TRIPLE THREAT

SWIM! BIKE! RUN! That's right, Spencer and I just participated in our very first triathlon this morning in Hyrum, Utah--the Cache Valley Classic! Now, before you start being really impressed, I have to confess that the race was a sprint, not an Olympic, distance. But...we found that a 1/2 mile swim, a 12.4 mile bike ride and a 5K run all in one morning was challenging enough for us this year! We had a great time participating together and were happy to have finished in respectable times. I must admit that there were several times during the race that I was wondering why in the world I would chose to venture into triathlons 10 weeks after giving birth to twins. That question remains unanswered. I am not exactly in what I consider to be tip-top shape and I'm sure I would've done better had I trained more diligently. But, I SURVIVED! And I had a great time. Spencer will have to report on his own experience but I can share two highlights/lowlights (depending on your perspective) from the morning:

1. I survived the swim in the Hyrum Resorvoir (swimming that distance in open water with people all around you--kicking and scrambling--was quite an experience) and made my way to the transition area where I quickly switched my gear. I was feeling pretty good until as I was exiting the transition area a spectator yelled from the sidelines laughing "Hey! Your helmet's on backwards!" I lost major cool points at this point in the race as I stopped and turned it around before heading off on the bike. How humiliating! :) Everyone must've known I am a major amateur at that point!

2. I borrowed my Mom's 10-speed bike for the race because it was better than riding my cheap-o Costco mountain bike with the child seat mounted on the back. Her bike, however, proved to be a major liability during the race. For starters it has a kickstand and that is another loss of cool points and a red flag for beginning bikers (that's right, I said "biker." I don't think you're even allowed to call yourself a "cyclist" if you ride a bike with a kickstand). The gears never really engaged the whole time I was riding it and it rattled like it was going to fall apart into 75 pieces the entire 12.4 miles. At one point early in the ride, the chain popped off the gears and got wedged between the gears and the bike frame. I spent 5-10 minutes on the side of the road trying to jimmy it free and eventually resigned myself to the fact that I wasn't going to be able to finish. I was so annoyed! Then, one final pull and it miraculously came loose and I was back on the road! Wahoo!!! Unfortunately, I lost major time and my hopes and dreams of a medal and spot on the winner's podium were dashed (haha). When my mom loaned me the bike, she failed to mention that the rear brakes completely don't work. That would've been a helpful piece of information to have when I got to the huge sign on the course that read "Sharp Turn Ahead." Needless to say, I didn't quite make the aforementioned "sharp turn" and ended off the road onto the shoulder and into the beginnings of some farmer's pasture. How I didn't lay the bike down is still a mystery. Ahhh--what an experience. I was happy to hop off the bike and start running!

Anyway, that's probably more detail than anyone wanted or cared to read. But it was quite a morning! This afternoon my legs have been complete Jell-O and I wonder if I will be able to crawl out of bed in the morning. Man, the things I sign myself up for! But we can't wait for the next tri! We'll post pictures when we get digital copies from our friends who snapped pictures for us...seeing us decked out in wetsuits and swim caps will make it worth the wait!