What a week. I was pumped up to do the Dave Boyd memorial Texas Dare. The race was at Double Lake this year, and had no zipline. The team would be myself, Shaun Alimghty, Patti, and a HART guy-Johnathan.
Waking up early and getting the drive wasn't so bad, as it only took 45 minutes. Getting to see Charles, Sarah, John Abrams, and Judy(Dave's family) was neat. Cheryl even showed up for a bit, which was great to see her too.
Our team had great transition support, with Magan, Peggy and Nancy going after it. Feeding 4 hungry team MOAT members isn't so easy.
The race started off with a 3 mile run. Then a 7 mile run to the boats. We took over the lead from Vignete during this leg. Then we got in the 4 man boat, and proceeded to an island. We were talking and paddling good....but the wind was blowing like crazy. The waves were big, and coming from all directions. Shaun, the boat guy, was really worried, and thought about turning around and forgetting the points....it was too dangerous. But we kept going. Then about a minute after I took a big hit of water on the lower half of my body, we flipped the boat. In the middle of Lake Livingston, we flipped the boat.
The initial shock of very cold water over the whole body was taken pretty well. Since I was in front, I turn to see Patti freezing and eyes bigger than the moon. She was so worried. I gave her my paddle, and her and Johnathan started drifting to shore, while Shaun and I hung on the boat...unable to flip it back over. We sat there. Slowly letting the current push us to shore. Shaun was so cold his little legs started cramping. I too started getting the shivers really bad. Then we saw Vignette coming, in 2 boats. They paddled straight to Patti and Johnathan to help them out. I thought....WTF? Why not help the boat out first. Then I saw Rick Sanders(the race director) and John Abrams coming to our aid in a john boat with an 8 horse power motor. They grabbed the front string, and slowly....VERY SLOWLY, pulled us to shore. They were out there to tell everyone to turn around, the water was too dangerous to paddle on. So when they saw another team just coming out of the cove into the open water, they left us to go tell them to go back. We sat there for another 5 minutes and finally got pulled to shore. We were soaking wet for at least 20 minutes....probably around 30.
Vignette was nice enough to make sure we got out of the water, with the boat, before leaving to continue racing.
MOAT on the other hand, was border line hypothermic. While we took off our wet tops and put on Jackets from Rick and John Abrams to get warm by a bar-b-que pit at a house we 'borrowed', we noticed the rescue boat had flipped! John Abrams and Rick were up their waist in water!!!
We sat by this grill, using it to warm up, as we shivered violently. Until a neighbor was wrangled up into giving us a ride to the start of the paddle leg in his suburban. Once at the start, we sat by a fire, just starting to stop shivvering and starting to 'feel' warmth....key word is FEEL!
We decide to keep racing at this point, and just as the last place team is running up to check the point.
The 7 mile run back was brutal. Legs were numb,and the blisters I got on the way out were in full force on my soft feet. We manage though....we are like Spartan men, taught to feel no pain, show no mercy, and never retreat.
We passed a few more teams, and was treated to a bike ride on the next leg. Several dismounts, and remounts later, after crossing log after log. We pass a few more teams. only to have Johnathans chain break,and have them pass us again. We get going, and repass them once again. And the last bike section was riding around the course....which we passed Vignette. Only for me to have my handlebar taken out by a vine. I felt like Lance Armstrong on Luz Ardenden with the musset bag. We put time in on the other teams there, but the last leg was a run/nav. We were with Vignette during the start, and were chasing a team 10minutes up. Somehow, we got stuck on point 14, only to roll through the rest. We figure another 8 miles of running was enough to cap of about a marathon worth of running during the race. We ended up getting 3rd, with HART getting 2nd, and Vignette taking the well deserved win. Peggys food was eatten in mass after the race.
I was in bed as soon as I was home, and out again the next day, doing the Cross Through the woods in the Woodlands. I was sore. I've never ran that much. But I wanted to support the cross scene in the Houston area.
The turnout could've been beter, but the course was SPOT ON! Dave would've loved it.

Kevin Koen goes off the front early, while I do my usuall warm up during the race, only to pass everybody and then start racing. Lawson and Aaron rode strong, but I wasn't going to let them be dragged up to Kevin so easy. I attacked on the barriers and got a gap and started bridging up to Kevin.

I thought the time was only halfway done, after getting his 30 second lead cut down to 15. So I took an easy lap to recover from some harder efforts. Then I saw one lap to go, and knew it was over. I rode in after having a really fun race on a fun race course. Roots, sand, dirt, grass, pavement, turns, straights, mud, and hills....the course had it all!




So I wake up early today(monday) to get a hunt in with Robin Messina, my karate instructors wife. We're hunting pigs, unless she sees a deer, which you might just assume is dead as she is jonesin' to get one!
I see nothing all morning, and I walk to Robin to go to the truck. She tells me she was right next to them, but they woke up from bedding down and she never saw them. So instead of walking to the truck, we walk over to where they might be. We walk silently, and have full camo on. Then, about 10 yards away we spook two pigs! Robin squats, and I have my gun on them. We stay still enough, and they don't see us. They're just sitting beind some brush. I ask if she's gonna shoot, and she's waiting on me. Well, I didn't have a good shot, so I walk slowly to get a beter position. Then more pigs are showing up out of the high grass. They are starting to move away from us....so I have to take a shot.
Now before you read the rest, you must know I am shooting a 30.06. It's a single shot gun, that I normally use hollowtip bullets. I recently bought some hard tips, and don't know how they perform....I was hesitant to use them, but decided to give them a go.
SO.....this pig I shoot at is walking away, not even close to being turned sideways(like I'd prefer). I shoot. I hear squeeling as I see the other pigs starting to run to the woods nearby. My gloves hamper me from getting another bullet in quickly. I reload, and walk a few feet to see the pig I shot with guts hanging out, and hurting. I aim and fire again, ending it quickly. I see something fly in the air about 25 feet off the ground. Hmmm?
I run in the woods to see if I can get another pest. I don't see one, so Robin and I do a quick loop and come back to the pig.
When coming up close, the intestines were hanging out(I didn't put this picture up, as it was very graphic). The bullet went in clean on one side, and ripped a hole about a foot wide in the other side! The second shot was in the head, going in right behind the eyeball to exit on the other side, with brains spilling out.....and his ear removed! That was what was flying up in the air. Here's some proof....

I don't know how much meat will be good, but we got one pest out of the woods, and it only suffered for 3-4 seconds(for those that care). Next time, I might jump on one and ride him and shoot his little friends, then take my knife and get him too.