The reason we picked the first weekend in April for our trip to Washington was because of the Beaver Freezer Sprint Triathlon. My Dad has done this race twice before, along with a full marathon and many other races (running and biking). He's a rockstar! When he invited me to join him just a couple months ago, I thought he was on crazy pills. ;) But apparently I took a few myself and said yes! And I'm so glad I did. In this specific Sprint Tri we'd swim 500 yards, bike 12 miles, and run 3.1 miles...not much for some people, but I knew I had to get training! I signed up for swim lessons, learned different strokes, and became much more comfortable in the water. And swimming helped my stamina overall, which I think helped my run. I didn't get as much bike-time on the road while training, next time I'll spend more time there. But overall, it was an empowering experience for me and I'm so proud I did it!
EARLY Saturday morning we headed to Oregon State University, where the tri is hosted...the forecast called for overcast and rainy weather, and boy was it chilly that morning. But it turned out perfect for the race! My Dad and I got everything ready and went over my transitions (quick changes and things between events), he's so cute and has little tips to shave off time, every second counts in his book. :) We had to figure out a little mixup on my swim placement...so after talking with a few coordinators, we thought we had it all smoothed out, but I think it may have messed it up even more. I ended up not even being on the final record. Still waiting to hear back from Beaver Freezer peeps...but I'm glad Adam took pictures so I was able to use them to get times. :)
My first triathlon experience was INCREDIBLE! I worried most about my swim...but thankfully the pool wasn't as congested as I thought it would be, so that relieved some pressure. And in the locker room before the race started, I overheard different women talking about how much they love the race, they do it every year. How great is that?! I seriously prayed to be relaxed, yet driven to do my best. And my prayer was answered! I made a PR with my swim time, which I think was because I heard Adam cheer for me on my last lap, and I went into hyper-drive, thanks babe! Biking kicked my rear, but most of it was through gorgeous Oregon countryside. And I had a perfect playlist of good tunes to run to, and accomplished my goal of not stopping! Crossing that finish line with Adam, Brooks, Ava, and my sweet Mom there to greet me...it was THE BEST. And seeing them at each leg of the race was such a boost! Then cheering for my Dad as he came in (he started after me, so he finished after me, but with a better time. I told you he's an animal) was awesome!! I came in at around 1:34...so I have a time to beat on my next tri!!
I'm so grateful my Dad invited me to do this triathlon! I haven't really pushed myself physically in years...and it felt so good to work for this! And I definitely plan to do more. :)
^^ That's me in the middle! ^^
^^ Just hopped on my bike and ready to ride! With jello-legs after my swim ;) ^^
^^ During my run I took my phone off of my arm-band for a second to snap this shot...my Dad is the second one on the left (go Dad!)...and the fourth on the left, with the giant orange head, yea that's Ernie (as in Bert & Ernie). Apparently he's a tri-athlete! ;) hahaha ^^
^^ THE FINISH LINE! ^^
^^ Pops finishing!! ^^
^^ Although Brooks and Ava's faces don't look it ;) those three were the best cheerleaders EVER. ^^
^^ We. Did. It. ^^
^^ Love that baby-wearing man of mine. And the girl he's wearing! ^^
^^ Brooks was so excited about the worms on the cement pathway...love that boy! ^^
^^ Oregon State's Campus is beautiful. ^^
^^ They make a stellar team. Love you Mom and Dad!! ^^
^^ Jimmy John's Beach Club "Unwich" is my fave and it HIT the spot. ^^
^^ We stopped to get gas on the way home, and my Dad went in and got a few treats for us. ;) He's where I get my sweet tooth. ^^
11 comments:
HOW FUN!!! You are amazing, i love how your family is always out doing something. I am super jealous your swim was in a pool though. All triathlons down here are in the ocean, or a lake. I kicked and got kicked in the face so many times.
Love the pictures of you and your dad, you'll treasure this experience with him forever. How FUN! I'm so impressed that you were able to do this after just training for a couple months, YOU are the animal! I'll train for like a year and then maybe try it out with ya, I'm a terrible swimmer!
Look at you! You are AMAZING!
Way to go!! That is awesome experience! How fun to do that with your Dad! I did a triathlon once, and I think it was so fun to do/train for! You have sparked motivation to train for another once this baby comes out!
I love that you and your dad did this together! I am proud of you for this. It's brave and courageous and something I could never do!
Way to go, Haley! What an awesome experience to have with your dad. And great photos, too!
Eek! This was SO great to read! THANKS! I'm hoping to do my first sprint tri on June 8th, same distances except 750 in an outdoor lake! Swimming will be by far be my biggest challenge! I hope I can do it non-stop like you!
What a fantastic accomplishment! And good for your Dad! I would really love to have the courage and stamina to try something like that someday. Love all of your photos, especially of your little ones congratulating you at the end. Seriously way to go!!
that is amazing, you go girl! that sounds like a triathalon i might be able to do if i really trained - but i'm with you - the swimming is what makes me nervous. great job!!
So great! Love everything about this post! I ran a half marathon in 2008 and it is bringing back all of those memories of pushing myself and finishing and all of that jazz. Such good feelings. I know I've said it before, but you have inspired me to do a sprint tri (once I get back from having this babe, of course)! Way to go Haley!!
awe my inspiration! too bad i suck at swimming or id be all over this! GOOD JOB this is amazing
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