Lynden Fair

Transition to the Bike

Once out of the water, there was this "wetsuit stripping" station, which was where a group of volunteers would quickly, and sometimes violently, "strip" you of your wetsuit. A mass of arms, legs, skin...frantically stripping off the top level of their suit, only to plant down on the ground to let the other people strip the rest off your body. I'd never witnessed this type of behavior at John's other triathlons, so I was fascinated and even a bit shocked by this event. I thought for sure that each time people yanked down a suit, I was going to see body parts that I shouldn't be seeing. Erica and I had to hold our spots near the fence, as this was where John had instructed me to be in order to get his wet gear...after again changing "the plan" from leaving the gear to be transported to me taking it with us. Of course, we had no idea whether or not Brad was aware of this change in plan (he was not), so we needed to be prepared to get both sets of wet gear. Before long, we were surrounded by bodies jostling for a position to see their loved one as well. It was hard to stand there for an hour holding position. John found us, handed his gear over the fence, then headed for the exit. Though we tried, Brad did not know we were there, and remained hidden behind a tent in the transition area during his time there. Erica did not get a chance to talk with him or take his gear, and I know that must have been hard. Once we saw Brad leave the area, we slipped out between the other people still waiting, and began the slow walk back to our car.

Swim Transition Photography-difficult

Imagine a river full of bodies...yellow caps, red caps, green caps...trying to find your husband...who is wearing a black wetsuit...in a river full of other black wetsuits. Erica and I made a good attempt to tag them in the water by their cut off wetsuits and maybe their swim stroke, but to be honest, I really never watched John's "swim stroke" enough to be able to find it in a river of bodies, and after incorrectly identifying a woman and two other men my "husband", I gave up trying to find him on the river.

Hence the shots that Erica just managed to get of the guys getting out of the river...nearly impossible to catch. Thank goodness for race photographers at the water line who were able to get great shots of them as they exited.

Red Caps-2nd Wave of Swimmers in the Water

From the cars, Erica and I sent the guys on their way with a kiss goodbye, not wanting them to waste another moment in trying to get down to the river. Would I see him again down there by the water? Would he know where I was, that I was there? Would I kiss him again today, before it was all over? Was it going to be okay?
It was still dark, and they hustled off down the road, weaving in and out of other athletes also trying to make it down, as well as family and other support hurrying to gather at the river. The scene that greeted us down on the river's edge was just as chaotic as you'd expect. We tried and tried to find the guys amidst the sea of wetsuits, swim caps, goggles, and crowding. DId they get settled in the transition area and make it to the water? Were they struggling or calm? Could they see us, but we couldn't see them? Were they already in the water? Were they together? It was so hard to stand there, straining to find them just one more time.
Then John found me, came over, spit out his gum into my hand (cuz that's what good support wives do!) and had me pull up and zip his wetsuit up for him. Just like that it was okay. It was going to be okay. He looked great, he sounded great, he gave me another kiss and sealed the deal. This was it. It was really going to happen. And I watched him walk down through the inflatable starting line and down into the water.

The Parking Lot of Ironman

I wish I could have been in John's mind on that dark, misty journey out to Johnson's Beach. I'm hoping he might find the inspiration to write his story down here too, but I won't hold my breath. He is much too private. Due to darkness, we could only imagine the sweeping vineyards we were passing through, but there was some comfort that although a little behind schedule, others were in the same shape. I can't remember what was spoken on that drive out. I was focused on not losing the bagel that I was praying would somehow see me through the long morning. There was this overwhelming sense of "ill", nerves, adrenaline, worry, excitement, stress, pride...amazing pride. We followed the caravan of cars into a big, grassy lot on the other side of town from the river. It was dark, and time was flying by, and no one wants to be late to set up your stuff in the transition corral...but that was what was looming for us as the guys put together their bikes and filled tires in that parking lot.

Leaving the Hotel before Vineman 2009

The morning saw us waking up at 4 am, grabbing the gear, heading down to grab coffee and bagels, then racing out for Johnson's Beach...the start of our epic day!

And in the Blue Corner....

John kept focused despite Brad's antics from the Red Corner!

Brad Testing out Various Race Items..and an interesting tri position

Brad went through his own transition practice in his corner of the the hotel room the night before. Interesting enough, we all shared one small queen size room, and somehow managed all the gear.

Tight tri shirt? Check
Swim cap? Check
Starting position? Uhmmmm...wrong sport!

Late night hotel prep

Brad and John worked out a blind test for their super tight tri shirts. While testing it out in the red corner, Big Blue watched from his corner, allowing Brad the opportunity for a comedy show like none other.

Dinner the Night Before the Big Race

After a long day of race preparation...and more than a little psyched out by the bike course we'd just toured, we decided to fuel up at Food Network' Guy Fieri's restaurant, Johnny Garlic. This is Erica and I admiring the plate of shrimp. Don't we look excited, thrilled, full of life?

The bike course tour was brutal...cracked, rutted and root chomped, debris all over, tight, steep curves, and Chaulk HIll....the table was somber that night...nerves, worry, all the unknowns of the coming day.

Thomas George Winery

All throughout Napa and Sonoma there are literally hundreds of wineries dotting the landscape. As you drive along, it's almost like every driveway leading out into the land has a sign announcing itself as a winery. After a long day of Expo-ing, which included registering and a pre-race meeting, we did manage to sneak in this little winery stop. It also happened to be along the bike route for the race, so as we scouted for a winery that was open, we were also keeping an eye out on the deplorable conditions of the roadway leading out into wine country. It was interesting to talk with the wine-selling guy (nice title, huh?) about the race the next morning-that he knew nothing about. He seemed a bit scared for our guys, as he noted the drive would not be friendly for cyclists and cars of wine tasters loaded up on tour adrenaline and fine vino...oh, this did nothing to make the roadway look any better!
We wanted to pick out a special wine for those amazing people back home watching out kids, and this winery fit the bill. They do not distribute, you have to be there on property to taste and buy their wine. I didn't want to buy a bottle that I could find in my hotel or local grocery, and believe me at one point that afternoon I thought that would be the case for us. However, this winery saved us.

The Finish Line-Before the Crush

This is the finish line and transition area all in one. Erica and I made friends with this fence line on this day.

Checking out Johnson's Beach for the 2.4 Mile Swim

Johnson's Beach was where it all began. Beautiful, wooded scenery, fabulous little town....a very special place to remember as the beginning of Ironman. These pictures were taken on our "scouting mission". The sun was out, the beach was calm and relaxed. Nothing like the crush of race morning, and I'm so thankful we had this time to enjoy Johnson's beach together as the guys planned and tried to get their strategy on.

Guess how this turned out...

Finishing 1st Ironman

Vineman/Santa Rosa, California-Ironman

12 Hours, 22 Minutes

1 Hour, 15 Minutes-- ( 2.4 mile) Swim
6 Hours, 12 Minutes--(112 mile) BIke
4 Hours, 42 Minutes--(Marathon) Run

Running in with a smile on his face! Afterwards, meeting him after he crossed the line, he said to me, "That was SO much fun!" He could not stop smiling, and told me that other than mile two, he had a smile on his face the whole time. "It was so much fun," he said again, with yet another smile on his face. Who does that?!!! After an Ironman?!!!

Fun in the sun!

Conversations with Tommy....

Bedtime....way past his bedtime...

"Dad, can I watch Phineas and Ferb on the IPod?"
"No, it's bedtime, Tommy."
"But, Dad, I'll give you three hundred dollars if you let me watch Phineas and Ferb."
"Thomas, do you have three hundred dollars?"
Pause...."well, I can go to the bank with Mom."
"Tommy, I'm not interested."
"Well, I'll get you something you'll be really interested in...like camera stuff and bike wheels...." (Does he know his father!!!???)

Yep, he got to watch Phineas and Ferb in bed, way past his bedtime.

Secret Agent C

Silverwood Family Trip 2009

First we were going, then we weren't, then we may have family going to meet us only for one day, then I was told to cancel the hotel, but before I could call, I got another quick call from Andrea changing yet again.
We took off on Tuesday not really knowing who would show up to join us at Silverwood, if anyone. After a rocky beginning, in which Coop tossed his cookies just out of Skagit County, we sailed right through on this leg of the journey. Ellensburg was a fabulous coffee stop for us, and John got some sleep on the boring drive through farm country. The boys lasted without complaint until about Ritzville, but after that it was work to keep them from strangling themselves with their seat belts, they were so tired of riding in their seats. Once at the hotel, we quickly changed into our swim clothes and headed for the slides, rides and pools. This year, although Cooper still did not buy into the whole sliding part, he enjoyed hanging out in the hot tub and walking around the pool area. Tommy was eager to try out all the slides, and with Cooper better able to manage himself, I was able to enjoy the slides with Tommy as well. It's always nice when the thought that "next year will be easier" actually turns out to be true!
The next morning we enjoyed a leisure breakfast before heading out to Silverwood. It wasn't the same as waking up to play with the cousins in the room beside us like we did last year, but it was nice to hear from Andrea that they were actually on the road, and only minus Billy. I had to wonder, though, if somehow something would still change plans again!
Silverwood was amazing this year! The weather on Wednesday was fabulous, and hot enough to hit the waterpark early. We camped out at the same spot we were hoping to get, and played and played until the crew arrived. Tommy and I even ventured up to the big mountain slide by ourselves, one of the first to take a ride down that early in the morning actually. Meeting up with the family was so fun! Cooper endeared himself quickly to "Papa Dare" and we were off to visit the rides part of the park. Everything was so great, at least from my end. The kids had a great time riding the rides. Tommy, Drew and John braved Timber Terror together, and Tommy and Drew agreed they would not ride it again! John was the only one brave enough to ride AfterShock, the newest rollercoaster to the park. Even he had a hard time on it, though, as motion sickness got the best of him at the end. I guess flipping through the air backwards will do that to a person! It's nice, though, that I'm not the only one feeling my age! We took turns riding the Log Ride, and Mom took one for the team and rode with us on the soaking River Ride. This time Cooper joined us for the Log Ride, which is kind of like a rite of passage in our family. If you can't ride the Log Ride, you can't be a member. Thankfully, at two, Cooper is quite the brave little beast, and although the drop is long, he didn't flinch! You could barely get him off the Planes, the Helicopters, and Grandpa had to pry him off the kiddie Train Ride after multiple rides around and around. After exhausting the day away at Silverwood, we headed back to play at Triple Play. More time in the pools and slides! It was so exhausting, but the kids had a great time together, and it was worth every moment to see them having such fun with each other.
Thursday morning we knew we had a limited amount of time together, as Andrea had to load the crew up to head home. However, we packed the morning in with play time in the arcade, laser tag, attempts on the climbing wall and go cart rides. Cooper was disgruntled that he was still not tall enough to ride the go carts, but hopefully next year he will make the height requirement. The go carts were new, so that was an added bonus to our rides as well! Again, we didn't have enough time to play mini golf or go bowling. There is just not enough time to pack that all in. Saying goodbye was hard, and as we traveled up to Silverwood for our day two of the park, Tommy kept telling us how he missed his cousins. He has so much fun with them, that it was hard for him to get excited about the park when they weren't there to share in it with him. We rode the big train first thing, and it was so fun to see Tommy interact with the "train robbers" when the train stopped in the woods to get "robbed". The actors were trying to get the train passengers to interact, and sure enough, Tommy was quick to chime in from his seat. When one of the low down dirty robbers told the passengers he was going to throw his no good brother in the well and take off with all the money, the robber looked at the passengers and asked if this was a good idea. "Yes!" Tommy yelled back, and the "robber" looked at him and said, "Looks like that fella has an evil streak in him, too!" and the passengers laughed. Tommy continued to interact and call out to the "robbers". He really got into it. When the well "blew up" with an enormous spray of water from the "dynamite", Cooper freaked out and started to wail. And off we went! Tommy asked questions through the day about the robbers. "Do they live in the woods back there?" "Will they go to jail?" "Do they live in that cabin?" He was so captivated by the whole show, and it makes me really want to take him to Disneyland now, knowing how magical it all is to him. This second day at the park wasn't as warm as the day before, so we made quick work of the water park and called it a day. By the time we made it back to the hotel, though, the boys hit their second wind, and again we made our way to the hot tub and slides. Did I mention exhausting? This time it was mom who climbed the stairs time and time again to ride the toilet bowl slide, and what fun it was to be with Tommy. At some point Tommy is going to be embarrassed by his squealing mom. Right now, he still thinks it a great thing to ride the rides with his Mom!
On Friday it was time to head for Seattle. After a trip around Hayden Lake, we hit the road. It was a LONG drive back, and even longer when Tommy started throwing up into our Fat Burger sack. Poor little guy! We still had to drop John off at Brad's and head up to Bellingham. Just outside of Seattle he started throwing up again, poor guy. I wasn't able to help much, and I was curious to see how our night would turn out with plans for me to hit the road early the next morning to return to Seattle. It's always hard leaving the kids at home, but I was scheduled to have Georgia for the day and Rhonda hanging out with the boys in the evening while Jenny and I went down to see the guys race the Seattle Rock n' Roll. By the time we arrived home, both boys were ready to hit their beds. I was so very grateful to see Rhonda at the door waiting for us, and so thankful for her help unloading my car with me. What a treasure it is to have a friend that is so willing to go out of their way to help. Finally, as it was nearly midnight, we made our way to bed....with only a few short hours before doing the Seattle drive all over again!

Tofino 2009

Tofino Marathon Relay 2009 was our second attempt at this race, and yes, for the two of you that may be curious about this event this year, we did complete it-with two teams this year! I will have to say, though, that despite assurances by running guru, Hal Higdon, walking breaks are a joke in competitive running. As I started out on the five miles, I looked around. Who will be taking their first walk break? Surely the larger lady with the purple running tights will get tired soon, right? What about the girl beside me, puffing a bit harder than I and maybe just a tad bit more red in the face? And then, as the miles came on, I realized that I may have been the only one in this entire race that prepared with Hal Higdon's walk breaks in place.
It's not a good feeling, let me tell you. Watching everyone pass you by...looking behind you and seeing no one trudging along slower than you. Running in the sand of Chesterman Beach, you would think that I would have been amazed at the beauty of the crashing surf steps from my running shoes, rallying with the salty breeze in my face. NO! I was mentally retiring from running, done, finished, completely spent. Not going to lace up again! Done.
And so it was...I think I am done with this running thing. John may be training for his Iron Man, and for that I will continue to be his bigger cheerleader. Tofino may see me again, in some form or another, because it is a breathtaking place. I just won't be heading there with a sick stomach and an overwhelming feeling of dread in my heart.
And then again, I told cousin Brad last night....you just never know...I may pull a Favre after my leg muscles have recovered enough for the good memories to outweigh the pain!

More recent pics here.