TriathaMom Pictures

Finish 302 of 322 overall, 50 of 54 in age group (25-29)



Overall Time: 2:35 hours

Swim: 14:27 minutes

Bike: 1:30 hours

Run: 46:51 minutes

Today's Highlights

I am not an excellent swimmer, biker, or runner. I may be good at some of those things, but am not strong at anyone of them. I am, however, an excellent finisher. Today I completed my first sprint length triathlon (300 meters in the pool, 12 miles on a bike, 5k run/walk) and I realized that I can do all three things, but my true strength is in finishing.

Anyway, some of the highlights from today:

• Waking up early enough to not be late even though I made a wrong turn leaving this morning.
• Getting to the transition area to set up early enough to place my bike on the end of a rack, making it easy to find.
• Seeing my family arrive with a special banner made for me, and listening to them shout at me as I passed them on each leg of the race.
• Realizing we could jump into the pool before we had to start swimming so we could get used to the water.
• Swimming wasn't quite as tough as it had been in my practice sessions.
• Realizing I could run in the grass from the pool to the transition area  instead of across the asphalt.
• Having someone mention my bike seat by set too low, adjusting it, and having the pain in my knees go away. (Apparently, the comfort level of sitting for mounting and riding are different heights.) She actually saved me a ton of pain during the rest of the race since her comment came less than 3 miles in as I was struggling up a gradual incline of a couple miles in length.
• Listening to someone say "On your right" as they passed me on the left and I was riding on the edge of the road next to the gutter where there wasn't room to pass. Made me smile!
• Getting a flat tire at the last 3/4 mile of the bike course, having my bike picked up by the road crew, and getting to run/walk back to the transition area.
• Running into a friend from high school who was there to support his wife. He was very athletic then and knew how unathletic I was, and then he got to see me participating in something of this magnitude. (I kept stats and score while the teams were practicing or playing.)
• Watching my husband trying to keep track of three kids and take pictures of me at the same time.
• Passing people as I walked the 5k course. It was choose to run or breathe at that point and I chose to breath, besides the fact most of the course was uphill in a residential neighborhood.
• Finishing all three events without passing out, falling down, getting hit by a car, losing anything, or throwing up.
• Having my name announced amidst cheering as I cross the finish line.
• Not finishing last, either overall or in my age group.
• Taking a shower when I got home.

The Rapunzel Braid

Bekah has gorgeous hair. It is also really thick and looks nice when it is braided, but Bekah does not like to sit still so I can braid her hair. We discovered a solution to her sitting still dilemma by accident. One day I told Bekah that her hair was braided like Rapunzel's and she was delighted to have a Rapunzel braid! Now, I tell her I am putting braids in her hair I tell Bekah I am making her hair like Rapunzel's and she does a better job of sitting still.

Foam Day Monsters

During our annual visit to the Fire men's Foam Days, I only took pictures of Bekah and her friend Breckynn who we dubbed the "Foam Monsters." Ryan wasn't too sure about the foam, especially being sprayed by it, and Benjamin liked running through the rinse water spraying off of the fire trucks more than playing in the foam. But, overall, we had a blast!

Making Friends

Ryan loved being this close to the Lynx at the zoo. Too bad the over-sized kitty didn't want to be as friendly as he did.

Parade Floats

Benjamin, Bekah, Ryan, and I visited the parade floats for the Pioneer Day parade one night while Michael was away on a business trip. We had a fun time seeing the floats up close and voting for our favorite ones. Benjamin's favorite was the float made out of Legos, Bekah's favorite was a giant cake, Ryan's favorite was the train full of soft looking animals, and mine was the giant ice cream sundae with kids sized cookies.

The New Juicer

A few weeks ago I had a lot of limes in our Bountiful Basket (produce co-op) and I wanted to make Strawberry Limeade, but I didn't have a juicer. I tried cutting the limes in half and squeezing them by hand. That didn't get much of the juice out. Then I had an idea. What if I cut them into eighths and used the garlic press. It worked! My hands were a little sore afterwards, I squeezed out 16 limes this way, but it worked.

Monkeys Climbing the Spider Web

....and they climbed up all by themselves.

Snow Cone Lover

We have another snow cone lover at our house! I love sharing this sweet summer treat with all my children.

Training for a Triathlon

In February, I signed up to participate in a sprint length triathlon. It is called the TriathaMom because it is for women only, especially moms, and it is a non-competitive event about encouragement and experience rather than perfection. There is a 300 meter swim (and walking in the pool is allowed), 12 mile bike ride, and 5k (3.1 mile) run/walk. When I decided to do this I didn't know if I could swim two consecutive laps in the pool without getting lightheaded and dizzy or run a mile, but I needed some motivation to reach those goals. Maybe I was a little ambitious, but now that I am down to the final days (12, to be exact) before the race there is no turning back. But back to the purpose of this post here are some of the things I have learned while training (in no particular order):

• Goggles make swimming easier because they keep the water out of my eyes and I don't have to worry about losing a contact.
• Running shoes make it a lot easier to run longer and reduce the amount of pain I experience in my lower legs.
• My butt no longer jiggles when I run, but it sure was uncomfortable to run when it did jiggle.
• It is a lot harder to run and bike outside than it is in the gym.
• I find it easier to run outside while not pushing the stroller, especially when said stroller has over 60 pounds of children in it.
• Biking long distances takes time and practice but gets easier with each attempt.
• Running on streets with stop lights takes a lot longer than running in neighborhoods that don't.
• Benjamin no longer out races me on the bike. Before I couldn't keep up with him and was extremely winded doing it. Now, I have to slow down and wait for him, but I don't tell him that.
• My dog is not a good running buddy because she likes to cut in front of me while I am running. She is a great walking buddy when I am not pushing the big stroller.
• My kids like to go to the gym almost as much as I do, and Benjamin often asks me to work out as long as possible so they can maximize their time in the playroom.
• Running at noon when it starts to get hot outside is not a good idea. I get overheated too quickly.
• It is easier to swim with short hair.
• Using my inhaler while running just makes me sick to my stomach rather than being extra helpful with my breathing.
• I do not need as much water to keep going as I did when I first started exercising. I drink a lot of it afterwards though.
• Transitioning from the bike to run is not as hard as trying to keep running after the transition.
• I like riding and running in long shorts.
• A steady pace is much better than speed intervals, but much harder to maintain.
• I love the Map My Run app on my phone to help me know how fast I am going and how far I have gone when I am working out outside.
• It is hardest to breathe while running fast and trying to hold my head out of the water in the pool.
• I feel warmed up after two or three miles on the bike.
• Good socks are just as important as good shoes when it comes to running.
• Regular training is easier on the body.
• Swimming longer gets easier the more I practice.

. . . . and lots of other things I can't think of right now. My goal is to finish, and hopefully finish in less than 2 hours overall. It has been an interesting experience and I have learned a lot about myself and managing my body.

Learning to Compromise

Our silly dog is learning to compromise with our children. I don't spend as much time sitting down as I did when we first got Goodies and our little dog misses sitting next to me and being protected from our busy kiddos. However, she has learned that if she lets Bekah lay on her that Ryan will not come and get in her face. She has also learned to snuggle with the children when they are sitting quietly, and the children have learned to be gentle with the dog so she will snuggle with them.

Marathon Quilt

Yesterday I finished this quilt. Why "Marathon Quilt" as my title? This is the fastest (in actual hours and days spent working on the quilt itself) I have ever completed a quilt without help. I started this quilt last summer after my friend, Mareesa, got married. I had about two weeks between her wedding and her second reception. I designed, picked out fabric, pieced the top and got about halfway done with the quilting in about four days. That is, in between managing my three kiddos and house. Then my sweet Benjamin broke his elbow and Ryan became more mobile and I didn't work on it for over a year. Last week, I pulled it out, took out some stitching I needed to redo, and started plugging away on finishing it. I quilted the last third or so of the quilt, evened out the edges, and bound it using each afternoon and evening of the last week. When I finished it yesterday afternoon, I felt like I had completed a quilting marathon. Hand binding or quilting for 6 to 10 hours a day will do that to you, but it is done and I am happy with the way it turned out.

Ready, Set, Go!

Ryan is loving the swimming and diving portion of the Olympics. He tells all the swimmers when to go. "Ready, set, Go!"