Tri Talk Tuesday: Support Crew

It's Tuesday so it's time for another edition of Tri Talk Tuesday.  I'm linking up with 2 of the 3 tri ladies today (Courtney & Cynthia) as The Cupcake Triathlete (Miranda) is off to Lake Placid to cheer folks that are doing Ironman Lake Placid.   Which ties in perfectly with this week's topic:  Race Support crew.

I've been racing so long it's no surprise that over the years my support crew has changed.  My original group of "Tri-Friends" and training partners have had kids so it's not easy for them to get to races anymore.  Family has gotten older and a little less willing to drive crazy distances to cheer me on.  That and I race so darn much these days, well, it's hard to keep up.  That being said, we've had friends and family come out for our big events or races that might be close to home.  When I did my first Ironman in 2006, my entire family and G's entire family made the trip out to Lake Placid to cheer us on.  Not only that, several of our friends also made the drive to cheer us on.  It really was one of the best days of my life, other than my wedding day.  Last year our families came out to Belwood to cheer G and I on at a sprint race because it was close to my parent's home and we all went over for a BBQ after.  My folks got to see me on the podium so they were pretty proud.

The entire Kennedy / Rodrigues Fam Jam at Lake Placid 2006

Most of the Original Tri Gang, 2007

 These days my support comes in slightly different forms.  I have a new group of "Tri friends" (most of which are younger than me, ha ha) that I often race with and we're always cheering each other on either in person or virtually.  There's also the amazing folks in my run group, many of which are also triathletes.  My original "Tri friends" are still really supportive in that they always either call or send me text messages wishing me luck or congratulating me.  Back in 2006 when I did my first Ironman, Facebook and Twitter were in their infancy and I wasn't on either of them.  Instagram didn't even exist.  Now that we are in the age of Social Media, I've found that I am getting support from people all over the world.  The interwebz has made this world a much smaller place and has allowed us to connect with people we may have never have had the opportunity to connect with if things like Instagram and twitter didn't exist. Some of the messages I've gotten from people I've never met have really touched my heart. 

Jordan & Heather, part of the new Tri Gang

The triathletes from my run group. 

I'm also a part of an amazing team of athletes at Real Deal Racing.  The guys that run the show as well as my teammates are always so supportive.  As Mike likes to say, Team work makes the dream work.  So. Freaking. True.

And of course, there is G.  I cannot even being to tell you how lucky I am to have a partner that shares the same passion I do.  He is at almost every single running race I do and he's always at every tri because he's usually racing.  Yup, I count my blessings every. single. day.   Do I miss him when he's not there?  Of course.  Those are the days that I just have to dig a little deeper to get to the finish line and I'm ok with that. 

G and I on our cycling vacation in Lake Placid last year.  Yes, we're wearing matching caps from our favourite race series.

Who do you owe a big THANK YOU to for their support?