tRiAtHlOn

Well, the Valley Rookies survived the Gold Nugget Triathlon!

I am very excited to say that I completed (without feeling like I was dying) my first triathlon! It was also my first 5k run ever too... then just tag on a 9 mi. bike and a 300 yd. swim on the front and you've got yourself a FUN race! I honestly had so much fun training, getting ready, and racing with these women. We're all game and ready to try again next year with faster times!

Here we are the night before setting up our bikes and gear for the race. We had to leave it all out the night before and weren't able to touch it until we ran out of the pool soaking wet ready to jump on our bikes the next day.

We actually had 13 women on our team... but we didn't all set-up at the same time that day.
I was nervous even then!!!

Lined up on the pool deck waiting for our turn to take the plunge. Don't we look so tough with our numbers on our arms? :)

Thanks Dad, for all the great action shots! (and you too, Kep)

Ready to ride! Drew was trying to catch up to me for a high five. The bike portion was really fun and would have been my favorite minus my brake slipping off and me running into the drink lady at the 1/2 way point and me being lame-o at shifting bike gears... I just learned a couple weeks ago and I still have a lot to learn. I can't wait to get better at that part.

These ol' legs were a tad wobbly off the bike heading into the run. Ooh, that was tough!

But it got better after the first mile. Thank goodness!

WE MADE IT!

What a great day. Don't you like our orange matchy-matchy orange shirts courtesy of Old Navy? It was so cool to be able to so easily recognize our teammates on the course. The bike and the run both had a turn around point, so I was able to see all of my team members during each event. I love that Lynnetta, our triathlon guru, was so encouraging and persistent that we all could do it a couple months ago. I thought it was way too much for me, but that I had to start somewhere after all this work I've done all winter... and she was right. I was commenting to Jeremy afterwards, about how there was no way I could have done this a year ago being 3 months post-partum and that unless I had worked my booty off (literally) all winter I still couldn't have done it. It has really made it all worth it and such a tangible way for me to see progress and time well spent even when it was hard. So goodbye 22 pounds... I don't miss even one ounce of you.