- Pacific Grove Triathlon by munificent
19 y
2,418 3 Messages Shown
Blog: Cold Water Blog
My daughter finished the triathlon in 3 hours 28 minutes and 44 seconds.
She has been up until 3am with her new boyfriend and slugged down a couple of bottles of wine with him...She was a couple a 20 minutes late to the airport, but within reason..but the condition she was in...that was kinda a different story. Had her work clothes on from the day before and was pretty hung over. We drove to her house and did some work on her campaign and then took off on Highway 1, and a scenic drive into Pacific Grove.
Pacific Grove is the self styled home of mermaids..fish and old time Methodist Tent Retreat for worship among the Cypress Pines. It is gorgeous. The water was 58 degrees, all but one contestant wore wetsuits. I went in later in the day (When the air was considerably warmer!) There were otters! Swam with the otters, except there had been so much traffic earlier in the race day, they were pretty overwhelmed by the afternoon. They were shy and hard to locate, except by pure coincidence. I had one co`inky`dink!
Then the bike race on the main road that follows the gorgeous coastline with pristine beaches...Oh the Cypress Pines grow to the water...Quite magnificent. This took J 60 minutes and then back to the staging area, for a change into different foot gear and a 3 loop race from the main beach to the Monterey Aquarium- and back 3 times...then the finish line...
My daughter raised $4,000 for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society...Some from Curezone! She and several other young women were trained by professional triatheletes for the last 4 months. She beat her expected time by over a half hour- on little sleep and wine fumes...Ah well...I cautioned her about breaking down her system- After the race she cannot support warmth in her extremities. We head for the hot tub in the hotel.
She is better..but still not quite right.... We stop by a couple of victory parties, and meet some of the other Team in Training Teams...and head to Carmel. We take a scenic walk around what has to be one of the 10 most beautiful spots in California. It is the La Jolla (but more exclusive) of Northern California. We eat a a beautiful restaurant and share a table with a couple of locals...telling us the good places and things to do on the Peninsula.
Artichokes are in season, Steinbeck comes to mind and his early days in Salinas , then Pacific Grove, and Cannery Row in Monterey. The land is lush and there are seasons...Although the day cooperated weatherwise, the quality of the light and air had a fall tinge to it. The light is so beautiful delicate spiraling, like a beautiful hazy lover. Not quite as focused and intense as Southern California. I love it...
Fort Ord looks deserted, but some may still be functioning or perhaps nothing goes on over the weekend...I've never seen any other Fort close down over the weekend. It is lonely and spectacular...female in nature...wide expanse and open to the eye..
I would like it here, I would miss The Spot though. But I could trade for the Monarch Butterflies, and MERMAIDS...Oh and the art...the art of the houses..many Victorians built in the Grove of Worship...I am pretty well sold. But I have some money to raise for a cause dear to my heart- for the gentle ways a child can unfold. Waldorf Education....But there will be a chapter sometime in this existence or the next OR Perhaps the past...that has taken place here.
My corporate beauty drives us to her office where I print out my boarding pass (YEA! ONLINE CHECK IN!) She prints her electronic ticket, and gets some of her name tags, and t-shirts ready for her next event..and we leave for the airport-she does not even go home....she brought 2 suitcases -one for the race and one for the upcoming week in Chicago! Left her race suitcase, and bike in her office and off we go to the airport.
She has awesome stamina and energy- I am wishing she take it easy..but it is not her time to take it easy-AND she has a new One waiting for her to come home. She's an awesome woman!
9th
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munificent
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CureZone