2009 Norfolk Triathlon!

Last June (2008), I participated in the Norfolk, NE triathlon. It was the first triathlon I did, and I LOVE IT! (see old posts). Anyway, this year, I wanted to participate again, but I am sidelined from running due to a lumbar disc herniation. :( I was (am) bummed about that. However, I also want to heal completely and not have further problems down the road, so I decided to stop running, cycling, and Hapkido. Those who know me know how difficult this is for me.

Anyway, I really wanted to do the Norfolk tri again this year, so I decided that I can still swim, so I just needed a cyclist and a runner! Thomas' grandfather (Harold) is an avid cyclist, usually cycling 100's if not 1000's of mile per year on his trusty bicycle. So, I decided to ask Nancy, my fabulous mother-in-law, what she thought about my asking Harold to bike for me. She was excited about the idea and volunteered to run for us! I asked Harold, and without skipping a beat, he said "sure", then he asked "how far" and "where". TEAM HOWARD WAS BORN!

Not being able to do things only half-way, we decided that we needed team shirts for our multigenerational, all in-law, triathlon team. I found a place online to do them, so we all had TEAM HOWARD shirts to wear.


The first Saturday in June, Harold, Nancy and myself made it to the YMCA in Norfolk, NE. We arrived around 6:45am to get ready. It was a very cool and drizzly morning. I was lucky, the swim is in the indoor pool. I felt terrible for Harold & Nancy having to cycle and then run outside. All in all though, we had a lot of fun, we each finished our leg of the race, and we all enjoyed the day. Harold has already mentioned that he's looking forward to at least the next two years. Says he wants to compete in the triathlon when he's 90! So, I'll keep swimming, and Nancy will keep running! :)

Pictures below...will add video once its done!

First the 500 yard swim.

TAG - Harold takes over for the 10 mile bike ride.

Harold on the ride -- notice how rainy it is? His sweatshirt had to weight 20 pounds when he got done!

TAG - Nancy takes over for the run leg of the triathlon -- 2.5 miles in cold rain!


Half way done with the run!

The end of the race. TEAM HOWARD finished 4th in the long race teams! We each enjoyed the day..... to be continued in 2010!

July 01, 2009

Okay, so I've neglected my blog - badly! Darn Facebook anyway!

I am officially "on vacation" from work this week. I NEEDED to take some time off and get out of the office, so I'm off until the 9th! YEA! So, today my wonderful mother-in-law, Nancy, came over & we got the living room, TV room, & hallway painted. Not a relaxing day, but a productive one, none-the-less. The house is a huge mess right now, but it will be much better when its NOT WHITE on the inside! I'll post pics when its done - promise.

Other new things -- I haven't been able to run or cycle recently due to an injury. :( So, I'm in the pool much more often. I'm enjoying the water & getting better at swimming. I ordered a DVD from Total Immersion to help with breathing while stroking, so that should help the efficiency of the thing -- I hope! I also ordered a Swimp3 underwater mp3 player! Swimming laps is BORING, so I'm going to add some music to my training. It uses bone conduction technology, so I'm excited to see how it works, it should be here tomorrow.

Friday I am going to spend the day at a spa! Body wrap, facial, mani & pedi...I can't wait! 5 hours of someone else taking care of me! Ahhhhh...vacation!

Life is busy for us, but I am going to enjoy some time away from the office. I LOVE what I do for a living, but everyone needs down-time. This holiday couldn't have come at a better time, I was dangerously close to becoming "Dr. House" with some of my patients. :)

So, there's the update....life is work, painting & swimming right now - oh, and the spa day!