I did it!

My triathlon was yesterday and I had a lot of fun. It felt REALLY good- I didn't go so fast that I was dead yesterday, but I completed the whole thing and had a great time. It was really nice to make the goal so long ago (in January) and complete it!!!

Here is the start. I am just behind the lady with the neon yellow jacket with the white stripe going down my black pant leg.

Here is the tail end of the run just before the bike. Our lovely camera battery died so we didn't get many pictures, but hopefully my parents got some good ones, too.

We think that is me in the swim in the center on my final lap. :)

My family and friends were SOOOOOO supportive. DJ was amazing and encouraged me to get out of bed and train, and many days he either got the kids up in the morning or put them to bed- some days towards the end both. Thanks Hon. My friends I was training with (Emily and Emily) bought me some energy gels the day before, called me and had a big poster on my door when I got home- so nice! My mom came to watch 3 weeks out of knee surgery, Brittany called me the morning of, on her way to take a final at 6:45 (yes- I was already up), Kelley called me from Kansas just before the race, and at the race were DJ, the girls, my parents, DJ's parents came and Britt came after her final and caught the swim. Everyone was sooooooo supportive. THANK YOU!!!

My sisters, DJ and I are thinking about doing one is August now. :) I am going to keep training, but work on increasing speed now that I know I can do it. What fun. I highly recommend sprint triathlons. Mine included a 5K run (3.1 miles), a 10 mile bike, and a 1/4 mile swim. I had to train for it, but it was very do-able. Triathlons are great because they are well rounded, full body, and you don't get overuse injuries as easily. Plus they are lifetime skills. I have always wanted to run a 5K and last week was my first one ever. (and I ran the whole time without stopping to walk- a HUGE achievement for me) :) DJ and I love bike riding with the girls. Last summer we often put the girls to bed by getting them in their PJ's and going for a ride around 8:00 pm (which came in great handy camping). Before, I couldn't keep up with DJ, even with him pulling the trailor. Now I can totally keep up and we can go for miles. The only swimming lessons I have taken were the summer before I turned 9. The first time I went swimming this January, I swam 6 laps and was THRILLED. Now I can swim a mile (64 laps) or more. What a great safety skill to have. Plus swimming is great exercise. Have I talked you into it yet? :)