With Gratitude and Love in My Heart

Well HP02 has so many things to report...after the gentle yet pointed reminder from HP01, it was realized that its been, well a while since HP02 has posted a report on her training, her life. Which puts some pressure on the first post back.
So here it goes...

First of all, THANK YOU to all who came along on the epic birthday camping trip! HP01, HP10 and Senior Diez, HotPantsNickie and Senior HPNickie, HotPantsBB and most importantly, HOtPantsHawkEye, TunaBoatHotPants and HPRoxie: thanks to all for an epic weekend! It was almost 2 weeks ago when HP01 and 02 took off after lunch on a Friday afternoon, destination: beach! HotPantsBB and HPHawkEye came later that evening, and we had the best hamburgers of our lives (thanks to HP01), followed by many beers and vodka. Unfortunatly for HP02 the mix proved disagreeable, and...well lets just say that someone may or may not have gotten sick. On her friend. And that someone may or may not have been the birthday girl. DANG IT!

The next day everyone else showed up, and we had perfect beach weather! We played with the puppy on the beach, ate cheetos and read hollywood gossip magazines ALL DAY LONG. It was spectacular. That evening HP01 grilled her best ever, with Argentinian sausages, followed by her world famous short ribs. And the Alaskans surprised us with a huge salmon that Senor Diez caught himself in Alaska this summer!! Spectacular. The only thing cooler than the cook-out was the humongo blaze that Senior Diez masterminded. It was an epic birthday, indeed.

Then Sunday we woke up to cloudy skies and Senior Diez making breakfast! We dined on scrambled eggs with moose sausage- how cool is that?? We had just finished our breakfast when it began to rain, and so we broke up camp with record speed. Such
record speed, in fact, that we forgot to lock the bikes on the back of HP01's car...

So we are flying down the road after having stopped to fuel up and get something to eat, when HP01 notices that she cant see the second bike on the back of the car from her mirror. The car comes to an immediate stop and HP02 jumps out on the side of
the freeway to discover her beloved mountain bike, Fernando, is completely gone. GONE!! After much hypothosizing, it was deduced that the bike must have been stolen at the gas station. Which leads me to my next tribute...

HP02 is humbled, honored and thankful to all the HPs and good friends who contributed to Fernando's replacement. In addition to being her only mountain bike, Fernando was her commuting vehicle of choice. He will be sorely missed, but on the other hand HP02 is giddy with the prospect of finding a replacement at REI! Thank you, you guys, for taking the sting out an otherwise acute and unfortunate loss.

This is a long post...but the training update will be short and sweet. HP02 is shamefully coming clean. This Sunday has been the first time in 2 months that she has gotten on the roadbike (the former Ricardo- name currently under reconsideration). To be honest, she forgot how to clip in and out of the pedals and nearly fell the first time. After a few laps around the neighborhood, however, it was off to Bethesda on the Capitol Crescent Trail. 15 miles RT, and the buns are aching today! It must be admitted, however, that once on the trail it felt damn good being back. Next year's goal is to complete the full triathlon solo, so its time to get back to it!!

Oh No Now I, I will Survive

Ladies and ladies, HP08 is proud to announce that she and Senor Ocho did in fact finish the Marine Corps Marathon on Sunday in a time of 5 hours and 15 minutes, a pace of 12 minutes a mile. This was a bit slower than they had hoped for, but the ridiculous headwinds, some crampy legs and a pucky stomach didn't really help them out with that. All in all, the Ochos finished and that's all that really matters. HP08 would really like to thank HP01, HP02, HP03 and HP04 for spending the whole day chasing the Ochos around on their bikes. You ladies have no idea how helpful you were. Every time HP08 and Senor Ocho saw you, they felt the need to start running again even if they thought they were going to die. The HPs are probably responsible for cutting down their finishing time by half an hour. :) Seriously, though, nothing helps more that a good cheering section. Searching for the ladies and the family Ocho in the crowd was an excellent distraction and nothing can beat your friends and family showing their faith in you, especially when you’re losing it in yourself. Also, HP08 would like to thank all of the HPs for being her courage, support and inspiration over the last year. She really could never have done it without you. Ladies, you all have been a rock for the Ocho to lean on and each of you have contributed to the Ocho's effort in your own individual ways.
Here are some of the highlight photos with one final thought…HP08 would like to add that there are few things more satisfying in the world than setting a long term goal and achieving it, especially when 5 years ago she, and probably no one else in the world, would have thought she could do it. Many of the other HPs may have already experienced this feeling, but this was a first for HP08 and it was a good one. :)







The Ochos one mile in.















Papa Ocho and Sister Ocho cheering on the Ochos with an old family slogan















Coming out of hell/Hanes Point














The Ochos after their journey