NEMO Triathlon

This last week was a blur of activity. I was wanting to make sure things were in place for our remodel to move along while we are gone, spent quite a bit of time packing and prepping Andrew and I for our trip and the kids for staying at my parents (this includes all the stuff for all of their activities and getting food for lunches and snacks while they are there) and prepping for the NEMO triathlon. Tuesday was my mom’s birthday so we celebrated with her by going out to eat at the lake and then had cake at their house afterwards.

We had a little bit more work done at the house on Wednesday. They put in the new window over the sink and worked on the venting for our downdraft vent. We went over everything that still needed to be done and they decided they would work on it while we were gone. And the countertops still probably won’t be put in until after we are back. That evening we went over to my parents because Lissy, Caroline and Emmie were getting into town. Jackson and Andrew were at football practice though. And we were getting ready to take Ellie and Lincoln to soccer practice when Andrew called to say they called off football because it was raining and soon we got the notifications that soccer was cancelled too. So we got to stick around a little longer.

Thursday morning the twins decided they wanted to wear their sunglasses and Green City Livestock Market hats but took them off before going into school. After school, we picked up some McDonalds and Miles decided to put his back on.

Thursday evening was pretty busy. We all ate pizza early and then we were off. Andrew and Jackson were at football all evening. My first stop was dropping Ellie off at dance and as we were on our way to our next stop, I realized I had thrown on two different shoes. So I called Andrew to see if he could get another one for me and just put it in his truck and I would get it after I dropped Lincoln off at football. Thankfully they were just heading out the door and were able to get it for me. My next stop was running by the tailor to pick up a shirt I had hemmed for the trip. It was supposed to be a tunic and looked more like a dress. Then we dropped Lincoln off at football, ran by Jackson’s football practice to get my shoe and then off to the Y for the twins’ first soccer practice. They were excited and got out there without any hesitation. It probably helped that they knew some of their teammates-Lanie, Lou and Brynley. And our friend, John, was their coach. They did well participating and listening, which you never know how it is going to be the first time.

I had to leave partway through to go pick up Lincoln from football. Soon after we got back, Bennett tripped over Miles and started crying and let Brynley score a couple goals while he just stood there. So we had a talk afterwards about how you are going to fall down in soccer and you just need to get up and get moving again. 

Their practiced ended about the same time Ellie’s dance did so she had to wait a while before we picked her up. We were back home for about ½ hour before we had to take her back to her last dance class of the evening. The twins and Lincoln got to play outside for a bit. Andrew and Jackson got home and then I went to pick up Ellie. We ran by Jc Penney and found a cute dress on clearance for Ellie to wear in a picture we were having done. She also got to get some boots that she has been talking about for a while. Her other ones were too small and falling apart and we found some that were cute and fit, so it worked.

Jackson and Lincoln both had to wear their jerseys to school on Friday so I took my only chance to get a picture of all of them together since we won’t be here for Lincoln’s last game. Ellie was going to the high school game that evening as part of Lauren’s birthday party, so she was dressed in her Tiger stuff too.

I spent a lot of Friday finishing up packing, cleaning the house and prepping for the triathlon, including working on transitions. I hope no one saw me trying to get my wetsuit on and off. That afternoon we went over to my parents to hang out with Caroline and Emmie. Ellie had Lauren’s party right after school, so I just had to pick up Jackson and Lincoln. That evening, Lincoln was supposed to have a football game but they ended up cancelling it so they could move the start time for the varsity game up since there was a higher chance of rain later in the evening. I was disappointed since it was Lincoln’s last game for us to see and I was hoping to get some pictures. So we stuck around my parents and then Kaitlin and her family and Sara and her family showed up. We also did a quick photo shoot with our kids. I had to pick Ellie up from the football game and thankfully Molly was able to quickly do her hair for me. It looked much cuter than what I could have done. We did the pictures on the side of my parents’ house and there were a lot of mosquitos out there. The kids didn’t handle it well and it took longer than it should of because there was a lot of complaining. It didn’t seem to bother Lola though who really wanted to be a part of the picture :-).

After all of that was done, I had to take Ellie back to the football game. As we were going, there were some very ominous-looking black clouds rolling in but Ellie was determined to get back to her friends. It was just halftime and the Tigers were actually winning 39-0. They have had a couple rough seasons, so it was pretty exciting for them.  So I made sure Ellie found her group and then went back to my parents. Jackson became the fun uncle and was giving the kids piggyback rides. He also loved talking to the babies and trying to get them to smile. It was all so cute.

Saturday was supposed to be the twins’ first soccer game and it ended up being cancelled because of all the rain we got the night before. I was disappointed again, because I really wanted to see their first soccer game. So Andrew loaded them up and took them to the ranch while I worked around the house, worked on transitions again and went to the store to get some last-minute stuff. Then I picked up Sara and brought her to the house to see what the remodel looks like so far. Andrew and Jackson had to head to the football field a little after three and I went to my pre-race meeting a little later. Then it was on to Jackson’s football jamboree. They didn’t actually have a game but scrimmaged against other teams by just running plays off and on. Jackson’s team would play 20 minutes and then would be off for 40 and then play again for 20. They had three scrimmages total. My parents brought Bella and Brady and they all stayed for the first part and then they took all the kids home while I watched the second one. Then I felt like I should head home since they were working on Lissy’s birthday dinner. I loved being able to watch Jackson play. Andrew got some good video of him, including him getting an interception.

My parents made a yummy fried chicken dinner for Lissy’s birthday that was enjoyed by all. Jackson couldn’t wait to dig in when he got done with football. But soon it was time to head home so I could finish up prep for the triathlon and get some sleep.

The morning came early but I also decided I didn’t need to get to 1000 Hills too early and ended up being in the last group of people being marked. They did that at the indoor shelter and then we drove down and set up our transition area down at the Point. I got everything set up the way I wanted it but had a feeling that I was forgetting something, which I wasn’t. I got my wetsuit on, ate a peanut butter cracker, drank some water and then got on the bus with Danielle. The bus took us to the beach area where we started the swim. While I was standing out on the beach I heard a couple whistles and realized it was Andrew. I was surprised to see him and the kids there, so that was fun. But then it was time to head to the water. We had perfect weather for the day. Just a slight breeze, the highs in the mid-70s and the sun was shining. I kept thanking God throughout the race. We all got in the water but then they called the women out for the men’s start. They did the national anthem and then the men were on their way. The women and teams started three minutes behind the men. I thought I had good positioning but then I felt like I was stuck in between some people, had to sight a lot and had to go out of my way to get around people. But then I was able to settle in a little better and get into my usual breathing pattern until we started catching up with the slower men. But I finished the .75 mile swim in 22 minutes and then it was up the hill to transition to the bike. 

My transition went fairly smooth although I didn’t get my wetsuit off as quickly has I had been able to during my practice. And I had a bit of trouble getting my Garmin onto my bike. The start of the bike was kind of rough. You go up a decent hill right at the start. I tried to get as much speed as I could before and started grinding up the hill. I had my head down and at first didn’t see my big surprise that Andrew and the kids had worked on the day before. My first sighting was Bennett dressed up in the Buzz Lightyear outfit on the side of the road and then I noticed the rest of them. Miles had a Batman cape, mask, shield and sword. Lincoln had a Superman cape and Spiderman ski mask. Ellie had the big Mickey Mouse hands and Jackson had a bike helmet that Andrew wired deer antlers onto. Lissy, Caroline and Molly were with them and helped them get it all together since Andrew was taking pictures down at the transition area. As I started going by them they ran up the hill with me, cheering all the way. Then they had signs stuck in the ground on the side that said, “Go Mom”, “Don’t Fall Off” and “Ride Fast”. Andrew planned all of it and got my sisters to help him carry it out. He got his inspiration from the crazy fans that are on the Tour de France routes. It was so much fun.

The bike went well. There was one part where we were coming down a slight hill with a big curve that I wanted to get some speed on since there was a bit of an uphill afterwards but I had to slow down because there was a girl in front of me and she was all the way over on the left side and they said you could only pass on the left, so there wasn’t room for me to pass. There were people standing at the curve and I wasn’t sure if any of them were USAT official who could possibly DQ me if I broke a rule, so I just slowed down and passed her once she got back over on the right going up the hill. I finished the 18 mile bike in 56 minutes with a speed of 18.9 mph, so I was pleased with that.

My transition to the run went pretty smoothly. I had a bit of trouble reracking my bike but I did feel better than I thought I would. I grabbed a cup of water on my way out of transition and took one quick drink. Then I noticed some of my family and Ellie was saying something about shaking my booty so I threw the water at her. I guess I hit her, Bella and the twins. Miles said, “I was thirsty and that wasn’t very nice.” :-)

The first part of the run had a decent amount of uphill to it. There were a few flatter areas but it did feel like a lot of it was just uphill. We ran out to Campground 1 and then had our turn around and headed back to the Point. The best part of the route being uphill at first was that there was a lot of downhill going back and that was really nice. So I was able to had just a little bit better pace than I was hoping for since the run is my worst part. I finished the  5 mile run in 41 minutes. Not very fast, but good for me. That put my total time at 2 hours 4 minutes which gave my first place in my age group and 7^th overall for women.  I was pretty pleased with it and was so thankful for Andrew, the kids, my parents, Lissy, Caroline, Molly, Bella and Brady being there and cheering me on. I know it was a lot of waiting around and walking, so I really appreciate it. Andrew and Lincoln stayed with me for the awards ceremony which ended up being later than they said it would. They gave out glasses for the top three in each age group.

Then it was time to head home. I tried to pick up a bit, get laundry started and take a quick shower before heading over to my parents since they had the other kids. We hung out there for a bit before going home to regroup. We finished packing the kids, they made sure their rooms were clean, and put away laundry before heading back to my parents. We did hot dogs and s’mores out by the pool and it was a beautiful evening. When we got back inside, we watched some of the 9/11 specials and then we said our goodbyes. I was pretty sad about leaving the kids. I didn’t think about it much before then because I was so busy but then it hit me. At home I tried to finish up a lot of last-minute stuff and worked on getting the triathlon pictures posted on Facebook. We had some of Danielle that I wanted her to see. I stayed up later than I should have but I figured I had a lot of time to try to get some rest the next day.