Triathlon #2

A couple of weeks ago I finally completed my sprint triathlon.  It was a 400 yard swim, a 16.8 mile bike ride, and a 5k run.  I've been working towards the goal since my super sprint in May, but trained for that since November, so really it's been a 9 month road.  Yes, I trained for it longer than some people train for Ninja Warrior or, say, a baby.  So you can understand why my fists clench when I talk to people who minimize it or point out that they don't train much for that distance.  "Really?! That's so GREAT for you!"

It was about an hour away in a city called Clarksville, which is near Toccoa.  My nerves were pretty calm as I woke up early that morning and made the drive up there.  That is, until I exited the interstate and drove up and down some pretty massive hills on the way to the aquatic center.  I kept reminding myself that they were simply "rolling hills"...nothing to fear.  

Thankfully the heat wasn't nearly as terrible as I feared it might be, though it was humid.  I checked in, got body marked (still so cool), and started setting up my transition area.  I chose a spot next to a friendly looking lady and struck up a conversation with her as we laid everything out.  As I kneeled down to lay out my socks on top of my shoes, the entire back rack came crashing down, nearly missing taking my head off.  Within seconds, there were about five guys at our aid, pulling my bike up and resetting the bars.  It hadn't hurt us or any of our equipment thank the Lord, but it was definitely a close call!  Man would I have been mad if I'd had to bow out due to a concussion I suffered BEFORE the race!

With everything set, I did a final bathroom stop and then hit the pool deck.  These races that this particular company puts on are pretty small and informal.  As such, they don't take silly things like published start times too seriously, so those of us doing the sprint (there was also a super sprint and a kids' tri event) lingered in a line and chatted.  There were about 15-20 men and only 5 women doing the sprint.  (I'm not going to lie - that felt pretty cool.)  We listened to the race director outline the bike route and remind us that we had to do two loops around it for the sprint distance (in case the giant "2" they wrote on our hands wasn't reminder enough.)  Finally, at 8:15, he said it was time to begin.  I was near the back of the line with about four people behind me (all of whom I checked with at least three times to make sure they didn't want to go before me.)  The director staggered everyone one lap behind each other and it wasn't long before it was my turn to get in to pool.  

I took a few deep breaths and then as soon as he gave the signal, I pushed off the wall.  About 3/4 of the way through, I was gaining on the woman in front of me pretty quickly.  I didn't want to pass her, though, because I'd been insistent that she go first.  (It was the exact opposite of my first race, when the lady behind me was gaining on me and it pushed me to go faster!)  I took the opportunity to pace myself and attempt to simultaneously remember my technique while also not thinking too hard about it and relaxing.  I finished just behind her, climbed out, and ran to the transition area which was very close by.  As I got ready I reminded myself to slow down and take some extra time.  My first transition at the super sprint had been a hurried mess, so between the experience and my new bike bag for my phone, this one went a lot more smoothly.  I pedaled out and was on my way.

This bike route only involved two turns, so it was a lot easier than the first race.  The hills were indeed rolling, but not bad.  The only one that was really monstrous was right after we turned around to come back, which was tough because you were doing it from a dead stop.  There were a good many racers already on their way back in and I shouted "Good job!" as I kept my eyes peeled for David and the kids.  Like so many other situations in life, I've learned that you can distract yourself from your own issues if you reach out and encourage others.  I spotted my crew just pulling into a church parking lot and David jumped out to wave to me.  He got back in and they drove past me on the route and shouted encouragement as they went to another spot to wait.  It turns out they didn't realize I was only on lap one of the route due to our late start, so they got to see me several more times than they expected.  At one point I shouted that I needed water and David had some waiting for me when I returned from my loop.  It was so special to have them there as my cheerleaders...and not to nearly die in front of them like I did last time when I missed my turn!  

After finishing the bike ride (all in all it was okay, though it did get a little boring doing an out and back two times), I pulled into the transition area to rack my bike.  The kids and David were waiting and were able to come right over to say hello.  As soon as I stepped off, my knees nearly buckled and I felt that "jelly" feeling that triathletes always refer to.  It was unexpected, because I never got it during training.  Then again, this was the first time since May that I'd gone swimming and then biking, plus the hills were small but more numerous on this course, so maybe that made a difference.  As I picked up my hydration belt to clip-on, I let out a small "Ugggg" at the thought of the 5k I was about to do.  Later Luke asked me "Mommy?  Why did you make that noise when you picked up that thingy with your water on it?"  Because I was dog-tired, son, and about to run three more miles.  That's cuz why.  

I set out, gave the kids high-fives as I passed them again, and tried to ignore the cramp in my side.  The running course was all inside of the park/baseball complex, so I didn't have to worry about watching for cars, which was nice because I'm not sure I would've had the presence of mind at that point.  I nearly turned too soon when one of the course directors thought I was already on my second lap, but I figured it out and got back on track quickly.  I cranked up my music and played all of the mentally distracting games I could think of, but it was getting hard to ignore that I was tired, it was hot, and my legs were shot.  Finally, after what seemed like forever, I turned to do the final stretch to the finish line.  Of course it was uphill and took a LOT of mental coaxing to talk myself out of crawling.  I remember plodding up it, looking over and seeing David and the kids cheering, and taking out an earbud so I could hear them because I knew it would be what I needed to push me over the line.  I crossed it (wasn't able to sprint though) and the volunteer at the end hung the finisher's medal over my neck.  Glory be, I'd made it.  Thank you Lord!

I walked around, trying to get my heart rate to slow, while chatting with my number one fans.  They were so proud of me and it made me feel like the biggest superstar in the world.  As my mind cleared, I knew two things without a doubt:  1)  That I hadn't left anything on the course (meaning, I pushed myself as hard as I could, which is a good thing) and 2) That I would've stopped and walked some of the run if I hadn't had those two little pairs of eyes watching me and cheering me on.  

I changed clothes and we stuck around to see the results.  Turns out I finished first in my age group!  ...What's that?  How many people were there, you ask?  Well...let's just say I didn't wait around for the awards ceremony and medal because I didn't quite feel like I earned it.  :)

We headed home and celebrated a lot the rest of the day, mostly with food and sleep.  On the way back home from our nice dinner that evening, I turned to David and said, "Dude. I did a TRIATHLON today."  He laughed and said, "I know!  That's crazy!"  

It was and still is so surreal.  I had trained so hard and so long.  I thought back to all those early winter mornings driving 40 minutes roundtrip in the dark to the indoor pool.  All those Saturday mornings doing brick workouts.  All those days on vacation I got up and drove somewhere to get in my swimming or biking workouts.  All the bargaining with God to keep me alive and then the profuse thankfulness I'd whisper breathlessly after finishing another workout without dying.  All the time and the planning and the sweat invested.  And now it was over.  I'd given it my best and I'd finished.  It may have been slow and ugly, but God carried me through and now I feel like I have officially earned the title of triathlete.  We'll see if it ever happens again, but for now, I'm going to rest with a week off and a lot of chocolate.  A LOT of chocolate.  I think I've earned it.  

June Recap/Trip to New Smyrna Beach/Audrey's 7th Birthday

So sorry I've been MIA for almost a month.  It's been a whirlwind of a summer thus far.  We went straight from school letting out to the beach, from the beach to Audrey's birthday and party, from the party to prepping for carpet installation, from the carpet installation to 4th of July festivities.  I'm ready for those proverbial "lazy summer days!"

In order to not spend hours writing this update, I'm going to bullet point the month's highlights:

• Luke took swim lessons and did pretty well.  I feel like sometimes he pushed back on what the coach was asking him to do and the coach let him off the hook too easily.  Still, he got more comfortable in the water and learned some good basics and survival skills, which is great.  

• Audrey started soccer through a local program called i9 Sports.  I love their template of one game a week with practice right before the game.  They also have a short season of only six weeks.  It's a great way to introduce kids to organized sports and the subsequent lessons without overcommitting your entire family for months on end.  I'll do a lengthier update on how she did in next month's recap.

•  Our church campus hosted a small group leader cookout for us.  It was great to catch up and meet others as well as hear the support and excitement from our campus's leadership.  As one of them said, "Take a minute and look around you.  In a few years, we'll look back on these humble beginnings as the 'good ol' days.'"

• We took our annual trip to New Smyrna Beach with David's mom's side of the family the third week of the month.  We did it all:  David played golf, he and I had a date, we had a date with each kid separately, we attempted a crab hunt (it was way too buggy to stay out long!), I read and blogged, we ate flitters galore (and just food in general galore, too), the kids got to reel in some fish that David's cousin and uncle caught, we played cards, and we did Go Karts with the kids for the first time.  Of course, we also swam swam swam and the kids even "rode waves" a couple of times (it was super calm.) I managed to get in all my tri workouts thanks to a local gym and a great YMCA I found, which let me chill the heck out about my fear of losing ground.  We also celebrated Audrey turning seven a little early with a pizza party, craft time that she led for the girls, and a walk on the beach.  Unfortunately, as is par for the course for our trips down there, someone ended up sick.  AJ got terrible heat rash towards the end of the week and we kept her indoors for a full day to let it recede a little.  It looked awful, but we kept hydrocortisone on it and Benadryl in her as needed and it slowly went away.  Other than that, it was a fantastic week that went by too fast...more so than any previous trip down there that I can remember!  

• David had a good, quiet Father's Day.  We had just gotten in from NSB the night before, so they all slept in while I did my brick workout and then we went on a hike by the Chattahoochee River.  We gave him some golf accessories and took him out to dinner that night.  He sort of gets robbed with AJ's birthday falling right around the same time, but he's a good sport about it.  

• AJ's 7th birthday was great.  She wanted to eat from her favorite deli for lunch, so we got a picnic to go and went down to our neighborhood pool to swim and play.  That afternoon David came home early and we sent her on a scavenger hunt to find her present from us:  a Barbie Dream House!  In a "she's getting too old too fast and the window is closing" panic, we decided to splurge this year.  She was ecstatic!  When I took her to Toys R Us a few weeks early to get some ideas for presents, she walked past the dream house in a box, looked at me, and said "Well.  I know there's NO WAY."  I kept catching her sneaking back and checking it out.  It was a total full circle moment for me when she saw it, as that was by far one of my favorite childhood toys.  I even cleaned up a few of my old Barbies to give her with it, though I made sure she knew there was no pressure to keep any of them.  We played with it for the rest of the afternoon, setting up everything just so.  We ate her dinner choice of nachos and then had cupcakes from Jilly's on the back deck and sang to her right at 7:29 (the time she was born.)  It was a great day celebrating our amazing girl!

• AJ's "Mermaid Splash Birthday Bash" was the following Sunday evening at Bogan Aquatic Center.  That's right...her very first not at home.  (Well, her first birthday was at her grandparents' house, but this was the first that I didn't put on from scratch at a home.)  She had SO much fun swimming and playing with her friends and cousins.  She went around and around the lazy river and played on the little water playground they have.  They giggled and squealed for an hour and a half before we pulled them out to do cake and ice cream.  She told me on the way home that it "exceeded all of her dreams."  Score!  Plus, it was a breeze to put on since I did very minimal decorations (foam mermaid centerpieces she put together, balloons, pics of her at the beach/pool through the years, a GF mermaid cake from Sally's Bakery, and a paper banner)  and didn't have to plan a meal, craft, or game.  I also didn't spend days cleaning and setting up before and after.  I could get used to that!  

• As I mentioned, we finally got the carpet replaced.  I say finally because I originally got some quotes at the end of spring 2015.  After realizing how much it would cost to do it, we waited until the spring of this year.  But March/April was all about the deck and May is no time to deal with anything extra...hence June 2016.  It was a TON of work to get everything cleared off the furniture and packed away.  China cabinet, bookcases, dresser tops, underneath the beds...everything had to be put away.  And of course I couldn't miss the opportunity to do a little purging and organizing as I was doing it, which just took longer.  Since we had the entire upstairs and main level carpet replaced, that pretty much left the sunroom, basement, and bathrooms to pile stuff in.  The crew arrived early on the 30th and worked like crazy.  As they would finish a room, I would go in a vacuum so they could put the furniture back.  The new carpet was so much thicker that I actually hurt my shoulder pushing the vacuum on it! (I think David doubted me until I made him try it out in the hall.  We ordered a new vacuum on Amazon the very next day.)  It was a long, exhausting day, but the new stuff looks great and I'm very pleased with the color and how soft it is.  I completely underestimated the dust and post-installation clean-up required over the next week.  It took forever to get it out of every nook, cranny, and blind.  So to sum it up:  Lot of work.  Love the result.  But basically we're moving before we need carpet replaced again.  

I realize I did not give a resolution update in May, so here's a doubled-up version:  I'm staying on top of social stuff with at least two dates with David and a dinner with a girlfriend a month.  We also had two small group gatherings this month - one with our co-leaders at the cookout and one with the ladies for a girls' night.  I got to see my brother and niece twice this month when they stayed with us.  We also visited with David's grandmother and aunt while she was in town.  And obviously there was a full week with David's extended family in New Smyrna.  So, outside of blogging, I'm doing pretty well on the social goals.  BUT, I have completely dropped the ball on the service projects as we did not do birthday boxes or the neighborhood clean-up.  Ugg.  Realizing that as I write this will hopefully help to get my rear in gear.  For organization goals, I've done pretty well.  I did the dining room, garage, and most of the craft room and kitchen this quarter.  I still need to tackle the office, but in my defense, I also did both kids' rooms again this past month in preparation for the carpet.  (It is a CONSTANT battle to not drown in toys and art projects around here.)  As usual, doing well in some areas, need improvement in others.   

To close, some good quotes from the kids:

• AJ, after David told her that "they say" most everyone dreams every night but that they don't always remember it:  "Daddy.  You should trust the person that experienced it and not what you read on the internet."  TRUTH, girl.  

• Luke:  "Did that fire truck turn his 'whee-ers' off?"  (He meant sirens!)

• AJ, after telling her she probably wouldn't get any wisdom teeth:  "Oh no!  Does that mean I won't have any wisdom in my mouth?!

I know I squeezed  a lot into this one update and I'm sorry it wasn't more detailed (or maybe "you're welcome" is more apt!)  I just knew I needed to get it done or I'd lapse into a procrastinating absence for several months.  Hope your summer is going well and here's to a few lazy days in the latter half!