The Next Chapter: Day 289 - Lake Chaparral Triathlon

Sunday, August 08, 2010

Day 289 - Lake Chaparral Triathlon

Posted by Jill Marie

GO TEAM ORANGE!

I was up & at it like a house on fire this morning to boogie in to cheer Jenn on & take photos of her first ever triathlon. A bittersweet training path, Jenn was thrown all sorts of curveballs to throw her off track, but she stuck it out & made it to race day. I'm so proud of her determination & dedication. She is unstoppable!

Of course, I was running late & when I arrived, I had about 15 minutes to find Jenn, Mike & the kids. I knew the kids & Mike would be wearing orange, but as it turned out, so were all the volunteer staff! Whoops! And finding Jenn... Hmm... Well, she was wearing a wetsuit with a red swim cap & goggles. Just like everyone else was! Thank Heavens I saw Mike & the kids & he was able to point her out. She was already in the water. I had wanted to give her a hug before she started & to my delight, she came out of the water to see the kids & I snuck in a soggy hug.

And with a blast on the horn, she was off! I would have drowned had I needed to swim that far! I ended up taking photos of chunks of the group, as I lost her in the flurry of water & limbs & figured she can pick herself out of the mass!

Harrison played in the sand & water while Mike kept him from going into the water too far. I watched Heidi, who quietly smiled at me from time to time. That little girl is SO well behaved! She didn't make a peep the entire 2 hours! Impressive!

Before we knew it, Jenn was nearing her swim finish. We went over to the exit point to see her come out. I took a few snaps & then it was a rush over to the transition area where she'd be coming out on her bike. YAY MAMA J! Mike, the kids & I then relocated across the street where she would cycle by twice before she started her run. The signs were a hit & Jenn told me later on that some random person hollered 'YAY MAMA J' as she ran past! AWESOME!!! (Thanks again Janis!!!) Even Harrison caught on & would randomly shout, 'GO MAMA!' It was adorable!

Lastly, we waited for her to run across the finish line. I am so proud of her! What a great challenge & what an amazing accomplishment! Did I mention I'm proud of her!? :o)

Exhausted & starving, she left for home, shower, food, nap - in that particular order! I made my way home & also had a nap. I have had a brutal headache for a few days running now. I woke up to Mom stomping around the house - I guess she's home now! And the rumbling of thunder outside. It wasn't just your average rumbling of thunder, it was the loud crackling type. AWESOME! Yup, soon enough, the hail arrived. It was so cold out from the hail, every time I walked outside, I could see my breath!

Unka Jer & Roxy have arrived, but I have yet to visit with them, as I went to bed early. My headache was slashing its way through my skull. Mom massaged my back with Tiger Balm, I slathered peppermint oil on my face & off to bed I went. It was 2200. I woke up at 0145 still feeling rubbish, in fact, nauseous, hot & horribly in pain. I put more peppermint oil on & a cold washcloth on my face. Somewhere in there I fell back asleep & didn't wake up until 1000! Thankfully without the headache!

That's it for Sunday... See you on Monday! (Only 3 more sleeps until Jaco arrives!)
xxxx
Maria & Valentina