I had a picture show up in my Facebook Memories feed this week from 10 years ago at the CB&I sprint triathlon in The Woodlands.
It was one of an athlete at the finish line that I had taken, but I had not yet started to announce the race.
I'm pretty sure that I covered the event for the Conroe Courier, during a time that I wrote a running and triathlon column for the publication for approximately five years.
And without any offense to any race director that I have worked with in the past or currently work with, but if I were down to my last races to announce: they would be the ones in The Woodlands.
The north side of town has been my comfort zone since I first ran a race in 2003 -- as well as having graduated from Spring High School in 1984 after my parents moved us to Texas in late 1976.
I don't see me living in the greater Houston area anywhere else.
Every race that I announce, especially on this side of town, is one that allows me to remain connected with those who support me - and what I do - the most.
If I ever had any questions about my self-worth, these crowds would help me wash any doubts away.
Speaking of being washed away, today's Woodforest Bank Triathlon was one that was challenged my Mother Nature.
Given recent rains as well as what had been forecast to fall on Thursday, Friday and Saturday, the swim being cancelled was pretty much a foregone conclusion.
A duathlon was in order.
But given that there are so many moving pieces, especially in producing a triathlon more so than a road race, The Woodlands Township Parks and Recreation Department was faced with a moving forecast as well as moving deadlines.
While I announced the triathlon-turned-5K this morning, I wasn't privy to all of the discussions and decisions that director Chris Nunes, Angel Nicks and race director Megan Meaux had and were forced to make.
And, quite honestly, being a journalist first, I would have only revealed here what was appropriate and not confidential.
They were faced with tough decisions -- some that many participating athletes have never been forced - or put themselves into a position - to make.
I'm one that always has a plan for the weekend. I have a hard time of sitting still - too long.
If The Township had cancelled the entire event, because of the weather, like they needed to in 2016, personally, I was ready to go run something somewhere, but I understand those that spent up to $120 for a sprint triathlon feeling a bit short-changed.
Before I ever ran a race, I followed and covered high school athletics.
Hello, showers in April and May here in the Texas Gulf Coast have been notorious for altering state baseball and softball schedules.
You just get used to it, even though you might not like it.
At CB&I now Woodforest Bank, I handle the finish line and the awards while Michael Garfield, who original race director Willie Fowlkes brought up from Houston at the race's inception 15 years ago, handles the start and enthusiaticly gets the athletes loose and into the waters of Lake Woodlands.
I couldn't sleep most of the night after having gone to bed early at 8:30 p.m., stopped at Whataburger across the road for breakfast at 4:30 a.m. and hung out for about a half hour with my best friend (besides my daughter) Bill Dwyer, who was getting his Volte Endurance Training runners off on their Saturday long runs from next door to Fleet Feet in Hughes Landing.
As I arrived at Town Green Park, where the now 5K would start and finish, I first saw Megan and then worked my way over to get the microphone from the good folks with Sky God Productions and said "Hello!" to Scott Wood with Athlete Guild, the race timer.
I always chuckle at Megan's "talking points" that she sends - and I amend - because it literally says, "Jon settles in with the mic."
And, yes, the first announcement for me - one hour before the start of the race - is always a little rocky.
Especially today since I didn't want to stoke the anger of those athletes who felt like that they should have been on the bike course this morning - and competing in a duathlon - given that there was no morning precipitation.
One of the first athletes - at the finish line - that I was in earshot of said, "I'm pissed."
I knew best that it was wise to walk around and check on a few other things.
Again working a race in The Woodlands, I see so many people that I know:
+ RaceShots.net founder Lance Phegley and his two children, Lauren and Brandon, who were helping him shoot at the finish line and out on the course. (Hopefully Sherri was getting a Mother's Day weekend break this morning.)
+ Willie Fowlkes, the race's original RD and the current RD of The Woodlands Marathon and the Texas 10 Series. While the Huntsville Half was one of the very first races that I ever announced, I was able to win Willie's confidence at the finish line of CB&I that I could match - in a different way - what Michael brought to the start of the event.
+ Talked to Chris Yetman, Peggy's husband, for a few minutes.
+ Saw and spoke to briefly with Volte Endurance Training athlete Laura Hanyszewski, who was volunteering at the finish line with her children.
+ Met Sara Marie, The Woodlands College Park sophomore, who did an excellent job singing today's National Anthem.
And, of course, it is always great to see one of the most upbeat people in these parts, Celebration Church pastor Frankie Mazzapicca, who delivered the invocation.
Parks and Recreation director Chris Nunes and I had a good pre-race conversation also about some of our respective future travels - me for baseball parks and races this summer and his having the opportunity to speak to various Parks and Recreation departments around the country.
It is what these races are really all about -- the human experience in the midst of athletic competition and the challenging of one's self.
Me? I challenge myself when I'm announcing to make sure people know where to go, what time they need to get there by, to be professional, to represent the event and its sponsors and volunteers well and have a great time doing so.
And to be an encouragement, if possible, to others.
We got done with the invocation and the National Anthem with two minutes to spare and got everyone started on-time -- something that is a big satisfier with athletes.
Even though in a triathlon, there are different divisions and with a normal swim start, waves, the fastest 5K finishers - as there was just a single mass start like a road race with the cancellations - were two folks that I know -- Arizona State freshman (sophomore to be) Lane Barron and Spring's Peggy Yetman.
As I've said many times before, I do my best to make every athlete's finish as special as I can -- even if I can pronounce the athlete's name correctly -- especially the tough ones.
I learned during the awards ceremony that I need to work a little harder on Valhalla Racing's Joe Chevalier.
After the last finisher came in, the winner of the Dr. Phelan Courage Award, we made our way down to the Event Center -- and where the ice rink is housed -- for the said awards ceremony.
This is another area that's always tough in the sense that you want to make sure that the awards are accurate before you get up and start talking.
If not, it makes any event look like it doesn't know what it is doing -- whether it is a right assessment or not.
To ensure that, though, it sometimes takes a little time to get all of the divisions right, especially when during a triathlon - with a complete bike segment - you have to add in penalty times.
And as an announcer, I get it: people lead busy lives with kids and pressing schedules and want to get their award and go.
I think today, we did as best balancing all of those needs as completely as possible.
I definitely felt like I earned what The Township pays me to do.
At the start of the awards, though, I had a gentleman sitting at one of the front tables who made a smart remark that on the first award winners that I didn't announce the times of the women, but did the men.
I actually said something to the effect of "Really?" back.
So I announced no times at all. :-)
When you're speaking - trying to be professional always - and you've got moving pieces such as staff handling the awards to the two Township Board members there and the race photographer trying to get everyone's picture for them to possibly buy, you sometimes linguistically have to adjust to these things on the fly -- and can't do everything that maybe I normally do.
Plus, really the biggest thing is that I didn't want to have to try and explain why the third place in the men's Elite field - a separate division and wave if the swim had gone off - had a slower time than the age group overall and masters winners.
All in all, today's race met my needs just perfect.
I still get asked to do announce a lot of races - something that I'm honestly thankful for, but my energy level isn't always where I think that I can feel like I can do the best job for somebody that's paying me.
I'd rather say "No!" or back away if I've done a race in the past so that I never run the risk of even giving somebody the chance to possibly see something - perceived or real -- that I might not have done as best job as possible.
I'm already looking forward to announcing Ten For Texas for The Woodlands Township in October -- as they make it easy for me to have the kind of day - doing what I do - that I did today.
Thanks everyone for your support!
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