In New Hampshire, us "non-competitors" had a chance to relax and play, while the athletes prepared for their big day. Kaelyn and Justin were thrilled to see their cousins. There was a nice sandy lake beach a short walk from the hotel, and it had a big raft after the drop off that the kids could swim out to and jump off of. Growing up in Michigan, I had played on these big rafts before, but it was a first for my kids and they loved it. The athletes donned wetsuits and got a feel for swimming in the lake water while the rest of us enjoyed the beach, and later the hotel pools. Our hotel suite had a full kitchen, so we bought groceries and cooked real meals.
Sunday, August 17th we all got up before dawn for the Timberman 70.3, which is half of an Iron Man. The swim is over a mile, the bike is over 50 miles, and the run is more than 14 miles. My sister organized this race and rallied together her triathlete friends and half her family as well. They even came up with a team name and had everyone wear the same jerseys, and brought extras for those of us cheering on the sidelines. I took pictures of over 15 "growling geckos", most of them from North Carolina where my sister lives, a few from Boston where my brother lives, and one from California (my husband). It was a hot day, and almost everyone made it, with varying degrees of success, but it was a long tiring day, and we didn't get back to the hotel until evening.
The triathlete life seems to be kind of addictive. Mark had a hard race, with his hamstrings cramping up so bad he had to stop and stretch quite a few times on his bike. My sister had a hard race with her feet hurting so bad she had to take off her shoes and try to run in her socks. One of the other members of the group felt too squeezed to get air in her wetsuit and had to stop on the swim. We watched people collapse from the heat, and watched a girl crawl to the finish line because her legs were so cramped up. Yet, afterwards I watched Mark in conversations with my brother about bike drills he could do to help him prepare for steep hills, and many others in the group planning their next big race.
I don't want to plan all of our vacations around these races, and I'm not the thriathlete type, but it is definitely inspiring to see how much this lifestyle helps adults stay healthy and balanced. My sister said for her it's always been having that goal that has kept her in Iron Man training, and then she naturally burns calories through her training, so that takes care of keeping her weight under control. It also seems to provide a natural social outlet, as all her friends are triathletes too.
We have now reached the Northeast point in our Journey, and are ready to drive down the east coast - hitting some of the big historical cities on the way. First stop - Boston, Massachusetts.
Sunday, August 17th we all got up before dawn for the Timberman 70.3, which is half of an Iron Man. The swim is over a mile, the bike is over 50 miles, and the run is more than 14 miles. My sister organized this race and rallied together her triathlete friends and half her family as well. They even came up with a team name and had everyone wear the same jerseys, and brought extras for those of us cheering on the sidelines. I took pictures of over 15 "growling geckos", most of them from North Carolina where my sister lives, a few from Boston where my brother lives, and one from California (my husband). It was a hot day, and almost everyone made it, with varying degrees of success, but it was a long tiring day, and we didn't get back to the hotel until evening.
The triathlete life seems to be kind of addictive. Mark had a hard race, with his hamstrings cramping up so bad he had to stop and stretch quite a few times on his bike. My sister had a hard race with her feet hurting so bad she had to take off her shoes and try to run in her socks. One of the other members of the group felt too squeezed to get air in her wetsuit and had to stop on the swim. We watched people collapse from the heat, and watched a girl crawl to the finish line because her legs were so cramped up. Yet, afterwards I watched Mark in conversations with my brother about bike drills he could do to help him prepare for steep hills, and many others in the group planning their next big race.
I don't want to plan all of our vacations around these races, and I'm not the thriathlete type, but it is definitely inspiring to see how much this lifestyle helps adults stay healthy and balanced. My sister said for her it's always been having that goal that has kept her in Iron Man training, and then she naturally burns calories through her training, so that takes care of keeping her weight under control. It also seems to provide a natural social outlet, as all her friends are triathletes too.
We have now reached the Northeast point in our Journey, and are ready to drive down the east coast - hitting some of the big historical cities on the way. First stop - Boston, Massachusetts.
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