Cycle University Triathlon Team: St. Patty's Day Dash

a.k.a. "A Team of One"

Former Cycle University Triathlon Team director, and multisport coach extraordinaire, Tammy Metzger (pictured left with friend Michael Rydinski), flew in from hot & sunny Austin, Texas for Spring Break last week, and in a moment of weakness was convinced by her fellow-Cycle U Triathlon Teammates to sign up for the St. Patty's Day Dash on Sunday, March 15th.

If this Austin acclimated former-Seattleite can run in the freezin' cold snow & rain, surely her much hardier Seattle-based teammates would be out in large number to join her, no? No. When questioned on this disappointing outcome, Coach Tammy had this to say: "Apparently this team has gotten soft in my absence. Perhaps an Austin bootcamp is in order!"

The Report:

Pre-race consisted of pouring rain, which transitioned to snow flakes the size of Texas, and back to pouring rain from mid-race on. 6,500 people were registered for this event, and it appeared all of them NOT on Team Cycle U where there. I chose to run in the red wave, not sure I was up to staying out of the way of the green wave after the previous day's 3-hour spin trifecta with tri-buddy Peter Beeson at Allstar Fitness W.Seattle. I was shivering like crazy at the start, and thanks to a nice gradual climb out, I warmed up about 10 minutes in and started pulling back the many layers. Michael & I managed to stay together, despite the obstacle course that ensues with crowds this large. It was fun seeing all the get-ups out there, like the guy in the green wave running with a keg on his shoulder, or the girls in short-shorts with green fishnet stockings (brrr!). I did not wear a timing chip, but ran a solid pace, and was happy to have done it. Too cold & wet at the finish, we opted to bail on the beer garden and hit Starbucks for some warm coffee. Below are some more pics from the day. Enjoy!