ENOUGH about my kids...lets talk about...ME!

The End Yes, a mountain bike for a road race

Off to the bike! Get me out of this freekin pool!!
What did my mom just do? She beat EVERYONE? Wow, my mom is the coolest!
Here goes nuttin!

In honor of Ruth Mason, Rick Mason, Bob & Jan Craig, Uncle Dick Crain, Emma Wragge, Melinda Evans, and Megan Franz.

My peeps came to watch!
My good friend who came with her 3 month old baby boy Luke and nursed up until race time. She still beat me by 8 minutes! Liz, the fitness guru, and Becky the triathlon Chief- she came in 8th overall, yes overall the ENTIRE race, not just the 8 of us!

Liz and Perry's cute baby girls Avery and Allison!

On a beer chugging, vodka shots, out of my mind evening, I checked my email...and a friend of mine, Becky, had sent an email asking if anyone wanted to join her in a sprint triathlon. I really was in my PJ's being a lame dork that I am surfing the internet probably reading Perez or something. I like to think that I was out of my mind because of what I did next. After I was through laughing out loud at the thought of me competing in a triathlon I emailed her back and said "I'm in." I then went to the website and registered- AND these competitions aren't exactly cheap. I registered immediately because being the cheap ass that I am I knew I wouldn't want to waste the money. So, that pretty much meant I was locked in. WTF? I had gained 10 lbs throughout the holidays and I thought this might really help get that extra LB's off. (FYI- I gained another 5 training for this event!) This particular event was to raise money for Breast Cancer and that holds a special place in my heart for many reasons. None of which i am going to share with you now. I did wear a shirt close to my heart with all the names of people I know that have battled cancer. Some have won, some have lost, and some are currently battling cancer. Those people were recognized during this race and helped to motivate many people.

So, since January I have been "training" for the triathlon. I like to use the word "training" pretty loose. My mountain bike had seriously been hanging upside down for 9 years. I rode it twice when we live in Wisconsin and had NEVER even ridden it in AZ. I couldn't even remember if mine was the red or the green one. (obviously Ben hasn't ridden his either) I went on 4 short rides, sort of figured out the gears on my bike. I went swimming twice- one really doesn't count because I couldn't keep my swimsuit on. I guess you aren't supposed to "train" in a string bikini. What I did do is run, a lot. At least a lot for me. I built up my endurance, not necessarily my speed, just so that I could finish the race. My goal in the event was to just not drown. I could care less if they timed me or not. I didn't really even think about timing until one day talking to our "Chief" Becky. Oh well, I just hoped to cross the line.

So, I finished. I had a lot of fun. I made some new friends and got to know other friends better. I challenged myself, got a lot of laughs, and learned a few things. The best part was knowing that my efforts, money, etc. were going to a fantastic cause.

10. 8 lbs of pasta, PB&J, banana, eggs, cheese, toast, isn't necessary to eat before a sprint triathlon. Boy it was fun though. (+ a bag of hot tamales-I thought it would bring me good luck!

9. there are some age 55+ women that kicked my rear in this event- there is plenty of time to improve!

8. spandex doesn't look good on me. I spent as much time training as I did on what I was going to wear, what I needed for my transitions, and if they matched. WTF? Seriously, I need to get a life.

7. spanx don't work under spandex

6. test out your "race suit" before the race- something I learned.

5. need to increase the speed of my dog paddle

4. Bathroom management is of the utmost importance

3. swimming in spandex, then riding a mountain bike in wet spandex, then running in wet spandex, creates the most horrific chaffing in all the wrong spots-sorry folks, just keepin it real

2. "gels" are some sort of goo that athletes use to "refuel" and they are supposed to have a "higher-octane carb blend" to speed more energy to muscles. I took some 10 minutes prior to my start time and I ended up burping sour apple gel the entire race-just looking for the full triathlon experience. (one never knows if this will happen again) In my opinion, for a sprint triathlon, no gels are needed for this length of race.

1. I'm going to do it again.

You won't see me in many of the pictures. I'm a brunette now and I don't like it. Why would I want to post pics of me I don't like? I am slowly going back to blonde. In face, I've spent too much money on professional hair color during this little brunette phase of mine, that I bought a frost and tip kit today to try at home. I haven't done one in several years. I used to do it all the time-thanks mom- until the last time my hair fell out. I'm sure next year in the race as a blonde, I'll be faster. Don't ya think? I finished #287. No, I'm not going to tell you how many people were in the race. Let's just say I did really well. :)

My favorite part of this post is the music! Enjoy!

Are their lifeguards on duty?

Run Forest RUN! (going to transition to bike- yeah wet spandex!)