Salem Triathlon

Last year my dad turned 50 and decided to do something he had always wanted to do...a triathlon. He trained really hard for 6 months, improved his swimming skills, got in great shape, and competed in several triathlons last year. After being my dad's support team for a year my mom decided she wanted to join the fun and now they have been training together for more triathlons this year. Back in January when they were registering, they recruited Chris, Kacie, and I to do the Salem Triathlon with them. I have been very excited to re-enter the triathlon world after a 4 year break (although my enthusiasm was not demonstrated through dedicated training). So today was the big day and we woke up to a downpour of rain. We got to the race site to find out that the Sheriff had canceled the bike portion of the race due to the danger presented by slick roads up the canyon. The rain was still coming down hard and talk was circulating about cancelling the swim and just having a 10K. With how cold I was when fully dressed and dry it didn't sound like such a bad idea. They had some guys get in the water for 10-15 minutes and then checked their body temperature and decided it was safe to continue with the swim. Thanks to the determination of my Dad and Chris we all decided to stay and participate in what was left of our triathlon. We were glad we made the decision when the rain stopped and it got a little warmer. The swim was a lot of fun for me although we'll see how fun it is if I get Giardia from swallowing all of that, oh-so-clean, pond water. Kacie and my mom finished the swim right behind me (I have to mention that my mom was in the heat behind us, which goes to show how awesome she is). Kacie and I ran the 5K together and I can honestly say I really enjoyed it although I don't know how great my time will be. I was really disappointed that we didn't get to do the bike because it is the most challenging part for me, but I had a blast doing the swim and run. Because we were all participating we didn't think to get any pictures. I know it's disappointing for everyone who wanted to see us all in our skin-tight wetsuits, swimcaps, and goggles. I had a lot of fun and am looking for another triathlon to sign up for this summer so I can truely say I did a triathlon. A huge thanks to my mom and dad for sponsering me in the race and rounding up all my gear for me! I hope I'm as awesome as you guys when I am 50.