I tri-ed it and I liked it!

Last year, a few people from our church did a Sprint Triathlon together. They had such a good time they convinced a few more people to join them this year. Of course, Derek was interested right away. People kept asking me if I was going to do it too and I usually responded with some sort of smart alec comment about not running unless I was being chased. But in the back of my mind, I started thinking that maybe, just maybe, I could do it too. I found out that my best friend, Denise, was thinking the same thing. I decided that if at least two of us "non-athletic people" were willing to train then it could be fun. So for the past approximately 6 months I have been training.

In the beginning, I could only run about 2 house lengths before I had to walk a ways. But by the end of the training, I was able to run 3 miles non-stop. (Not fast by any means) For the last couple months the group has been doing "brick training" on Saturday mornings. That's where you add all the elements together and work on transitions. After swimming & biking, I can't run 3 miles non-stop but I was able to at least walk the full amount. Two Saturdays before the event, I was feeling pretty good about how training was going. But then several things happened-

First, we went and drove the course. It turned out to be a much tougher course than I'd ever trained on. I began to doubt myself. Could I really ride and run all those hills?

Second, I had a work conference and had to miss the last training day where we were going to learn all the rules and how to best do transitions. It made me sort of nervous about what it would be like.

Third, I got sick. I got a raging ear infection the week of the event. The doctor precribed 2 antibodics and told me I could still swim on Saturday if I wore ear plugs. It made training the last week very difficult but Derek said we shouldn't train much anyway.

So, I was pretty nervous the day of the event. But then I remembered something. God made this body. He knows that I haven't taken the best care of it, but he put a desire to accomplish this within me. He also gave me some common sense, and my common sense said that I had done enough training that even though I wouldn't be able to finish fast, I would be able to finish if I perservered. So I reminded myself that I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength and I "Tri-ed" it. Here are some pictures:


MCC Group


300 yard swim


I did finish the swim 2 seconds before Derek but see how perky he is running out of the water, while I look like a slug? One of my goals for next year is to move faster during the transitions. And to look less like a slug overall!


Derek finishing the 13.4 mile bike ride


Here I am finishing the bike portion. The bike was my weakest area going in. I was very blessed to get to ride the entire bike ride close to Barby Knepper. I was afraid I was holding her back at first but she insisted that I was helping motivate her too. She definitely motivated me and I finished the bike faster than I ever had in training.


Here is Derek finishing the race. He was disappointed in his 5th place finish. But he was the first finisher that used a mountain bike (which is slower than a road bike). He says that next year he'll use a road bike and be more competitive.


Nate had a great time giving high fives at the end. The kids occassionally complained about the time I spent training during the 6 months but at the event they were very encouraging. They are one of the reasons I started this. I want them to see me (not just Daddy) being active and healthy.


Here I am crossing the finish line. I finished in 1 hour 53 minutes. I was thrilled to finish in under 2 hours which had been a goal before I started doubting. I did walk about 1/2 of the 3.4 miles but it was as good as I had ever done in training. One of my goals for next year is to be able to run the whole 3.4 miles.


Here I am, happy its over. Yes, I will do it again next year. In fact, I'm looking for another event (probably a 5k) to do this fall.

I just need to remember: I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength. Phil. 4:13

I also used the Triathlon as a opportunity to do fundraising for Great Lakes Christian College. You can check out my fundraising page here:
First Giving