Moab

Last weekend we took a quick trip to Moab so Scott and I, along with his brother, Steve, could compete as a relay team in the Moab Xterra triathlon. An Xterra triathlon differs from the traditional kind in that the bike and run are off-road. We opted to do a relay since Scott and Steve didn't feel comfortable doing an open water swim, I don't mountain bike, and I don't think Steve enjoys running. So it worked out perfectly for me to do the mile swim in Ken's Lake, Steve to mountain bike 15 miles on the world-famous Steelbender trail (this was one seriously tough and technical course!), and Scott to run the 6.8 mile trail run to Faux Falls, through the red rocks, and around Ken's lake.

This is only the second year of this race and they still have some organizational kinks to work out like parking and making it more spectator friendly, but the race itself was really fun. This was my first time swimming a full mile in open water. I felt really great in the water, even when the wind picked up making the water kind of choppy. I was happy with my time of 36:23. 

Next up was Steve, who took off on what would end up being a 3 hour bike ride. Everyone was talking about how insane this bike course was...and we were in MOAB...people live on their bikes down there.

 Last, Scott took off up into the mountain for his trail run.  Scott, with his fresh legs, was flying past everyone. The other racers were commenting in awe of how fast he was running until he explained he was part of a relay and hadn't done the bike or swim. He finished in a great time of 1:02:19. 

During all of this we were juggling our 3 kiddos which was especially tricky since there was no shade and nowhere to sit, just gravel and dirt. We did take the kids back to our condo during Steve's bike, but even with that it was a long morning for them and they were all troopers.

The race was the main purpose of the trip, but we were able to squeeze in some fun before and after. We shared a condo with Steve, Jenna, Isla, and Weston which was the perfect set up. We asked both of the kids what their favorite part of the trip was and neither one hesitated a second before answering, Weston. They had so much fun running around and playing with him. They probably just drove him crazy the whole time, but he was sure a good sport. Miles and Isla enjoyed each others company and loved sitting across from each other in their bumbos and stealing each others toys. Spending time with Steve, Jenna, and Isla was definitely the highlight of our trip. We just love these guys. We were able to go out to dinner, go swimming at the local pool, have a BBQ, and I got in some good chatting time with Jenna while Scott and Steve made their late night grocery runs. The actual Moab things we did included seeing Indian petroglyphs, dinosaur tracks, and a last minute trip through Arches on our way home. It was a short but sweet trip.