The Life and Times of Sam Luna

Friday night under the lights at Alkek Velodrome .  I haven't raced at the velodrome since 2004, and thought it was time to get back at it.  If you are ever on the west side of town on a Friday night, stop by the velodrome for some fun free entertainment.  Racing is broken up into categories, by age and skill.  You earn your skill levels, and they stay with you for life.  So even though I haven't raced in 7 years, I race at that same level now, Cat 3.  Usually you will race in 3-4 different events throughout the night.  Since the Cat 1-2 and 3 fields are small we usually race together. 12 Lap, Point a Lap - Pretty much what it sounds like.  The first rider to cross the line on each lap gets a point.  Total up your points at the end of 12 laps and who ever has the most points wins, 2nd most points gets second and so on.  I sprinted for points on laps 3 and 4, but had no luck. I lost contact with the front group and drifted backwards and latched on with a second group and just sp

As a member of the Al Lawrence running club , I have participated in the Bayou Bash Relay a number of times.  Back in the day it was held out in Sugar Land at the Fluor Daniel Complex.  Now it is held at Rice University with a spectator friendly course.  I completed on a mixed open team with Sarah.  The sun stayed behind the clouds which made the afternoon sun pleasant.  This race is a lot of fun, your relay team of 4 runners, each run 1.9 miles.  2 loops around the football stadium and bike loop.  Afterwards is the HARRA end of the year party with games and food for the whole family. EGG TOSS! Results

Yes, its like a bad movie that doesn't know only Rocky can have 5 lives. 2 story lines here: First this was my first race back in quite a while. Second, this was the race director’s first race. Pre-Race: I haven't changed much. I get to the race super early with Sarah. I explain that open bike rack means you choose your spot in transition, so you better get there early so you don't have to lug your bike around. I was one of the first participants, so race officials and body markers weren't ready, but no worries they quickly jumped on me once I was in the corral. Run: I studied the map, but wasn't quite sure how the 2nd run was going to be done. A lot of other athletes were asking the RD for directions too. A couple brave souls who had done the Tejas triathlon, which uses the same run course, offered up their rabbit services. Too bad those services only lasted the first 400 meters. I had anticipated starting out a bit slowly and then feel a rhythm, but I was li