Remembering Louie Bonpua

Date: 1/24/2010
Time: 9 am
Workout: Louie Bonpua Tri
Notes: I'll post a little more about Louie in the future, but for now please watch this short video about this amazing IronTeam member and honoree. We should all strive to be as brave and determined as him in the face of adversity.
http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v700/shinjukuboy/?action=view&current=LouieTribute2.flv

Dear Louie,

Although I never had the privilege of meeting you and being your teammate, I want you to know that your story and your determination is an inspiration for us all. During moments of weakness, we can all find strength in remembering the miraculous journey you led in becoming an Ironman. We had a wonderful triathlon on Sunday. Although we are a new team, the thoughts shared by those who knew you and the support of your sister and her family made us feel like you were there racing alongside the IronTeam. We know you were smiling down on us, and we hope we made you proud.

Sincerely, Kristin Pham
IronTeam 2010

P.S. Your sister makes AMAZING egg rolls!

Today was an amazing day. We swam 1500 yds, biked 27.1 miles, and ran 5.3 miles. It's not quite the same as an Olympic Distance, but pretty close. We were joined by the South Bay IronTeam as well as the Lavaman Team for the Louie Bonpua Triathlon at Pleasant Hill.


Swim: The swim was in a wonderfully heated pool. It was a total of 60 laps which I did at a slower pace than I would have liked. I finished in about 30 minutes and would like to be able to do that same swim in about 25 min. My flip turns were horrible and got worse as I tired, but alas there will be no flip turns in the Ohio River.

Transition: The transition was a little on the slow side. I did kind of take my time to make sure I was dry, warm, and hydrated for the bike ride. I'll have to speed this up a little for the next event.

Bike: I have a lot of work to do on the bike. However, this was my second time doing the same bike route, and it already went better than the first! The dreaded Pig Farm Hill won the first battle, but I kicked it's butt during the tri. (When I say "kicked it's butt," that just means I didn't have to get off my bike and walk up the rest of the hill. It doesn't mean I did it gracefully.) After Pig Farm, the rest of the ride is a cake walk. While I'm not a great cyclist, I hope I will continue to see improvements on every ride.

Run: My legs started off pretty dead - hence the definition of a "brick"- for about the first 3 miles. It started raining at the beginning of the run, but I was just grateful that the rain held off until after I completed my bike ride. After that I was able to pick up the pace, and I finished a little too strong. I guess I should take this to mean that I didn't leave enough energy out on the course. I also went away from the run with a giant blister on my foot thanks to the expensive new insoles I was trying out for the first time. Those things are getting returned this week!

Support: There are many people who deserved to be thanked for this wonderful day. First I want to thank my husband, David, for taking time on his day off to drive to Pleasant Hill at 6:45 am with me and stayed until 2 pm so that we could listen to the closing speeches. I can't tell you how blessed I feel to have such a wonderful husband. Thank you to all the coaches and volunteers who helped make this race a success. I really appreciate everyone for braving the weather to support us! Also, thanks to Chipotle for the burritos and Louie's sister for the wonderful egg rolls. Louie's sis also donated a generous $1000 to the IronTeam and offered her support during the whole race. That hit the spot after the 3 1/2 hours of exercise! Finally, thank you Louie for providing all of us with the inspiration to make it through this day.