So I did it. Just call me Kenzi Aaren Davis, IT. IT = international triathlete. Sounds pretty cool! I did get lost 3 times on the bike. I didn't realize that you had to make 2 running laps rather than 1. And I did have to cycle another 45 mins after the tri when the train we were riding on suddenly had "engineering work" and everyone needed to leave. But still managed to shave a little over 10 mins off my time. Same distance as St. Anthony's in Florida that I did in April 2005 so I was really happy. And my parents were there so that made it really special.
Anyhoo this week was super fun. Another 4-day week with my parents. We ran all around. Mat's Aunt Nancy and cousin Jill were in town as well so we all went out to dinner last night. Saturday Mom, Dad and I went to this great Tiffany's exhibit at the Summerset House. It was the most comprehensive exhibition of Tiffany jewellery ever mounted. We walked around with magnifying glasses and looked at all the amazing jewellery. That night I rested and got up bright and earlier for the Triathlon.
Wynne and I had to hire a car cause we had no public transport that could take us. But the guy showed up on time and we were off to the Excel center. We were there way early and got all set up. Lubed up and wetsuit on we heading down to the docks. I saw my parents right before I hit the water so that was nice. Wynne's mom and my parents wore red/orange so it was easy to spot. We hung out in the water for a bit before the horn blew and we took off! Water was salty and cold but not too bad of a swim. Didn't get kicked in the face so that is always a plus. Out of the water and we had to take our wetsuit off and put it in a baggie before going into the building.
Not something we were used to but we were prepared and ready. Up the flight of stairs and a mad dash for our bikes. Wynne is well ahead of me at this point. She is an excellent swimmer. Onto my bike and I am off. Heading out I knew in my mind where I had to go. But as I was riding and settling into my groove I noticed signs for "Lap 1". What does that mean?!?!?! So I pulled in and was like "I just started the cycle, where am I supposed to go?!?!". They told me to keep on going. So I backed out and continued on. Nice ride past the Tower of London, past Westminster, etc. It was really nice. On my way back I noticed this "Lap 1" again. Confused I thought about it for the rest of the ride and decided I had to do this mysterious "lap 1". As I past the transition I thought I had made a grave mistake. I started to panic and got kinda scared. There was no one around and it was quite. I stopping for the second time and asked some dude who kinda looked official. He didn't have a clue so I continued on. Stopped and asked another guy who I found out was not an official but a BBC cameraman but was really nice and showed me where to loop around. All and all I just did the BIG loop first and the small loop second. Backward of everyone else. Rrrrgh! Anyway, onto the run. My legs were hurting and I knew it was going to be hot and long. I caught up with a girl who was going my speed and we ran together for a while. Then a training friend Karen passed me and was like, "Wow you are doing great, are you on lap 2?!?!!" I was like Sure! I had no idea what she was talking about. As I came back around I realized my fate. One more lap around the docks. I saw Wynne and the look on her face as she started out on the second loop. I HATE RUNNING! Anyway, I finished strong and probably could have done a bit better on the run but I still did better. When looking at my overall times, my swim and bike were almost exactly the same. My run was 10 mins faster so that is great.
Finish line was fabulous and my parents were there to greet me. Mat's aunt and cousin made it to the finish line and it was one big happy family!
After the race we all got things together and headed for the train. This train in particular has given Wynne and me many troubles but we just had one last ride. We all boarded and got about 3 or 4 stops from where we were all going to have a nice lunch. And the train just stops and tells everyone they have to get off. Everyone starts yelling and complaining. We had NO idea where we were and had no maps. We had these bikes, all our gear, and 4 people from out of town! Anyway, to make a longer story shorter…we shuffled the parents on a bus and Wynne and I had to cycle home. Exactly NOT what we wanted to be doing after the race. But 45 mins later and almost killed a couple times, we made it home. Showered, chowed down on some Chinese food and took a big nap. Chowed down on pizza and went to bed. All and all it was a good day. IT forever!
Monday I took the day off and wasn't quite as sore as I thought I would be. Knees were killing me but not too bad. We had tickets for Buckingham Palace and I had been looking forward to this all summer. When the Queeny is gone she opens her house and we get to see the good stuff. Plus to celebrate The Queen's 80th birthday we got to see the largest ever exhibition of Her Majesty's evening dresses and personal jewellery. It was amazing! Buckingham was great as well. That night we went to family dinner with Mat's aunt and cousin and had a ball.
Back to work today! My parents left this morning and I was sad, yet happy, to see them go. It was time and the little house kept getting smaller. But it was certainly nice to have your mommy "mommy" you for a month. Great food, laundry washed, house cleaned, etc. They are good roomies for sure. Next visitors are my friend Kelly and her boyfriend Alex. They come on Monday. Then off to Switzerland with Mat!
I have less than a month now. September 7 will be my last day here. I should be back in the states around September 18-19 and then back to work on September 20. Yahoo!
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