Friday Funny 47: Videos

(For some reason, you need to turn up the volume on each of these before watching. Volume is in the lower right of all the video players...)

Ninja Squirrel:

From: Heavy.com

Blindfolded Prank:

From: Heavy.com

OK, this one isn't funny, but have you seen this?!? A new Tron movie?! Sweet!! Check out the new LightCycles! Maybe you should click on the link below this video to go directly to Heavy.com so you can watch it full screen. Really.

From: Heavy.com

Back tomorrow with official race photos from the triathlon last weekend. Happy Friday!!

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Square Lake Open Water Swim

Monday, the day after the Chisago Lakes Sprint Triathlon, I just lifted weights, did some core work, stretched, and foam-rolled my legs.

Tuesday, I went on an easier bike ride. Most of the time, I ride at 95-100% effort, but this ride was around 85%. I hadn’t found my bike computer since coming home from the race (it was hiding in Pharmie’s car), so it was the first ride in a LONG time that I was riding with no information.

I did the familiar “River Road / Shepard Road / Summit Ave” loop that I like to do. I know that’s 15.8 miles. But I added on a trip across the Smith Street “High Bridge” and back. And instead of killer Ramsey Hill, I took the longer (but more gentle) route of Kellogg Ave. Mapping my route afterward told me it was about 18.36 miles. And I had hit my watch to give me an estimation of my time: I did that ride in 56:40, which would come out to be 19.44 mph if everything is accurate. Nice ride to “get the lead out.” I ended the night with a Monkey.

Wednesday had an early alarm: I was up at 5:15 to head out to Square Lake with Julia for an open water swim. I met her at the Y parking lot at 6, and we headed out to the lake with Sara and Kelly. (Both Sarah and Kelly are doing the 2 mile Lake Superior swim in about 10 days! Good luck!!)

The water was calm and the day was brisk when we got out there. We all got ready to swim: Julia changed into a “speed suit,” Sara put on her wetsuit, and Kelly and I swam just in our suits:

Julia, Sara, and Kelly

I didn’t need want to swim as long as them. We ended up swimming out to buoy #1 which was near a diving raft:

We treaded water for a moment, and then swam out to buoy #2 way the heck out there. We turned around after about 14:00. I kept up with Julia and Kelly until the first buoy - after that, they kept pulling away. Nearing shore, the ladies were all going to swim across the front of the swim area for a few laps. I thought “what the hell...” and I joined them for a lap. I ended up in the water for about 39:00, with about 60-90 seconds of that being treading water as we talked. Good swim!!

The ladies did a few more laps, and I walked along the beach. It’s this clarity that people love about swimming in Square Lake:

I apologize for the nasty, wet, matted body hair...

At most lakes in the Cities, that shot above would be dark and green. Square Lake is BEAUTIFUL for swimming!

Then, once back at the Y after the swim, I lifted a bit and did a little core work, as well as a little stretching and foam rolling.

Finally, in the early evening (after a morning of grading final projects from my summer class and then working on my porch remodel all afternoon), I did a solid 6 mile run in 38:55 (average of 6:29 pace).

Today (Thursday) I’m not doing anything physical. I’m finishing grading now, and then it’s back to the porch!

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2009 Chisago Lakes Triathlon

My last post was all about 4 CVA Tri Club students who finished their first sprint tri at the Chisago Lakes Triathlon on Sunday. This post is my report.

Pharmie and I got up and headed to the race site. I was HOPING my 4 students would be there!! After a quick set-up and bumping into a few friends, I saw all 4 students - whew! Pharmie was doing the Half IM, and I was doing the sprint. Some of the aisles in the Half IM part of transition were a LITTLE tight. Here’s a shot of Pharmie’s row from later in the day:

We headed down to the water, and Pharmie and I grabbed a quick photo:

(I had to Photoshop out my junk. It was very visibly
3 o'clock, if you know what I mean...)

I gave her a quick smooch, and she was off to start in an early Half IM wave. I hung back and talked to my students. I kept reminding them to not let their adrenaline take over in the swim: “Keep calm and easy! Swim to the outside for clean water if it helps keep you more relaxed!” I knew I was going to spend most of my race thinking about them and hoping they were doing OK!

Wave 12: On your marks... GO!!

400 Meter Swim:

I had to follow my own advice: I stayed to the outside, and I kept it easy. It was only a 400 meter swim (that was WAY long), but last year I went out WAY too hard and was spent at the turn-around. Staying to the outside worked GREAT, as I only brushed up against 2 people over the course of the entire swim. It wasn’t necessarily a FAST swim, but it was a GOOD swim.

I was rounding the turn around buoy after 5:02, and I hit the beach in 10:51. By the time I had ran up the beach, up the grassy hill, and crossed the transition mat, my “400 meter swim” officially went in the books as 11:36. Yeah. That was fairly longer than 400 meters.

T1:

As I was running up the beach, my 4 tri club students were standing next to the path cheering for me (they were all in later waves). I smiled and yelled “the swim’s a little long - just stay calm - you can do it!” as I ran past throwing them high-fives.

Helmet on. Sunglasses on. Shoes on. Got bike? Let’s go.

21 Mile Bike:

My biggest personal goal for the day was to push hard on the bike. We got out of town, and the bike field spread out. (I started in wave 12, which was only the 2nd sprint wave [waves 1-10 were all for the Half IM.]) I passed a woman about half way in who said “Oh good! I AM on the right course!” She hadn’t seen anyone in a while either.

I spent a lot of my race thinking about things that I never told my students! Every time I came to a normal, minor triathlon obstacle, I thought about how I never warned my students. I’ve forgotten most of them already, but it was things like “Watch for the arrows when the Half IM and Sprint courses split, and make sure to take the correct one!” And “take a few miles to let your stomach settle after the swim, then pump the fluids a little harder near the middle of the bike. But not too much near the end of the bike because you don’t want to be running with a sloshy stomach!” Etc, etc.

Overall, a pretty uneventful, quiet, lonely ride. I followed my game plan pretty well. I checked my overall average every 5 miles, and here’s what it was:

- 20.6 at mile 5
- 20.8 at mile 10
- 21.1 at mile 15
- 21.3 at mile 21.2 (end of bike)

The bike course was a little longer than 21 miles (according to my computer). During a perfect day, I was hoping to break or get really close to 1 hour on the bike. Well, my time of 59:59.1 still left me 0.9 seconds to spare! ;)

T2:

Normal T2 stuff: bike racked, running shoes on, pondered Obama’s stimulus package and how it tilts more towards new spending as opposed to tax cuts, etc, etc.

5K Run:

My second biggest goal for the day was to see how close to 19 minutes I could get in the 5K. I know, I know... that’s pretty nuts. But it was what I was shooting for. I had pushed hard on the bike, so I knew 19:00 was not gonna happen. But I was still going to give her hell!

Mile 1: 6:21. “Yeah, 19:00 is out.”

Turn-around: 10:06. I don’t know why, but I KNEW I was still going to finish sub-20 for the run. I knew I had some “left in the tank,” and I could negative split the run.

Mile 2: 6:33. I was slowing down, but again, I KNEW I’d be able to pick it up. Maybe I was running too easy. I started upping the pace just before mile 2.

Last 1.1 miles: 6:48. That got me in with a 5K time of 19:52. Not where I wanted it, but I made up a lot of time with a solid bike performance, so I still felt great about my race.

Rudy snapped a few photos of me hitting the finish line:

Freshly shorn legs carrying me home!


I’m only dry in a few spots...

Official results:

• Swim 400 Meters*: 11:36.5
73rd fastest male
16th in AG

• T1: 1:30.3 (63rd male, 15th in AG)

• Bike 21 Miles: 59:59.1
83rd fastest male
15th in AG

• T2: 0:31.1 (19th male, 3rd in AG)

• Run 5K: 19:52.2 (6:24 pace)
12th fastest male
4th in AG

• Total: 1:33:29.6
47th out of 822 overall
40th out of 375 men
9th out of 59 in AG

* When the top swimmer out of 822 does the 400 meter swim in 8:18 (2:04 / 100), I think we can safely say it was a long swim!

Highlights:

• Fastest bike average (according to my computer) that I’ve ever posted during a race: 21.3 mph! (Previously, it was last year at this race where I posted 21.0 mph, but that was on a bike course that was 4 miles shorter!)
• T2!?! That fast?! That’s not me! I’m a dawdler in transition! Oh well, I’ll take it!!
• Fastest 5K in a triathlon that I’ve ever posted! (I’ve done better in a few duathlons.)

Well, my day was FAR from over. I had 4 tri club students on my tail, and Pharmie was going to be out there for a while on the Half IM course. I got through the finisher’s chute, took my camera from Rudy, and ran back to the other side of transition to the point where the bike course and run course are side-by-side so I could watch for Evan, Sarah, Trent, and Hannah to come in.

I cheered for Evan when he came in off the bike. And then again when he was headed out on the run. Only when he was running, my voice cracked as I shouted “Go Evan!” It surprised me. I was close to getting a little emotional at the sight of the CVA Tri Club getting close to finishing their first race! It totally caught me off guard! My eyes weren’t getting teary at all, but there was a little lump in the back of my throat.

So I saw Evan come in on the bike, and take off on the run. Sarah and Trent headed into T2 about the same time. At that point, my head was on a swivel: Evan could be coming back from the west at any time, Sarah and Trent could be coming from the east at any moment, and Hannah was still on the bike coming in from the north! I was spinning around and around with my camera making sure I didn’t miss anyone!! It was like some sort of bad triathlon waltz! (If you didn’t see all the photos and their race reports in the previous post, make sure to scroll down to check it out! Their short race reports are pretty great!!)

All 4 of them finished, and it was time to track them down. I congratulated all of them!! (And there might have been sweaty hugs.) I was STARVING and THIRSTY because I bypassed the food tent post-race to make sure I didn’t miss any of my students. So I ran through the food line and got some PB&J sandwiches, some wheat rolls, a banana, 2 chocolate milks, and some Swedish pancakes!!

I grabbed a shot of the CVA tri club members hanging out while we were all eating. Trent had to take off with his family pretty quick, so he was already gone. Here’s Sarah, Evan, and Hannah who all just finished the race, along with Rudy who snapped all the great photos of them in the water that you saw in my last post:

Sitting there, I saw a few of my friends go running by to start the run portion of their Half IM. Here’s a shot of Jeremy heading out, feeling great:

After being on PR pace and feeling great, Jeremy ended up having a rough run. Pharmie spotted him in an ambulance getting IV fluid and trembling. It was heat stroke. Jeremy e-mailed me to let me know he didn’t die, and he said the race director gave him a ton of hugs as well as a free entry into next year’s race. Anything’s better than finishing in an ambulance, so let’s go for that next year - what do you think Jeremy? ;)

Anyway, Pharmie came running out of T2 a bit later. She was on PR pace!!

I saw my students off, and I went to get changed. (That tri suit gets funky and uncomfortable after too many hours.) Here’s a shot of me nude in a porta-potty:

Technically, I’m not nude - socks.

My spot in transition was looking lonely. There were only about 5 bikes left from the 800 that did the sprint distance. Here’s Goldilocks alone on a rack, with all the Half IM racks in the distance:

I cheered home all kinds of runners. I got to see a lot of friends, too. You’d think hanging around for 2+ hours would be boring, but once you get a few local races under your belt, you find out there’s always someone there to talk to that you’ve met before!

Before I knew it, Pharmie was headed to the finish line with a major Half IM PR!!

I didn’t know it as I was taking these photos, but she was pushing herself so hard at the end of the run that she was about to puke. In this photo as she ran by, you can see her pursed lips, trying to hold “everything” down:

She crossed the finish line far to the right because she was ready to lean over the fence and hurl...

...but she said there was all kinds of expensive-looking timing equipment over the fence, so she held it until she got to the back of the finisher’s chute. And then she let go. Right into a Rubbermaid container. She said she INSTANTLY felt better. Here she is with her finisher’s medal and her Rubbermaid of puke:

That’s my girl!

Congrats on your Half IM PR, Pharmie!! And congrats to the CVA Triathlon Club members (Evan, Sarah, Trent, and Hannah) who finished their first sprint triathlon too!! What a great day!!

Monday, the day after the race, I received this note from Hannah and Sarah:

I’ll be back with some official race photos when they come in. I’m excited to see the whole gang out there at work!! If you haven’t see the photos and read the reports of the 4 CVA Tri Club members, make sure to check out the great post below!

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Four Art Students Became Triathletes Yesterday!

About 3 months ago, I started “coaching” anyone interested in attempting a triathlon at the College of Visual Arts in St. Paul. I use the word “coaching” lightly, because I all did was answer questions, put together a training program, arrange a few group workouts, and point everyone in the right direction. They did ALL the work THEMSELVES.

The College of Visual Arts is a superb fully-accredited 4 year art and design school. It’s a fantastic school in a great part of St. Paul. They do not have any sort of athletics program (it is an “art school” after all...). CVA has no budget for the “CVA Triathlon Club.” These students did everything themselves. Their training and this race was “all them.”

Yesterday, 2 recent CVA graduates (Sarah and Evan) and 2 current CVA students (Trent and Hannah) finished their first sprint triathlon at the Chisago Lakes Triathlon.

Yesterday was their day.

Here’s their story:

Pharmie and I got to the race and tracked down the 4 “CVA Tri Club” students. We all met at the water just before the start:

Me, Sarah, Trent, Evan, Hannah, and Pharmie before the race

I’ll start with Evan. Here are photos of him at work:

Starting the swim


Evan exiting the water


Headed back towards T2


Starting the final 5K


A few hundred meters from finishing!!

I asked if anyone wanted to send me a race report - they all sent me one. Here’s a note that Evan sent:

thanks so much steve. I have to say that was pretty amazing and everyone did such a great job and it was so much fun. I am so greatful for your support and organization! Thank you! I can't wait for more in the future.

Id love to say a few words.

My goal for the race was to hold a fairly strong pace throughout, but not over do it so I could feel good finishing. The swim was definitely longer than it looked once you got out there. I went out slow but was able to pick it up at the turn around and didn't stop until I was out of the water. I did not have contacts, so when I put my glasses back on in transition for the bike I almost fell over from the swim. A bit dizzy! The bike felt pretty great, and I took steve's advice and waited until about half-way into the bike to pick it up. I was riding behind a girl named Maria, who accidently dropped her water bottle (which I almost ran over), She was riding at a really good pace! (after a quick chat, found out it was her first race as well). I offered her some of my gatorade, and she gladly accepted. I ran into her later and she told me that the gatorade I gave her saved her race! I was happy.

My legs were pretty spent after the bike, so the first mile was pretty rough, but loosened up for a strong finish. The race was an amazing experience and it was great to be able to train with friends and see them finish strong too. Sarah, Hannah, Trent, Steve, you are all awesome!

Evan totally killed it. He finished just 8 minutes behind me! Yeah. In his FIRST triathlon. Next year, he could give me a run for my money!! He held a 20 mph average on the bike, and then ran sub-8s on the run! I think my first 20 mph race was like my 8th triathlon!! Nice job Evan!!

Next, I’ll show you Sarah’s race. Sarah was the one who got hit by a car 2 weeks ago, and that halted her training for about a week as she was SUPER sore. But she got back on the horse, signed up for this race, and did great!

Sarah finishing the swim


Finishing the bike


Starting the 5K, raising the roof!


Nearing the finish line!!

Here are Sarah’s race thoughts:

Thanks Steve. This was BY FAR the best first experience I've ever had with anything. It was so much fun!!!!!

I'm going to write a lot so sit down for this one:

Sarah's Race (the long version):

I was in the second to last wave (wave 26) which did me some good because I didn't have that many people coming up behind me on the swim. Perfect for my pre-race anxiety. I talked with a girl named Jackie (who was also 23), an older man named Dan and a really older man. We talked about how the swim was something to just get through and most everything could be made up for on other parts of the race. I asked Jackie how many triathlons she had done and she laughed and said "I don't even know! I've been doing them for five years!" My mouth dropped in amazement; she was the one I had picked out of the race that I wanted to beat but I quickly let that one go after the swim had started and I saw her bright orange cap getting farther and farther ahead of me.

The swim was truly just something to get through. I knew my time would be nothing compared to what I'm capable of and have been pushing in the pool, even at a "regular" pace. Swimming is my most loved sport, but open water race swimming, not so much. I did beat the really older man who was in my wave, so I was happy about that.

I wasn't as disorientated as I thought I'd be running up the hill after the swim but my legs already felt tired. What the hell? I got into T1 and realized I had forgotten to pee while I was swimming like I told myself I was going to and had to run to bathroom. I came back and threw on my bike shorts (because Run N Fun only sells tri shorts for tiny people) and bike shoes, and ran my bike over to the mount area. I hopped on hoping for the best and I was off.

The bike was my favorite part of the race. It was a beautiful day and the scenery was amazing. If there wasn't a smile on my face it was because there were some big bugs I was hoping to doge, but every other part of my body was smiling. I was passed by 2 men at the beginning, but I passed them later in the race along with many others. The few hard bike rides I had done with my friend Evan during training had paid off because nothing could stop me. There was a really bad patch of road towards the end but other than that the course was amazing. I did end up getting passed by David Thompson right at the end. I was ok with that because he's a stud.

Steve cheered me on coming into T2 (because he does most of his sprint races in 1 hour or less) and I dismounted and felt like falling over but knew I had a 5k left in me.

The run sucked. I didn't know it was possible, but I felt like my body was rejecting my own body. My calves were seriously cramping and I had to stop and stretch them out before continuing on. The first mile was pure pain. The second mile got a lot better and all of my muscles loosened up. The last mile was the best and the fastest. I sprinted up that stupid hill they decided to have right before the finish line and the closer I got the more I wanted to throw up. There was no time left to do math in my head because my body felt like it was on fire so when I saw 3:03:something I couldn't feel anything but happiness that I had hit my goal of doing my first tri in 3 some hours.

Within the many degrees and shades of tiredness and dimming pain that I was feeling I asked one question, "That was it?!" I ate some great food, hung out with all of my friends and my mom who has supported me all the way through my training and large amounts of money spent that has gotten me to this day. As I was leaving I was lucky enough to see Sarah, Steve's wife, starting on her run for the half iron man; it was the icing on the cake. I briefly thought of having to run a half marathon after what I had just been through and the urge to vomit returned but I shook it off and wished her luck as she passed with Steve running by her side. For all I know, Steve probably ran the whole half marathon with her because the sprint he had done in 1 hour wasn't enough.

I drove home, ate more food, took a 7 hour nap because I had only 3 hours of sleep pre-race and woke up with the same feeling I went to sleep with: I want so much more and I can't wait to do the next one.

Sarah

My notes for Sarah:
1. Yes, David Thompson is a stud. (3:47 Half IM!!)
2. “I felt like my body was rejecting my own body” is probably the best quote ever. Shakespearian, really.
3. Sarah, the CLOCK read 3:03, but because you started in such a late wave, your finishing time is really 1:59! You know that, right?
4. Seven hour nap? Sweet.

Way to go, Sarah!

Trent is up next. Trent and Hannah started in the same wave. Here they are ready to start:

Getting ready to swim


Swimming in the middle of a pack


Looking “beast-like” as he exits the water!


Sprinting up to T2


Starting the 5K


Nearing the finish!

Here’s what Trent had to say post-race:

Steve you are the coolest!! I just wanted to thank you for everything that you've done for us the past couple of months it really means a lot to all of us. we couldn't have done it without you! Sarah, Evan and Hannah I had such a good time with you guys out there, it really helps having friends by your side for something as nerve racking and crazy as a triathlon. You guys rock!

As for the race...Holy Crap! That was by far the most challenging yet awesome thing that i have ever done. I was so nervous! You cant really put into words how your feeling as they call your wave on deck for the swim. All i can say is that your nerves are going crazy and your staring at the last buoy praying that you will make it. As you get in the water you realize that its a lot farther than it looked 5 minutes ago. Have no fear, I made it! It only took 15 minutes...what that isn't a good time? Its ok though because its my personal best... for now anyway. The bike was by far my favorite part of the race. Beautiful country scenery, not too hilly and every couple mile or so there would be just one random family sitting at the end of their driveway cheering us on. That was awesome. They made the bike ride good for me. By the time the 22 miles was coming to an end i was ready to be done with the bike, my legs were numb, my butt was extremely sore and unfortunately I had to poop like no other! The cheers of the people as i neared transition made me forget all about it and it didn't hit me again until 1 mile into the run (which felt like an eternity by the way) Don't worry i made it to the finish without making a mess of myself, it was pretty close though. The day before the race I had told the guys that i bet i would cry as i crossed the finish line, and as a matter of fact I did cry, only for different reasons than I had previously predicted.

Overall I had an amazing experience. My goal before the race was to finish under 2.5 hours and i finished right around 2:05 so I'm extremely happy with my finish and there will definetly be more triathlons in my future.

Once again thank you so much Steve! and thank you to all of you that left us kind words and encouraging advice, i honestly memorized a lot of it and it really did help during the most discouraging parts of the race. Thanks guys.

-Trent-

Great job out there, Trent! And you didn’t finish “right around 2:05.” You finished SUB-2:05! Get it right! Ha! GREAT work!!

Finally, here are Hannah’s photos. Hannah got sidelined with a bad sinus infection for the past 2 weeks. So she’s been achy, beat-up, and unable to train the way she wanted to. Her goal was to get to the finish. And she didn’t disappoint!!

Starting the swim


Exiting the swim with a smile!


Finishing the bike


Starting the 5K


Up the last hill, under the Swedish flag,
and 100 feet from the finishline!!


Crossing the line of her first sprint triathlon!
(Actual chip time: 2:22:13)

Hannah’s race report:

Steve- I had so much fun today! And Trent, Sarah, and Evan- it was great to do the race with all of you guys too. What a wonderful first experience to share!

My goal for the triathlon was first and foremost to finish, which I knew I would do no matter what. I wasn't thinking a whole lot about time, but was hoping to finish the race within 3 hours for sure. I was pretty nervous because I've been sick for the past two weeks and my training has been slim to none. My 2 mile bike rides to work have even been a challenge as of lately- which was so lame!

I was lucky enough to be in wave 24 with Trent and right next to him in transition. It was great to have a friend nearby to shake some nervousness off. Rudy, a fellow tri-club member, was there to cheer us on and take plenty of photos. His support was so encouraging.

The swim was what I was most scared of because I am not a swimmer (something I hope to change)! I was glad the swim was first because I was so pumped up. My goal was to finish the swim in under 20 minutes, which I did. I also didn't have to stop at all, which I was so happy about. When I ran up to transition Trent was still hanging around by his bike- maybe waiting for me? So we got to head out on the bike together. I am a biker above all, so it surprised me that the bike was the biggest challenge of the race. I was nauseous and had a horrible headache for the whole ride. I could feel how weak my body was from being sick the past couple of weeks. I remembered all the friendly comments and kept smiling. I even got a bug in my mouth- eew. I passed quite a few mountain bikes but overall felt pretty slow in the bike. Transitioning to the run was so weird. I felt like my legs were bricks and I wasn't even moving! My goal for the run was to not stop and walk at all which I accomplished! My run time was a little slower than I had hoped, but by the last mile I didn't care- I just wanted to cross the finish line. Finishing was such a great feeling I've never had before. I was so happy, kind of wanted to throw up, and couldn't speak for a few minutes. Did I just have my first triathlon orgasm? First of many I hope!

Hannah mentioned Rudy, who is another CVA Tri Club member. He wasn’t ready to race yet, but he came to cheer, and he took all the photos of these guys entering and exiting the water. Thanks Rudy!! And “triathlon orgasm?” GREAT phrase, Hannah!! Ha! Congrats on a great finish, and on smiling the WHOLE WAY!!!

As all of you can see, these 4 REALLY enjoyed your comments and words of encouragement that you left on my blog on Friday. Trent and Hannah mentioned it above in their mini-race-reports, and they both told me that they re-read all the comments after our pasta dinner the night before the race. As they say, it takes a village...

Trent took off with his family pretty quick after the race, but the rest of us grabbed one last shot as we started picking up our stuff in transition:

Congrats to all of you!! You guys did GREAT and made me so proud!!

I’ll be back in the next day or 2 with my race report and a few more photos. In the meantime, let’s just revel in the amazing finish of these newly dubbed triathletes!!

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THEY ALL DID IT!!!

Hello World. I’d like to introduce you to 4 new triathletes!!

Me, Sarah, Trent, Evan, Hannah, and Pharmie before the race


Evan starting the swim


Sarah starting the run


Trent finishing the run


Hannah hitting the finish line

All of them did it, and they seem to be excited to do it again!! Those 4 did SOOO GOOD!! I’m so proud and thrilled for all of them!!

I’ll be back tomorrow with a bunch of photos of these 4 racing - tomorrow’s post will be all about them and their virgin triathlon. And then I’ll have my full race report a day or 2 later. So check back tomorrow to hear about their first race at the Chisago Lakes Triathlon!

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Pre-Race Swim and Pasta!!

Pharmie and I just kicked out Trent, Evan, Hannah, and Sarah after they enjoyed a great pasta meal! They all came over around 3, we headed up to Chisago City to hear a “course talk,” picked up our packets, and tested Chisago Lake.

Quick course talk


Sarah, Trent, me, Evan, and Hannah pre-swim


Headed in
(you can see the “short course” buoys)


Post swim


“...now let’s take an awkward one!”


Evan, Sarah, Hannah, Trent, and Pharmie eating pasta


Homemade pasta, watermelon, and garlic toast
(as well as Sarah’s finger - weirdo.)

We also looked at all the comments you all left on Friday’s post. They LOVED hearing what you had to say! They especially loved to see that 2 pro triathletes (Linsey Corbin and Bree Wee) left words of advice and encouragement! Thank you ALL for your thoughts, comments, and happy words of encouragement for these 4 soon-to-be triathletes!

I really enjoyed Jim’s comment that wraps up the attitude I’m trying to impart on these 4: “Question: What do you call the person that finishes last in a Triathlon? Answer: A Triathlete!”

I hope to be back tomorrow evening with a quick post that starts with “They all did it!!” Wish them luck!

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