then hand the baton off to Amber for the 13.1 mile run!

So now my injury has morphed into something that will likely be more fun than my original plan. This will be a blast to do this with Amber and hopefully a good vehicle to help us both work back into shape from surgery and injury... I'm so glad she was able to bail me out of this one!

I'm also excited because one of my favorite athletes, Chrissie Wellington, will be racing this one. In my opinion she is one of the greatest athletes on Earth and is one of the main reasons I signed up for this event... I wanted to have a chance at seeing her on the bike during the race..

The bike course is a loop, so now if Chrissie passes me, I have a chance to put the pedal to the metal and ride with her as long as I possibly can without having to worry about saving my legs for a half marathon!! How cool is that?

The race is this Sunday... Stay tuned and I'll post more when we finish....

As for the team name.... We are called the "Fawns" after this relentless killer beast. Before the race I hope to put our hands in and go 1.... 2.... 3... Fawns! Our team song goes like this:

"Oh come all ye faithful... Always be real playful
and kind and considerate to donkeys and fawns!"

This should certainly give you and idea of how Amber and I will be employing mentally strenuous intimidation tactics for our competition..