Rockin through Annapolis...

Today was the TriRock triathlon in Annapolis.  Truth told, I was supposed to be volunteering at the Fleet Feet water stop from 4:30am - 11:30am and then hit the roads with Brie in the afternoon.  It didn't work out that way.  For days I waited for information from the race organizers of Fleet Feet to tell me where to go, I even emailed both, but neither responded.  So, why wait until the afternoon to run?  Brie and I hit the roads in the morning planning to cheer for TriRock racers while we cruised the streets on our feet. 

We took off at a reasonable pace (after all, Brie has had some achilles issues and we don't want her to end up with a real injury at the beginning of the summer race season) around Navy stadium warming up.  By Rowe Boulevard and all along Route 450, we were able to cheer on the bike leg of the race (we missed the swim...we did not hit downtown until well into the bike/run leg).  It's always inspiring to watch all walks of life working hard to achieve a goal, small or large.  We even saw a few folks we know as we crossed the Naval Academy bridge and then returned to hit the yard.

Because most of the streets downtown were closed or only partially accesible by traffic, the Naval Academy was SUPER quiet.  Sure, we passed a few other joggers getting in the Saturday miles, but it was otherwise completely dead.  Until we ran into the French tall ships docked along the seawall near the sailing basin unloading their raw sewage (YUCK...it smelled nasty).  What might you ask are French ships doing at the academy?  Well, I don't know, but we think it may be as part of the War of 1812 commemoration happening along the east coast this year.  Once we got back off the yard, we wrestled the cheering crowds as we made our way back out of town to Admiral Heights to end our run.  In all, it was a great way to spend a Saturday - catching up with a bud, grabbing a few miles and cheering on amazing athletes.

The rest of the day was also super cool.  First Jay and I hit Sugar Buns for lunch before the Paca House garden sale (where I spent way too much money on plants for my gardens).  We also caught up with Ryan for burgers on the grill (turkey burgers that is) and an evening showing of the Avengers (great movie, go see it).  I can't ask for a better Saturday.  Happy trails!!!

Stats -
Miles:  9.08
Time:   1:27:08 (average pace of 9:35 per mile)
Location:  all over Annapolis
Feeling:  All the muscles were comfortable