Spreading the multisport world love...I hope!

My best friend

So earlier this month my sister and mom and I traveled out to Boston for a medical conference my Nurse Practitioner mother had.  We toured Boston Friday, then my mom had conference the next 3 days so my sister and I got to hang out and do our thing.  One of those things was a duathlon about 90 minutes outside of Boston.  Yes, a race on vacation, clearly my idea  :)  Thankfully she was along for the ride with me.  I'm really proud of her for getting active.  I mean it's not like she's overweight or anything, much the opposite, she has a great body!  But great body shapes don't necessarily equal great health.  Anyway, I digress.  She started running last year and we did her first race together, a 4 mile road race over Thanksgiving weekend last year.  We did another 5k this spring when she was out here and she did great, dropping a lot time!  It's fun for me to watch her.  She also purchased a bike she can ride around town on earlier this summer.  I of course sent her out a little care package with bento box, shorts, helmet (of course), etc.  So of course the next step?  Race!  Ok, kidding, I really don't believe everyone has to race, but I found this little duathlon with distances I thought would be great for both of us and off we went!

The drive out was pretty, we got to see a lot of leaves and small old historic towns.  We also got significantly lost a lot, but we made it .  The great race director found us 1 bike to use, and a great bike shop out there Gear Works Cyclery (visit them if you're in the area) let us borrow another bike.  Perfect.  The race was smaller, proably only 60 people.  The weather was breezy, a bit colder, enough to keep our jackets on (so forgive the belly hiding pictures).  There were a couple tri bikes there and yes the geared out people made me a little ancy wanting to race them (not that I would have come close right now on the awesome bike I had, and I came to race with my sister, I was way excited to!), but we'll save that for next year.

I tell ya, check these running pics out.  Twins we are for sure.  Stride in stride for every picture I saw.  Cool

So a 5k to start with.  I was just there to pace my sister at her pace, but it turns out I was working pretty hard to keep up with her! I almost stopped in the bushes to pee along that first run route as the baby was really sitting pretty on my bladder and that is really uncomfortable running wise, but I'm not sure I could have caught back up with her!  She ran that first section really well. 

Yup

Told you so

After that we hopped on the bikes and went out for a 2 loop 9 mile course.  It was lots of up and down, lots of shifting which I was glad my sister caught onto on the new bike quickly.  I know it was pushing her at the end, both sitting on a new saddle, and her lungs, but again, she did it.  For me it felt great to be on a bike in that setting again, mainly because I wasn't pulling the trailer.

Check out my sweet ride!  No bar wrap on the hoods which was a wee bit uncomfortable and shifters on the down tube, something I've never experienced.  A new seat is also something I do not enjoy, or the way too smallness of it.  While the bike is probably older than I am, I was grateful for it.  It worked, kept me safe, and meant I didn't have to ship mine out.

Funny story.  When I was on the phone with Gear Works asking about a rental they said that yes they had one that would fit us, but it was really ugly.  I said oh yeah?  They said yeah, it's this lime green color.  LOL!  I told them I was insulted, my tri bike is lime green.  Then I told them I was of course kidding (about being insulted).

Of to the last section, a 1 mile run.  Now no that doesn't sound like much, but to someone who's farthest run is 4 miles and has never done any kind of multisport brick or race, it is.  She struggled with breathing and I tried to help her best I could.  I suggested a walking break at one point but she said no.  Good on 'er.  I know I was pushing her and she wasn't having much fun now, but it was a good time just trying to motivate her and encourage her.  We finally saw the finish, I told her there was a photographer so smile  :)  and we were done!

We did it!

I know it was hard for her, but I'm really proud of her for doing it!  She finished strong, no walking, and we even tied for 1st in our age group!  I'm even ok with the fact that our duathlon made her appreciate 5k's more  :)

Thanks Sis!

A great view of KONA (not through my eyes)

Man this guy made a great video!  He got into Kona via the lottery and just absorbed every part of the day with so much positivity.  Sometimes as a faster age grouper I yearn for an experience like his, finishing in the dark, just out there soaking it all in, not worrying about splits and what place I'm in.  I've been able to do that some while pregnant, just racing for fun, not caring how I'm doing.  And I still make an effort to smile and enjoy myself and cheer for others even when I am racing hard, because after all, I don't have to do this, I'm not getting paid.  I choose to.  Just really love this guy's attitude. Enjoy!

"Look Mom, the baby has a running arm!"

Were the first words my 7 year old said upon seeing this ultrasound picture.  LOL!

Baby's running arm

We chose not to find out the gender on this one.  We have girl boy girl so we're not lacking any clothes or blankets/bedding or whatnot.  I haven't been that anxious to know, so hopefully that will remain and I'll stay calm and not to ancy through these next 4 months.

Sweet

Everything looked good with baby.  He/she is very active which proved a little difficult during the ultrasound, but that's ok, it's just a genetic thing  ;)  My placenta was low enough to warrent another ultrasound near 30 weeks.  If it doesn't move up (which we expect it will) I probably won't be able to deliver at the birth center like we plan, but instead closely monitored in the hospital, or worst case scenerio, a c-section.

Now I am a natural birther by choice.  I don't care how others birth, I think everyone should be able to do it how they wish, but I personally don't want to expose the baby to the drugs and I want to be in control during my labor, move around, not increase my chance at complications/c-section from being stuck in bed all day with other meds to manage the pain meds (I had a very medical birth with our first, including an epidural, so I know that end too), and I want to recover faster.  I've gotten all those things from my last 2 med free vaginal births.  So yeah, a c-section freaks me out some, but of course if it was necessary I would do it.  My biggest worry with it is how will I come back into sport?  Will slicing my abs open slow me down a lot longer, will I come back a lot weaker, or can I still come back strong like I have without waiting a year to do so?  Any of you athlete mamas out there have experience with training and racing again after c-section?

Again, NOT planning on having one, but I like to think ahead and prepare myself for whatever.  For now, baby and I will continue enjoying this summer like fall weather here running on the trails, swimming at masters, and biking all of the 10 miles I might get to do around riding kids to school and back  :)

Forget me!

and all my self centered posts.  I am so touched by my friend and fellow athlete Heath Thurston's example today.  I was watching the St George Marathon live finish line coverage this morning on the computer and noted quite a few of the more elite runners stumbling in or falling after the finish line, I hear it was real hot down there.  Then close to the 3 hr mark I see this guy stumbling bad about 20 yards from the finish line, and fall to his knees.  Then this guy coming up behind him stopped, picked him up, and carried all this guy's weight, supporting him through the finish line.  None of the staff or volunteers came to help till feet before the finish line, Heath carried him in with I'm sure super fatigued muscles.

What a guy

Heath is such a good example of thinking of others and remembering that it's just a race, it's for fun, we choose to do this.  People are more important.  The pregnancy emotions in me don't help, but I've been crying and so teary all day from watching it actually happen on the computer to every time I look at the pictures his brother Jarom posted.  It's even more touching to me today because it's my church's semi annual General Conference where our leaders speak words from the spirit to help us grow and become more Christlike.  Excellent example Heath!