TRI 2.0

On Labor Day, which was also my birthday this year, I competed in and finished my second Olympic distance triathlon in Austin.

Look at this stellar crew...

From left to right... my mom competed in her first triathlon! We were so proud of her! She trained hard (especially for the swimming), and she did it... just as we knew she would. :) Candace, my sil, competed in her 3rd triathlon... this was her first Olympic. This was my brother Micah's first triathlon, and Erika's (his wife) second tri. On the far right is Erika's mom who competed in her first tri and rocked it.

I AM SO PROUD OF THIS GROUP! Also, our support crew and cheering sections were the BEST. There is nothing like passing your people shouting your name during your race... it gives me goose bumps as I write it.

We were blessed with cloud cover for most of the morning because competing in a race in September is HOT. We were also blessed with no rain, so we got to do the swim portion in Lady Bird Lake (which was canceled last year). This was my favorite leg of the race. It was early in the morning, the water was calm and cool, and it was just a really fun 1 mile swim.

Excuse the MarathonFoto... the files for these pictures are outrageous.


After the swim, you run to transition, get your bike gear on and ride 25 miles through really pretty downtown Austin. The cycling is so fun... it's a loop that you complete 4 times so you get to see your cheering crowd over and over again. Lots of spots to go fast... one small but painful hill that after 4 times I was sick of. :) I love the cycling portion!

After cycling, you are back in transition to drop your bike and switch to your running shoes. The last leg is my least favorite. Not because I don't enjoy running, but because I don't perform well running in the heat on spent legs. But we all pushed through. I carried an energy gel pack with me and sucked on that throughout the run. The run is two 3 mile loops... 1/3 into the second lap, if I'm being honest, I was hurting. :) But I was self talking, "1, 2, 1, 2"... telling my feet to keep moving. :)

I finished, and my beautiful daughter was there to run the last few feet with me, and we crossed the finish line together! What a sweet moment for this mama!

Another one in the books! It was the most fun birthday I've had in a long time! I got to accomplish a goal and be with people I love while doing it. Happy Birthday to me. :)