All Geared Up!

Max trying on Dad's helmet while in his Sunday afternoon "lounge wear"

I LOVE this picture! It was a fluke that it came out this way. :)

Well, on Saturday a lot of cash was shelled out of our pockets...and filled the pockets of Cory & Jake and Silverdale Cyclery.

We bought my bike for the triathlon off of Craigslist from a really nice couple, Cory and Jake. We drove about 45 minutes and met them in a parking lot where I dashed gracefully around on my soon-to-be-acquired bike. Okay, what really happened was that I got on the bike and immediately started to look like a 5-year-old who just got her training wheels off. Hey, I haven't been on a bike in a LONG time and I was wearing flip-flops. :) Tyler, I'm sure a little embarassed, said, "She hasn't been on a bike in a long time" But, thankfully, the wife (whose bike it was) said that she was the same way when she first got the bike. Come to find out, they had purchased this bike while training for a triathlon too! And then we find out that she is from Hawai'i and he is from Littleton, CO! He and Tyler had a mutual friend, turns out. Then they tell us their inspiring story of the triathlon. She was very similar to me at the beginning of their training - even less experienced in some areas (hadn't ridden a bike in 12 years, couldn't swim a lap without panicking...). It was so nice to talk to someone who had been where I am now and then completed the triathlon without incident. Now she is training to run a half-marathon!

Later that evening we went and bought the rest of my cycle garb at a local bike shop, Silverdale Cyclery. Helmet, padded-bottom cycle shorts, cycle shirt, clipless pedals and shoes...we're ready to bike! Now we are looking for a bike trailer for Max to ride in while we're training. All that's left after that are some sunglasses for both me and Tyler (a MUST according to Eric Harr whose book on triathlon training we are reading :) ) as well as some good running shoes for me. This has been a pretty pricey endeavor, but these are things that we will use post-triathlon as well, just for our enjoyment. A good investment, I think.

Now the pressure is on! No backing out! And my pledge to Tyler, my super supportive, handsome, wonderful husband is that I will cease all (or most) of my whining from here on out. He's spent a lot of dough on this and has been a great trainer despite my restistance at times! I love you, Ty. You may have to remind me of this pledge when we are in the middle of our upcoming 45-minute runs and you won't let me stop even for a second. :)

I will now leave you with an inspiring quote from my husband's favorite 'motivational' web site, despair.com :)
"Ambition. The journey of a thousand miles sometimes ends very, very badly"