Mesa Sprint Triathlon & Splash & Dash

Last Saturday was race day for the Freeman family!  Elliot and I did triathlons for Elliot's first time, and the other three did the splash & dash.  This was Rupert's first time too.  Avery was cute to braid my hair so I could be like her and Zara.

My cousin, Elizabeth Curtis, was there at my first triathlon in 2007 when she did her first duathlon just like she did on this day.

Andrew and the kids cheered me on for the swim and heading out on the bike.  Having family there is the best!  This was my first triathlon in 9 years so I felt a little rusty, even though I trained pretty well.  It was my first time doing this location at Skyline High School.

The splash and dash group!  They swim a 100m and run a mile.  The kids start oldest to youngest, so Avery started first.

Breanne Johnson, a friend and neighbor, was volunteering near the finish and snapped a couple photos of Elliot and me when we passed.  So good to see a friend right before the finish when I was so tired!  Two of her daughters were near as well.

Look at that strong finish!

^ ^ pic by Breanne ^ ^

Almost done!

My cousin Liz Curtis got this one of Zara.  Her foot was hurting so she walked a bit.

Avery's friend Neva did the bike portion of a relay.

Liz took this one too.  Rupert did pretty well considering he had stitches taken out of his foot less than two weeks before the race and we couldn't find his right shoes.

Flying in!!

Rupert's summer swim team buddy, Jonathon Millet, also did the splash and dash.

Katie Willis also did the splash & dash.  Our kids trained with her at the Opie's pool and neighborhood  a month ago.  Rachel, her mom, is my running buddy that I haven't run with since February since she's due in November.  Running while pregnant is hard.

Had to get the classic #1 pose.  Andrew was worn out after the race too.  It hard work being an amazing cheerleader.

My time goal was under 1:45 (an hour & 45 minutes) and I crushed it in exactly 1:31!  Elliot's goal was to beat me and he finished in 1:19:07.  Avery raced in 14:37 (4th place in her age group), Zara did great at 17:05 (9 out of 20 for her age group), and Rupert got 2nd in his age group at 15:52.

So proud of all of us!

Casa Grande Triathlon

Last Saturday Andrew and I finished the Casa Grande Triathlon.  Andrew did it in 2009 and I did it in 2010 but this was our first time together.  We were getting all competitive with each other while training for this race until the last month when Andrew kept getting sick.  He really probably shouldn't have raced but he did and I'm proud of him!

The #1 picture has become a race tradition.

We couldn't have done this race without support from my family.  Julie and James came to take pictures and watch Zara.  My mom and Ruth watched Elliot and Avery at home.

It turns out this year had half the competitors than both the other years we raced.  We're wondering if triathlons were a fad a couple years ago and fizzled out since then.  Either way, it was great to get into the heated pool sooner this time.

Almost every race I do is a little bit different than the others.  For example, even though I'd already done this triathlon before this was the first triathlon I've done while still breast feeding.  It was difficult racing with the extra weight and that swimsuit was so tight (especially on top) but I was up for the challenge!

I surprised myself by beating my personal record by exactly 6 minutes with a time of 1:27:38.  This time my swim and bike were faster but my run was faster last time.  The great thing is, I know there's still room for improvement for next year!

James' brother and sister-in-law, Aaron and Andrea, did the triathlon in 2010 so it was great to see them at the race again.

Andrew had a lot of asthma problems during the race so I'm so proud he didn't give up.  He's a great example to me.

We did it!

If you're thinking about doing a triathlon this is a good one for beginners.  The swim is in a pool, it's only a sprint distance but there is also a duathlon, it's very family friendly, it's one of the least expensive triathlons, and the competitors include all ages, body types, and levels of experiences.

My next race is the Turkey Trot so now I plan to focus on increasing my running speed and continue loosing weight.

call me a runner

Half marathon, march 2012

Seeing this picture makes me feel hopeful again.  As of today I officially feel like a runner again!  I've been running with my friend, Nicole, once a week and she really pushes me hard.  She's training for a half marathon in November which is a week before my triathlon and because of her I have been able to increase my weekly miles and pace.  It's been hard but it feels so good!  This morning we ran 6 miles in an hour!  Wasn't a mile hard like last month?  I can't wait to get this body back into race shape again so I can cross a finish line proud of my time and accomplishments.  It's seriously a drug for me.  Have you ever gotten the race drug?

Red Rock Rio Salado Triathlon

I don't make a habit of writing numbers on myself.

They were for the triathlon.

It was a few weeks ago so it's taken me a while to blog about it.

This was my 7th race in the last year.

Each race was different from the next.

Although I did a triathlon on November last year,

this one was different because it was my first open water triathlon.

That's right, I swam in Tempe Town Lake.

SWIM

BIKE

(Lindsay left, me right)

RUN

My actual time was 1:51

because my start time was six minutes after the first start time.

I loved sprinting across the finish!

Lindsay was such a great partner to train with!

We motivated each other a lot!

When training we talked about how no matter how hard we train we still look like moms when we look in the mirror but I like that. I don't want to look like a teenager. I'm a mom and I love it!

The Jones Family

Andrew showing I'm #1.

It has become something of a tradition.

(We did the same here and here.)

Over all I was happy with how I did but I want to do better next time.

My run felt great but there was a lot of room for improvement in the swim and bike.

I'm so glad I did it!

Desert Grande Triathlon

I did my first triathlon last Saturday and it's kind of a big deal. If it weren't a big deal I wouldn't be sharing these photos of me. How did Mr. Freeman make racing look so sexy when I look worse than ever? I can't believe he laughed at me for putting on mascara the morning of the race. I made the pictures small so you wouldn't have the pain of seeing me up close. This is not a fashion statement!

1/4 mile swim

I had the hardest time swimming in a straight line. Does anyone else have that problem?

10.3 mile bike

I felt like I pushed the hardest during the bike.

(bike to run transition^)

3 mile run

For some reason my running and finish line pictures didn't turn out.

My bangs are atrocious. I knew I should have pinned them back at the beginning.

I'm with my cousin, Elizabeth, in the above picture. We trained together but she did the duathlon (run, bike, run) for her first time.

My supportive sweetheart.♥

We all crashed afterwards.

All in all it was a great experience. I definitely want to do another triathlon. If I were to do anything different I would train harder, especially on the swim, and have a road bike - the mountain bike is too heavy and slowed me down.

If you've considered doing a triathlon just do it. It's not as hard as it sounds. For real! The only advise I'd give you is to train the transitions. Especially bike to run. It really takes about a mile to feel good running after biking. Also, have a good workout partner. Good luck.

Where it all began

So this is where it all began. Seeing Mr. Freeman and my brother, Chris, do their first triathlon last year made me want to participate in one.

At first I wanted to make it a relay and just do the running portion, but then it wasn't enough.

I wanted to be able to say I did a triathlon. Just me.

I can do it, and I will do it!

These pictures were from the Desert Grande triathlon in Casa Grande last November.

This is the same race I'm doing tomorrow.

Swim

Bike

He's so hot!

Run

I'll probably look worst than Andrew at the finish.

It took Andrew several minutes to recover so I could take this picture with us both smiling.

I can't help being nervous about the race tomorrow.

I'm

nervous,

excited,

anxious,

enthused . . .

the list goes on.

I just hope I don't wipe out and nothing will happen to the bike or something.

Wish me luck!