I guess I have to write about me..........

Ok, so my only "event" this weekend was a 5K. I had big plans to train for this and run my first 5K (I've walked several). But alas, I did not train adequately, and so I knew I would be walking this one as well. However, seeing as how it appeared most people would be running it, I really wanted to run a portion. So, Jeff and I awoke early on a VERY cold morning (foggy and under 50 degrees in JULY!), and arrived at Duck Lake. The previous day was "triathlon" day and this day, Sunday, was the "footrace" day. Everyone started together but some chose to do the 5K, some the 10K, and some the half-marathon. I started off running (ok, it was more of a very slow jog) and tried to keep up as long as possible. When I could take it no longer (my lungs were ok, but my achilles tendons were screaming), Jeff said "that was about a mile" (how embarrassing!). We then walked, increasing our pace as I realized the couple in front of us, walking with grandma and pushing twins in a stroller was beating us! Adding insult to injury was 75-year-old Margaret who was smoking me with her lopsided gait and run/walk pace. I was being left in the dust by two grandmothers! So, with all the energy I had left, I began to run, if only to pass up my elders and not feel like such a dork. I was totally sucking wind by the time I crossed the finish line, but at least I came in ahead of the Geritol generation (wow, a real feather in my cap, right?). However, I did wait for Margaret to cross the finish line and asked her was her secret was - running a 5K at 75? She explained that she and her husband started running at age 50 when their son got into running. They recently cut back their "50 events a year" to 25 and had just run a 5K the day before. That's it. I'm eating Wheaties and running my ass away from Starbucks. I want to be running a 5K when I'm 75! Anyway, I got my medal and had the kids take the obligatory photo (note how lovely I look after camping for two days, doing the 5K and having no shower). I'm inspired for my next event, however lowly I am on the athlete's totem pole. I finished, right?

Hayley "tris" not to fall off her bike!

A couple of weekends ago, Hayley fell off my bike while riding it around an RV park. She had to push the bike back to the camper while bleeding from her knee and hand. A few years ago, she fell off her bike and took all the skin off her leg from knee to shinbone and refused to ride her bike for a year. So, you can imagine the bike was Hayley's biggest challenge (staying upright, that is - haha, just kidding Hayley!). But Hayley had total confidence in the triathlon. No worries for her! She bravely refused a wetsuit for the swim in Duck Lake (ewww........part of the reason I wear one is to NOT touch the ickies!) and pulled ahead of everyone to be the first swimmer out of the water. She transitioned fast to the bike (watch that towel fly!) and quickly led our pack of kids in the biking. I barely saw her transition and then she was off for the run at lightning speed! She came in first overall of our kids, sprinting across the finish line to receive her medal. All in all, a pretty professional race - she looked good in all events! When asked if she would do it again, she said "maybe" a little hesitantly. C'mon Hayley, after that performance? She's ready for a sprint tri!

Hannah will "tri" again!

Hannah had total confidence in the triathlon. She wasn't nervous and figured it would be "easy" after she swam a 1/2 mile with me a couple of summers ago. Biking and running? No problem - she loves to bike and her running was amazingly improved this year after we figured out why she hated sports (because she had arthritis and was always in pain!). She ran all the time in school and her times were good. So, she ventured into this new frontier with total confidence and anticipation. She got in the water and offered last-minute advice to her younger siblings, and then did a solid swim, followed by a smooth transition to the bike. She was the first of the pack off on her bike and came in right behind Hayley. She slid on her running shoes and was off on the run, which was steady and solid all the way to the finish line. She received her medal and water and at the trophy presentation, when asked if she'd do it again, she said "Yes!" with confidence. Later she said "that was FUN!" and said she would definitely "tri" again! We're considering a "team" tri or perhaps a mother/daughter event in the future. Yay Hannah!

Harrison "tris" something new!

Of all the kids, Harrison was definitely the most nervous about the triathlon. He's a worrier by nature, and having something "big" to accomplish was giving him a real case of nerves the morning of the tri. He called me in tears (I was at Jeff's event) and asked me a million questions. After reassuring him that this was just for fun and passing on some advice from Jeff when I did my first tri ("just plan to be last"), he seemed ready to go. Once we tugged and pulled him into his wetsuit (not an easy task for anyone!), he got in the water and seemed pretty confident about the swim (this after "failing" the swim test at a local pool earlier in the week!). He did great in the swim, beating two other participants out of the water. The transition took some work (and an arm tug by mom to get out of the wetsuit), but he was soon off on his bike (after tossing his towel like a sail into the air behind him), determined look on his face. He pedaled back furiously, and tossed aside his helmet. Then, he was off on the run! His cross-country training from the fall came in handy as he ran the full 1/4 mile without stopping and crossed the finish line on the heels of Arlie. He got his medal and couldn't have been prouder of his trophy! Add to that he was the ONLY boy participating, so he came in first for boys! Yeah, Harrison! When asked if he would do it again, he answered "hmmm........maybe" but he was grinning his gap-toothed grin so I think he'll be back for round two!

Arlie's first tri!

So, Arlie did her first triathlon and it was quite an experience. She did not exhibit too much nervousness beforehand.......instead she had the quiet confidence of an athlete. The swim had given her some jitters beforehand and she wasn't sure if she wanted to wear a life jacket or not. But, armed with her wetsuit, she bravely entered the waters of Duck Lake and swam around the dock. Off to the bike! Arlie peeled off her wetsuit like a pro, quickly put on her shorts and t-shirt, laced up her running shoes and, not to be outdone, donned pink plastic, sparkly sunglasses. And she was off, pedaling away on her pink bike, complete with plastic baby seat attached to the back. In what seemed like minutes, she was back for the run, stashing the bike in the rack and tossing off her helmet. Off she dashed, on Harrison's heels, and quickly pulled ahead of him. Around the baseball field and she plodded down the home stretch, out of breath and grimacing but sprinted for the finish line! Horray! She received her medal and bottle of water and collapsed on the ground, smiling but exhausted. At the trophy presentation, when asked if she would do it again, she answered a hesitant "maybe". But we know that competitive spirit won't be squelched! She'll be back!

Jeff's triathlon - he's a winner!!!

So, Jeff did his first triathlon of the summer this weekend. For those of you who don't know, a triathlon, specifically a sprint triathlon, is a race involving swimming (1/4 or 1/2 mile, depending on the race), biking (usually 12 miles) and running (a 5K)..........one right after the other. Most people couldn't complete ONE of these events, but triathletes do all three in a row. Jeff has done MANY triathlons and trains all the time. But this year he turned the big 4-0 and was lamenting his "oldness" (woe is me, I've gained 20 lbs, I'm old, my knee hurts, my arm hurts, I'm sucking wind when I run). So, the big day arrived on Saturday morning (also, in case you didn't know, these things start at an ungodly hour, this time at 7:30 a.m.!). The swim started pretty much on time and I tried as I always do to pick Jeff out of the crowd, but it's really hard when there are hundreds of swimmers all wearing the same color cap (in this case, the crowd was smaller, but it was no less difficult picking out "my" swimmer). However, I knew his swim wasn't going as well as normal when he was NOT one of the first out of the water. Eventually he did come out, and had a quick transition to the bike. Now, Jeff bikes pretty fast, so I knew I would not be waiting long. By this point, coffee-less and exhausted, I decided to have a quick nap on the grass. I was just drifting off when I heard "bikers in!" meaning some bikers had already made it back - Jeff being one of them! I snapped a few quick photos and he was off on his run (which was a bit slower and more lumbering than normal, but still steady). Not long after that, he was running for the finish! He picked up his medal and came over to me, smiling, but saying how hard it was (the run sucked, etc.). However, when I looked at his overall time, he was still pretty much in the same place he's been the past year or so. So, not bad for an "old guy" right? Well, imagine our surprise when we heard his name called for a trophy! He won second in his age group! Yay! His goal has always been to be competitive in his age group and this was the first year for him to compete in the 40-44 age group. So, props to him for bringing home a win the very first time! 40 is looking up!

Ocean Shores Big Weekend!

This weekend we traveled to Ocean Shores with our camper to participate in the "Big Weekend". This was a collection of triathlons and footraces, including the sprint tri which Jeff participated in, the kids' tri which the kids did for their very first time, and a 5K which Jeff and I did the following day. I'll give each one their due in a separate blog entry, but suffice it to say it was a fun weekend including go-kart racing, bumper cars, hanging out in the camper, watching movies, building sandcastles, and walking on the beach. A highlight was when we saw a mama deer and her baby just walking right near our campsite. We got within feet of them and then they crossed the road to the beach and went sailing over the bluff into the grass. Wouldn't you know it, I didn't bring my camera? But we have the memory! Here are some photos from the weekend.