Sunday, September 9, 2012

Our Triathletes

Anna and Asher had recently told us they wanted to start doing "running races".  Yes, that made this mama proud!  But of course, I run a tight ship so I was encouraging them to get out and run or bike every day.  3 times around our block equals a mile so I would sit out and cheer them on, or Joel and I would trade off running with them.  We really did see them get better!  At first they would sprint and then walk, but then they learned to pace themselves, and pump their arms, and breath right and they were running the entire time and getting faster!  We caught wind of a kids triathlon and Asher was all over it....so we trained and they got more excited.  Well, Anna got more nervous and sick over it but if Asher was going to do it, by golly she was determined! The race was this past Saturday and consisted of a 50 meter swim, 1 mile bike, and 1 mile run.

 Asher just finished his swim! He had this smile on his smile the entire time!

 Finishing up his 1 mile bike...yes smiling!

 Sprinting at the finish!  Asher way surpassed my expectations for him. He came in 1st in his heat at 17 min 22 seconds and  finished 3rd overall!  He won a $10 gift card to Dicks sporting goods and bought himself some "sporty" slip on sandals to wear on the swim deck at swim practice.

 Anna running into the transition area after her swim.  Her face was much more serious than Asher but she competed her little heart out!

 Ending the bike portion...she said this was her least favorite part.  Believe it or not, it took her longer to bike the 1 mile than it did to run it!

 She too sprinted at the end and finished in 22 min 57 seconds.  She was very sad she didn't place at the top and it took a lot of explaining for her to realize she was competing with 7 and 8 year olds. She eventually dealt with her sadness and was able to be happy with Asher and pleased with her accomplishment.

My triathletes!  Asher is hooked and says he wants to do more and more.  He had such a good time.  Anna maybe not as hooked but again, if Asher is on board, she wants to follow.  We are just super proud of how they challenged themselves and their attitudes.  Hopefully there will be some more races in our future!

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