Free Will of Man - Part One by William Scanlan Page A

around the outside of the school.
     
    Jax has been hanging with the "jocks" more and more. He rarely has lunch with me anymore or hangs out with me in the halls. I don’t get it. Jax doesn’t have an athletic bone in his body. I watch him playing basketball with the jocks and he looks silly!
     
    Now I know I’m no jock either. I have the hand-eye coordination of a three year old and the fast twitch muscles of an eighty year old man. Fortunately for me, I have good endurance. I can go forever.
     
    Maybe I’m just being jealous. I feel like I’m losing him as a friend. Maybe I should ask him to hang out more after school. We’ll see.
     
    Carlos is still good ole Carlos. He’s typically clueless to so-called “social standings.” I guess that’s why I like him so much. He doesn’t care who you are as long as you’re nice. That’s cool. We spend most our time goofing around and playing video games.
     
    Tyler’s Journal Entry: 5
    Date: September 11
    Day: Saturday
    Weather: Cool, Cloudy, slightly rainy
    Training: RACE DAY
     
    I raced today in Tawas. This race was good and bad. The bad was the swim, since it was in Lake Huron near the Tawas pier. It's always freezing with huge waves.
     
    This is the only race I do in the Great Lakes and it's takes a lot of concentration in regards to my breathing. I have to breathe away from the direction of the waves; otherwise I get a mouth full of water. So it's all about timing.
     
    The swim buoys always get pushed out into deeper water due to the waves and the water depth is way over my head. It's very scary and no one ever seems prepared for the conditions - Including me.
     
    I was actually scared for my life during this one. Three people dropped from the race because of the swim conditions. Even with my wetsuit, I found myself freezing throughout the swim. Usually a swimmer can catch their breath once their body acclimates to the temperature. But with the freezing water in Tawas Bay, I could never catch mine. I was in panic mode throughout the entire swim. Needless to say, I was very happy to finish the swim phase.
     
    The good parts were the bike and the run. The bike was on smooth roads that led out into the country. I felt strong and was able to pass many bikers. It was awesome!
     
    The run went just as well. I was a bit tired from pushing so hard during the bike and it took about a quarter mile to get my legs moving properly. Once I felt my strength return, I drafted another strong racer throughout the run. Stayed right on his heals throughout. As we neared the finish, with about 50 meters to go, I pushed past him and over took him.
     
    I ended up with a first in my age group (of 33) and third overall (of 255). It was one of my best races yet. Fortunately the swim proved just as hard for everyone else and the rest of the race went perfect for me. Can't wait for the next race!
     
    Here's my schedule and results to date (I’m always the youngest, but my dad seems to be able to get me into the more adult races):
     
    Race Schedule
     
    January 23                             Winter Wolf 15 miles (1:57)
    March 6                            March Madness (1st solo, 4th overall)   
    March 21                            MAC Indoor tri at the MAC (2 nd age)
    March 28                            MARCH MADNESS AR (2 nd )
    April 25                            Steele Case Duathlon (5 th)
    April 26                            SPRING FURY (5 th ))
    May 22                                      Okemos Triathlon (1st place age!)
    May 23                                          Xterra Last Stand (4 th age)
    June 6                                          Hawk Island Triathlon (9th of 75)
    July