runpurcellrun: AV 40 LAP CLASSIC

January 5th the eve before the AV 40 Lap Classic

Like a day before any race, I can’t sleep. But this time its different –It’s not the jitters, its not the early wake up, it’s not the unknown, its that I am physically out of my bed making shirts for the AV 40 Lap classic. My imagination is big and sometimes I say things out loud –or even if I think it in my own my mind and if I do anything less than I think that it won’t be successful… so iron on shirts is the winning ticket to a successful race, party and a friendship. Where do I come up with this brilliance?

January 6th -The day of AV 40 Classic race day 430 am.

Shirts are now complete, Do you know when you do a bib style, that all shirts should have a different number? Did you also know that this makes the t-shirt factory rummy and hallucinating and barely functioning.

Definitions

AV 40 Lap Classic – a race where friends gather and celebrate AV being healed enough to be in the water and his first competition since the break of his femur bone, surgery and blood clot (two harbor view visits). The race include 40 laps in a non-Olympic size pool

Lap – one way down in a pool

January 6th day – Race Report

My phone rings at 8:15 and Dawn is downstairs. I have nervous thoughts, again not to do with a race, but will everyone have fun...then the crowd comes.

Mark, Marna, D, Joanna and Dawn are all in my apartment, next Misha, -I give her my WSU bullhorn, and there she is with a stack of prizes from Starbucks, ribbons, water balloons and this lap race just took a turn to an adventure swim.

Then AV comes and we head down to the 8th floor to the pool for AV40LC!

We dip in the water – Dawn and Joanna are the cheering section, Misha is on the bullhorn and there are five of us in the water, BANG the race is off, ten laps, then a balloon toss, ten laps, the hitting a paddle pall five times, the every lap up you squirt Aaron with a water gun. Which was a mighty blast of water. D after be truly shoved out his lane stepped aside and watched what he thought was supposed to be a fun little swim turn in to a full on power house with Marna and Aaron fighting to their deaths. There was more splash and kicks (illegal) then at any tri I have participated in (ok I have only been in one triathlon) but all my fears if would it be fun diminished four seconds into the race, Misha, the cheer squad, the games, and the prizes made it for a great first race for AV off the injury box.

My favorite moment was when we all had a dip in the hot tub and Misha had an award ceremony. When they announced Mark 4th, D shot me a look, like “You weren’t top 3” then when Marna got 3rd, I heard “what the flip?” but not by Marna, she graciously took her ribbon, big smile, and then “2nd place. JP!!!” I couldn’t stop giggling, I seriously was over charged with laughter. I felt like the lady in the marathon that hopped the subway and took the victory without a conscious (that is speculative – I have no idea how she felt), but I bounced in the air to my victory. Luckily Marna is funny and realized that it was rigged -truly at the same time I did I might add. Then the winner of the AV 40 LAP Classic was AV!

Then I made a mimosa breakfast, which included breakfast burritos, French Toast, fresh fruit, sausages and bacon. I had FUN and I took 2nd by only completing about half the laps and double the time. I LOVE IT. (Truly I do like a fair victory but this was so funny, esp since Marna was like an Olympic Swimmer.)

Look at the shirts!