Yep, I beat Coach Diablo yet again.
Every year Coach and I bet on the Women’s NCAA Swimming and Diving Championships. I take Georgia, my beloved alma mater and perennial national championship contender. Diablo gets Stanford, a solid program who won their last swimming national championship when he was coaching there, and I was in middle school.
Loser wears the winner’s team’s apparel, and this morning Diablo sported Georgia Bulldog Red & Black at the Dynamo indoor cycling class. And secretly, he loved it.
Better mascot? Better colors? Better alumni with blogs of the triathlon variety? The list goes on and on.
And while the Dawgs fell just short of their fifth national title (they were second to Cal Berkely), I know they fought hard and I am very proud to call myself an alum! And to the Cardinal: No, you cannot have your old coach back!
This weekend I also returned to the starting line at the Publix Georgia Half Marathon. This is always one of my favorite races because the course winds through some of the coolest parts of Atlanta. For months afterwards I’ll drive through parts of the city and memories of the race will pop into my head. It’s definitely a must-do for anyone living in the Southeast.
Unfortunately, this year I found out what it’s like to hit the wall. In a half marathon. At mile 1.5. Endurance athlete? HAH! My legs had other plans.
But I struggled on, my legs came around a bit, and I finished in a respectable 1:27. Not my best, but better than hitching a ride home on the Civic Center Marta train (I seriously considered it).
One thing that kept me going was the Pease brothers. Kyle and Brent are one of my favorite blog topics because they seriously inspire me. Together they ran a personal record 1:40 half marathon last weekend – on a tough course in 80 degree weather! And just the day before they crushed the 5k race along with two children they sponsored through the Kyle Pease Foundation. Their story just keeps getting better.
And I quickly figured out that if I hung out around them post-race I could get in some famous John David Johnson paparazzi shots! Check it out – I look so candid!
There’s nothing I love more than being famous by association. But why was I wearing a sweatshirt when it was 85 degrees out? Maybe it was my brain that hit the wall! Congrats to the Pease brothers and everyone else who ran!
