Camping + Triathlons = Less Fun.

So, I had what I thought would be a fun idea.

Camp with the kids so we can have fun in the great outdoors before/ during/ and after the big race.

Um. Not So Much.

I LOVE hotels. Especially with pool's and hot tubs!

So, the kids and I arrive late on Thursday night, with barely enough time to set up camp before it gets dark. I am of course without my husband because he has to work. No biggie. I can set up no problem.

Tent Camping Sucks. My top 3 reasons why....

1.We did great. Until 5am. When we woke up to thunder and rain. Thankfully the tent did not leak and we were all good. It was supposed to be isolated thunderstorms all day Friday. I just wish it wasn't Breakfast and Lunch. Need I say more? I did not want to bother with a tarp or cover for cooking so I did not pack any. Needless to say, I was not really interested in cooking outside the rest of the trip and had over packed on food.
2. Oh, and I love the fact that I do not live in a sand pit everyday. It gets EVERYWHERE. I swear I can taste it at times.
3. Ice cold water anytime I want. Ahhhh. The life.
Yep. I have become a wimp with camping.

I love biking on trails and swimming and fishing and exploring... oh, and of course s'mores, but urgh, forget the complete and total immersion in nature. I like controlled temps and beds for sleeping way to much.

Ok, back to triathlons... Reasons to love....
1. My boy Z did the kids tri on Friday night. His was a 50 ft swim (aka water walk), .6 bike and .21 run. He did great. That was so fun.
2. I loved to see and was encouraged by the kids doing this event. The boys in his age group were pushing and shoving a bit before the swim. It was nervous energy. They couldn't wait to get out there and we waited about 20 minutes to start.
3. Transitions. Zeb was less nervous than I was... I put his helmet on before his shirt in transtion and he said to me "Mom, How am I supposed to put my shirt on with my helmet on?" Opps. "Its big I will just push it on." I said with a smirk. At least he was thinking. He really did great and of course he FINISHED! Yaaayyyyy!!
4. Pre Race baked potato dinner.... yummy!

Ok, so on to my triathlon... my girl Dez, let me sleep in her cozy well tempered home (ahhhhh) the night before the race. Yay Air conditioning! I almost felt guilty leaving Duner (yes he made it up for one night and the boys sleep out doors in the heat) Anyway, I woke up exactly 9 minutes before our alarm was to go off. Ate my oatmeal, over ripe banana, (thanks to the heat) and peanut butter. Got ready and headed out.

Dez drove us in her topless (and without doors) jeep to the event. I must say it was so FUN getting there. I was a bit chilly so I used my OFFICIAL Tri Fox towel for warmth on the ride. We arrived in plenty of time, parked in the dump... really it was a landfill. This Tri had 900 participants. We needed the room.

This race was the complete opposite of the last one. Last time, I was in the 2nd wave, almost no waiting, with this race, I was in the LAST wave. My number was 865, Dez 866. We no other waves behind us to catch us or to help us either. That was different for me. Kinda scary. I didn't want to come in last.... not in a wet swimsuit. ewwww! (sorry for that visual)... other than that and my new anti fog goggles... here are my top reasons why I loved this triathlon!

1. The water was so warm!!! It almost felt longer than the 1/2 mile swim at Wausau, but my goggles kept getting water in them. Must be the 'anti-fog' feature of them... they get water in them to rinse away the fog. Hmmmm. Brilliant.
2. I saw a lot of mountain bikers and 'cross' bread bikes. I felt like I was FLYIN' compared to my Wausau bike, this was a breeze!!! I tried to encourage each and every biker I passed, especially if they were bigger. I loved to see them! So motivating to see that! I was a lot of passing. SWEET~ That was a change let me tell you!
3. We headed out on the run together. She was having some cramping issues, but pushed through them. I was hollerin' and talkin' to the crowds cheering us on. I got a group to give us the WAVE! Woo Hoo!!! I was cheering for so many people Dez asked me if I knew a guy or girl that I had cheered for, but I didn't. If they had a Tri Fox Jersey or were heavier or just were struggling, I was trying to encourage them.

We made it through the finishing chute and my family was no where to be found. They had gone to breakfast and didn't realize I would finish so fast. Ha. ha. SO FAST HUH? But it was all good. I had so much fun. I chatted with a fellow tri fox friend Jessie and his wife Angie for a while till my family appeared.

I managed a pretty GREAT PR for my bike. Average speed of 18.5, SWEET!! (My average was 16 mph) It so pays to do that Wausau tri. I may just have to do that one next year!

Results were...
Swim (.25 mile) : 10:21
T1: 4:30
Bike(12.5 miles): 40:31
T2: 1:38
Run : 21:04 (I took it easy too!)
Total: 1:17:51
Placed 45th out of 191 women!!