Watching friends fall and rise

The obvious benefit of training with a group has been seeing how I stack up against others and being motivated to improve, with role models to do so.
What I didn't expect was becoming entwined in the athletic fates of so many other people.

Recently we have had a spate of bike wrecks, which has me spooked:

• Beth = Bruises from slide on bike path
• David G. = Stitch, bruises, and unplanned training break after pile-up during a sudden turn in a paceline
• Carla = Abrasions and bruises after bumping tires with another person in the group and going down
• Justin = Shattered middle finger after hitting the edge of a sewer cap during a Columbus cycling event and being thrown into the curb
• Ralph = Bruises, pain, and completely destroyed bike after being intentionally hit by a car and having his bike backed over several times by said car driver.

There are less dramatic examples, too, of folks for whom life has gotten in the way, and training has gone by the wayside. For some, they've had to drop out of races or just lower expectations. For some, a bit of the spark is gone, knowing they aren't going to be in the lead group.

And then, in some happy news, one of our group completed his first Ironman yesterday at Lake Placid, which is a very challenging course. He finished in 13-and-a-half hours, a very respectable time for such a hilly course.

Listening to the buzz about his Ironman finish at today's swim had me daydreaming about what they might be saying the day after my big race.
Here's what I think they'll say:
"Wow, she had a really good swim."
"Her bike time was pretty good, but I bet she could have gone faster."
"Geez, that's a good marathon time. What was her fastest stand-alone marathon again?"
"Nice transitions!"