More Race Pics

waiting in line for my start, I just spotted my boys!

pre-race high five with the boys

all smiles before the swim

27 minutes on the swim!!

coming into the finish on the bike

this is the end of lap #1 over the bridge, I'm still smiling

at the finish, I'm about to die, but I finished!

My inspiration!

Yay!  Some post race refreshments!!

Race Day!

I made it!! I finished!! I finished the race!!  It wasn't pretty the last mile or so, but I pulled through and made it.  

The day started early, 4am to be exact.  Kevin dropped me at the race site, we checked in, got marked, and set up our transition.  We had to wait 3 hours for the start of the race and I think I peed about 6 times during that time.  I'm not sure if it was nerves or hydration or what.  

My wave took off at 8am and I rocked the swim.  My goal was to come in under 30 minutes and as I ran up the beach I glanced at my watch, 27 minutes!!  I didn't go out too hard on the bike, but I still finished right around 1 hour 30 minutes, which was my goal.  I felt great going into the run through the first lap but I hit the wall around mile 4.  I tried to eat but started feeling nauseous.  I was in one of the last olympic waves so by this time the course was nearly deserted.  A few friends from TNT that were in my wave passed me about this time and tried to drag me along to the finish, but neither my body or my mind was having it.  I knew the run would be hard, but this was miserable.  I walked a little and then tried to rally. I thought about my niece Lindsay going through chemo, I thought about my aunt who had passed just one week ago. But I felt so bad, nothing seemed to help.

Then I thought about the fact that I was the top fund raiser on my team.  My friends and family and neighbors paid $5000 to finish this race, so I then I decided I should give it all I had left.  I started running again but didn't look up, I just tried to put one foot in front of the other.  I knew if I could make it to the north side of the lake the finish would be right around the bend. It came up a lot sooner than I thought it would and my family and my coach were there waiting.  My coach was even more excited than me that I was actually finishing and Avery ran along the sidelines with me until I crossed the finish line.  The boys came running over after I got done and Avery said to me, "Mommy, you were running so fast, I couldn't even keep up with you!"  That totally made my day!  Later in the car he said, "Mommy, I am so glad you finished, I mean I am so glad you winned your race today!!"  If that's the way he saw the race go down, then it was totally worth it!

I finished the race in 3 hours 31 minutes.  My goal was to come in at 3:30.  I had to stop and pee after the bike, so Kevin says its make.

We were so happy to have Kevin's parents in town for the race.  They had a great day and were super impressed that our team raised over $250,000 for LLS.  I was super impressed by all the awesome pictures that Papa Tom took, some of them a little too good (because fat girls don't look that good in tight triathlon suits).

I've always said that I only wanted to finish the race.  6 months ago I couldn't run a mile straight on the treadmill, so I have definitely come a long way.  I'm already making plans for next year, but for now I'm taking the next few weeks off.  

Tomorrow!!

Well, tomorrow is the big day!! I went to the pick up my race packet over lunch. I just have one thing to say, those people are buff!! The guy behind me in line was talking about how he finished the race in 2:04 last year and he ran a 5:48 minute mile. I'm hoping to get in under 3 hours 30 minutes, just to put it all in perspective. So, if you want to get a glimpse of the beautiful people tomorrow, come by the race coures anytime between 7am and noon. Make sure you cheer for anyone in purple and green.

http://www.ltftriathlon.com/spectators/index.php?strWebAction=spectators_map

I haven't posted in a while. The last couple weeks have been tough. The workouts have been long and I have been desparately trying to balance my time between work and work outs and spending time with the kids. Then to top things off my Aunt Augie past away last Friday. I flew back to Pennsylvania to attend her funeral this week. My family told me not to come, but I would not have missed it. She was 80 years old, but it is still incredibly sad to say good bye to someone who has been a part of your life for as long as you can remember.

I took my running shoes and went for a run at my parents house one day. I had been having trouble running in the heat the last few weeks, but even in the heat of the day I was able to finish 3 miles with little effort. Throughout my run I couldn't help but notice how incredibly beautiful Pennsylvania is in the summer time. The sky is bluer than blue and the trees and mountains are greener than green and the air is so fresh and clean. I'm so grateful for the time and the space to run and swim and bike. Besides the physical benefits the exercise provides, it gives me quiet time to be with my thoughts, to process my emotions, or maybe even sometimes not even think at all. I don't think I have had that since my boys were born. It has truly been a blessing.

Wish me luck tomorrow and please come by the race course if you are in Minneapolis and you have time. Again, thank you all so much for supporting me in this event and for your support of the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society!!