Sprint Doghouse Triathlon

Saturday was the triathlon we have been training for.  It was just a sprint, so a 500 meter swim, 17.6 bike and 3 mile run.  But still, we felt pretty accomplished for doing it.  We got there early, I had to worry about a flat tire that morning and a couple other mishaps but everything worked out in the end.  I was up by 5am because I couldn't get to sleep, so I made myself a big breakfast.  Remember when I did the Huntsville Half Marathon and decided to eat a full hot breakfast from our hotel the hour before we started the race?  Like waffles, eggs, biscuits and gravy, fruit, 3 juices because the first 2 tasted bizarre.  Yeah, that didn't go over well.  This time though, I had a giant bowl of oatmeal, a boiled egg, some toast, and juice.  And, it was 3 hours before the race started.  Muuuuch smarter choice.

The swim was my favorite part, mostly because I took it way too easy.  I did a triathlon years ago, and being in the pack while everyone was clawing their way to the front made me feel like I was going to drown.  So I opted to stay in the back and take my time.   I will mention that the water was 66 degrees, and the air temperature was only in the low fifties, too.  And, my wetsuit was too big.  It just filled up with water like a balloon.  I almost took it off and went without but it was way colder without it, and I think it helped with buoyancy.  In the first 100 meters the guy next to me started to drown, thank heavens the boat help was 10 feet away because I don't I would have been any help.  The wind was also incredibly high-and it created a lot of awful waves... and, at one point I realized I hadn't actually made any progress because I was being blown sideways.  Awesome.

The biking part was rooooough!  The first half was straight into a horrible headwind.  Honestly, it felt like it didn't matter how hard I pedalled because I wasn't getting anywhere.  And it was awkward because there was this girl that I kept beating on the hills but she'd catch up on the flat part and we'd do this weird yo-yo passing thing.  "Hey..."  then we'd say something like, "Hey again..." and then "Hey, again..." It got weird. These are my snacks I stuck to the bike for the halfway point.  Mmmm... never has a chewy bar tasted so good. 

The cheer squad-they were so dang cute!  Ava and Caleb are so sweet.  I love that our babies were all born within 3 months of each other.  Sooo cute.

Finally at the finish!  It was hard to believe that it was over-we have looked forward to this for months it seems and then suddenly, it was over and done with.  Emma took first place in our division, she did ah-mazing!  Ariel would have placed, but the guy giving directions during the bike portion failed and sent her a few miles out of the way.  I am proud of her for not running him over on the way back.  I would have.

I was glad that I finished!  It was fun to train for and fun to finish. 

Don't we look awesome and strong in this picture?  That's right.  That's right, we totally do.  And in 20 years we'll show our kids this and they'll be like, "Wow Mom!" ....haha right ;)