Tri Two

On Saturday the four oldest got to participate in their second triathlon at the YMCA. I call it a mini triathlon because they swam 25 yards, biked 3 miles and ran 1 mile. It was a much better race for them because this time they had experience and knew better how to transition. Not only that, but we had been training as a family going on runs, biking and fine tuning strokes in the pool.

I am sad because all of my video footage and photos from the day got erased from my camera! I don't know how it happened. I will share some memories from the day. Mr. M had a good swim, a lighting fast T1, accidentally missed the turn around and biked two extra miles putting him at the back of the pack, but finished the race like a champ and still passed people at the end. I was so proud of him for having such a good attitude despite being so disappointed. Lady K was the first out of the water for the swim, had a great bike and ran really well, coming in second overall. She was amazing. Little L did so much better this time in all areas. I could see that she was more focused on pushing herself and surprised us all with a fantastic kick at the end of her run and beat a few kids older than her. J Man was so excited to participate this year. He did the swim with a life jacket on (because mom made him) transitioned like a pro, completed the entire bike without stopping even at the big hills and started the run but then admitted he thought he would be too tired to finish the run. He still got a medal. All the kids were faster and had a much better feel for how to pace themselves because of their training.

After the race we all got ice cream and Gatorade and then our family finished off the morning by playing in the pool at the Y. It was a fantastic experience for everyone and I am so proud of my little athletes for doing so well. We are looking forward to the next mini tri this summer.

Birthday Hike

For my birthday this year we went on a hike to Twin Lakes. It was quite a drive, (the last 30 min. on a very bumpy, unpaved road) but well worth it. The hike was amazing. We saw some amazing views, hiked around both lakes and found some fun shelters for camping. If we can figure out the details of how to do more wilderness camping, I would love to pack in all our stuff (2 miles) some time and camp in one of the shelters. It looks like sooo much fun. The entire hike back I was trying to figure out what we would need to do and buy to camp like that. Maybe next summer we can get it together.

I love these two picts. of my cuties holding each others hands while hiking. I love my kids. They are the best. We have so much fun together. Thanks you guys for a super birthday.

MY TRI

Last May I decided that I was sick of running all the time and tired of my knees keeping me from really getting a good, long workout. I started looking into cross training and decided that a Sprint Triathlon might be a good event to train for.

I trained all summer. My sister Michelle and my brother David helped me train for the swimming. My brother-in-law Russ helped me train for the bike segment and a friend in the ward loaned me his road bike for the day. I enjoyed the training so much.

This weekend was the big event. It was so much fun. I didn't put any pressure on myself to compete hard for this first one so that I could relax and enjoy myself. My husband, all five of my kids and a bunch of my friends were there to cheer me on. I had a great experience and I ended up placing second overall for the women. Shocker!!

The distances for the sprint length are 800 yd. swim, 12 mile bike and 3.1 mile run. I finished with an overall time of 1:25. It wasn't a fantastic time, but it was good for my first one and I had a ton of fun waving to people on the course and congratulating the other competitors. I had a serious endorphin high at the end. It was a great experience and I will do it again.