Indian Springs Triathlon

On Saturday, Dad and I competed in the Tri the Parks Triathlon at Indian Springs State Park in Flovilla, GA, near Jackson. It consisted of a 600 meter swim, 12.8 mile bike, and a 5 kilometer (3.1 mile) run. Mom, Rhian, and the kids got up early to watch. Dad and I started in the same heat for the swim, with Dad finishing 15:37 and I in 15:54, which was nearly 2 minutes faster for Dad and 3 minutes for me compared to what we did 2 years ago in the same race. Dad did the bike in 41:14 and I in 40:06. Unfortunately for me, I did a complete loop in the transition area. My spot to rack my bike was the first one after entering the transition; for some reason I thought it was at the other end, and ended out wasting about 2 minutes. When Dad arrived, he told Rhian and Mom that he beat me on the bike as well, seeing my bike wasn't racked yet. He saw me rushing to get back and I think he laughed at me, wondering what I was doing. I ended out finishing the triathlon in 1:31:06, which was 6 seconds slower than 2 years ago, but good enough for 10th (out of 21) in my group. Dad would finish in 1:41:21, good enough for 3rd in his age group. This would be the first triathlon I would complete, and Dad and I would complete together, since we did the same race 2 years ago.

Reagan is Walking!

Reagan began walking last Saturday while we were in Missoula. She had been walking while holding on to objects for over a month, but every time she would let go, she would drop to the floor and start crawling. While holding on to the wall in the hotel room, she shimmied around the corner, let go, and took 4 steps to the bed, all on her own! She walks a little bit more now, but any time she wants to get somewhere quick, she still does her infamous one legged crab crawl. :o)

Here's Cell Phone Video of Reagan Walking Today

Mike and Ashley's Montana Wedding Ceremony

Our family made a trip to beautiful Missoula, Montana to see my cousin Mike Sharp's wedding. This would be Reagan's first time traveling on an airplane. It was a 7 hour plane ride to Spokane, Washington, along with a very scenic 3 hour drive to Missoula on I-90. Our concern with Reagan was that she is very restless, and doesn't like to be held for a long period. Since she didn't have a seat of her own, she would have to be held or could only stand on the floor next to us, without much moving around. To our surprise, Reagan did very well! She slept for about half the flight, and enjoyed looking out the window and hanging out with Christian. Christian, of course, did very well, and did a great job entertaining Reagan. On the flight were quite a few triathletes, who were on their way to the Ford Ironman Triathlon in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho, 30 minutes away from Spokane. Christian and Reagan would sleep during most of the drive to Missoula.

We met up with Uncle John, Aunt Claire Ann, Mike and his family, and their friends at the Mackenzie River Pizza Company in downtown Missoula. (Kim and her family couldn't make it, unfortunately. They just moved from San Antonio to Pittsburgh and were still settling in. :o<) We would then walk to the Carousel of Missoula for a ride on the carousel and let the kids play in the playground until dark.

We met up with Uncle John, Aunt Claire Ann, and their grandson (Mike's son) Lupine at the outdoor market the next morning. It's a crafts market and a farmer's market where locals sell their goods. There are lots of neat crafts and fresh produce from which to choose. Christian would get a new hand made necklace.

Later in the day, we made the drive to Arlee to attend Mike and Ashley's wedding. It was a very hot day. Arlee would reach 97 degrees, the second hottest spot in Montana. It was somewhat surreal, as off in the distance were snow-covered mountains. The wedding was held at the Heart View Center, a beautiful retreat in the middle of the Jocko Valley in Arlee. It was a beautiful ceremony, with Enya playing during the procession. The flower girls would lay petals on the ground, as Mike and his sons, all dressed in button-up shirts, slacks, and ties (can you believe it? :o>). Ashley would meet Mike in a beautiful white dress. It turned out to be a beautiful handfasting ceremony, where they put their hands together to form an infinity symbol while a cord was tied around their hands in a knot, a symbol of Mike and Ashley's commitment to each other. As a family, they then put their footprints on a buffalo skin Mike had tanned. Everybody was then invited to put their fingerprints on it. The reception afterward was wonderfully prepared, with plenty of delicious food and drinks.
There was also donkey-cart rides, a pool for the kids to swim, and a band from the University of Montana. It was truly a wonderful ceremony and reception. Many of the guests would camp out beneath the stars. We would head back to the hotel.

The next morning we would return to the Heart View Center for breakfast and take Christian and Reagan for a swim. There was plenty of pastries and quiche along with some strong coffee. Christian and Reagan both had a great time in the pool. It was Reagan's first time in a pool and I would take Christian for a swim in the deep end with him holding onto my shoulders. We would then travel north on US 93 and Montana 200 to the largest bison range in the world. Do the fact we were hungry, we took an abbreviated tour. We saw bison off in the distance, but all we really got were some nice views of snow-covered mountains in the distance. On the way back to US 93, I would head a little further north to St Ignatius, home of the St Ignatius Roman Cathoic Mission a mission founded by Jesuit priests in 1854. We would head back to Missoula for a delicious lunch at The Crackerbarrel.

Later in the day, we met up with Uncle John, Aunt Claire Ann, Mike and his family at a "sprayground" near their house. It was 20 degrees cooler than the day before, so it was a little chilly for Christian to play in the water, though he would be determined to try. We had left-overs from the day before. We would stay until 7 or so, when the excitement of everything over the previous couple days began to take it's toll on Mike and his family, especially Lupine, who had been an angel up to this point. We said our goodbyes since we were heading out early the next morning. It seemed like we did so much in the 2+ days we were there. It was great seeing everybody. The kids did very well on the trip. Both of them had a wonderful time!

The trip back was an interesting experience. There were lots of triathletes sporting their shirts for having completed a full Iron Man. I told Rhian that I'll be back in two years to compete. Our flight from Spokane had a stop in Salt Lake City. As we approached the airport, everything seemed normal. We couldn't have been no more than 5 feet off the ground when the plane accelerated and rose back to approximately 10,000 feet and heading away from the airport. It was scary because we were told nothing. Rhian suggested I look at the stewardesses, who were fastened in their seats and didn't seem to be concerned. People on the plane started engaging in nervous conversation, wondering what was going on. I even heard one lady behind us ask the person next to her "Are we being hijacked? I was concerned that we were either being hijacked, or that there was a failure with the landing gear, that the pilot tried to blow them down, and was now having to burn fuel. Finally, after 5 minutes (seemed like an eternity) the captain came on and told us that a plane was on the runway for take off and that he had to abort the landing. Needless to say, there was a lot of anxiety. Reagan would finally become herself on the flight to Atlanta. We were delayed an hour due to problems with the plane. Reagan had napped a lot on the drive to Spokane and would sleep a little on the flight to Salt Lake. She would be restless and her loud self on the plane. Poor thing would try to sleep and couldn't due to noise or light. To make things worse, beverage and snack service was delayed, and we wouldn't get ours until 23 minutes before we touched down on a 4 hour flight! We finally made it home tired and ragged a little after midnight, after 16 hours of traveling. Poor Rhian had to work the next morning. Next time, I think she'll take an extra day to recover.

Enjoy all the pictures!


CLICK HERE to view pictures of Friday's trip to Missoula, dinner, and at the playground.

CLICK HERE to view pictures of our Saturday trip to the Missoula markets.


CLICK HERE to enjoy pictures of Mike and Ashley's Wedding Ceremony.

CLICK HERE to view pictures of our Sunday in Montana

CLICK HERE to view pictures of our trip back to Atlanta on Monday

Happy Father's Day!

Rhian and the kids traveled to Grant Park Father's Day morning to watch me run in the Atlanta Track Club Father's Day 4-Miler. Each Father's Day there's a Father-Son competition. Back in 1990, my Dad and I finished in 3rd. Unfortunately, Christian was too young to run in the race this year, and my Dad was no where to be found. :o( He did start a tradition several years ago when we last ran together. Prior to that particular race, he said watch for the bouncing ball, because he would be passing me as soon as I saw it. Well, while we were on the downhill after the first turn, I saw the ball, then my dad passing me. I was never able to catch him. To this day, I keep looking for the ball. :o) I met my friend Rico Dorsey at this year's race, who was running with his son. Rico had finished a 10K race the day before in 51 minutes, so I figured I had a chance at beating him. We started out pretty fast, at least for me, doing the first mile in 7:50. It felt faster, but it was what it was. We finished the 2nd mile in 8:20. I soon would pass Rico on a hill, which led me to believe that he was fading from the results of his race the day before. Near the 3rd mile, to my surprise, Rico passed me on a hill at a pace that I couldn't maintain. I would finish in 33:56, which was about a minute and a half faster than last year. Rico would finish about a minute ahead of me. This was a tremendous improvement for him, since I had beaten him by 28 seconds the year before.

After the race, treated the family and I to breakfast at The Flying Biscuit Cafe, where we would see our friend Dewberry, who was a contestant on the first season of Hell's Kitchen. We had a great meal. The biscuits are legendary (hence the name), and the grits were simply delicious, even Rhian liked them (and she hates grits). Afterward, we visited the bakery to say bye to Dewberry. We asked him for the grits recipe, and to my surprise, he gave me The Flying Biscuit Cookbook as a Father's Day gift. To top it off, they had chocolate muffin samples on the counter, and Christian asked for some. Dewberry went ahead and gave Christian a whole one. Needless to say Christian was very happy!

Christian's Summer Soccer Season Begins

On Tuesday, Christian began Under 4 outdoor soccer. This his is second season with the Henry County Soccer Association's Parents & Tots Soccer Program and his first with the Under 4's. Christian was really excited when he woke up. He has practice at 10 AM every Tuesday, and after he had his breakfast, I told him to go get dressed, as I had put his uniform on his bed. About 3 minutes later, he comes out to the kitchen, fully dressed, socks and shoes included, and asks with a big smile on his face, "How do I look?" He was so excited. He did different running and jumping drills, and finished practice with some shooting drills. He really enjoyed himself and did very well! He's getting more and more confidence with each practice.

Dad & I Compete in Half Iron Man Triathlon

Dad and I competed in what was for both of us, our first half Ironman triathlon. It was the Rock n Rollman Half Ironman competition, at Lake Tobesofkee in Macon, Georgia. For those unfamiliar with what a half Ironman consists of, it's a 1.2 mile swim, a 56 mile bike, then a 13.1 mile run. It's also know as 70.3 Ironman. It was a hot and humid day, unfortunately the hottest day of the year so far. It started out nice, it was 72 degrees, though humid. My biggest fear coming into the race was the swim and the heat. I was used to swimming 1.2 miles in a pool, but not in open water. In a pool you see the bottom, see what's around you, and every 25 yards you have a wall to hold onto. I hadn't done any training in open water, and only had swam a long distance in open water once before. Another problem I had was the fact that I breathe to my left and the course was clockwise, meaning the buoys were to the right. Needless to say I found myself veering off course, especially during the first half of the swim. I probably swam an extra tenth of a mile correcting myself. I did manage to finish the swim 51 minutes, so my biggest fear had passed. My next challenge was the bike. Once again, I had only trained once on the open road, that being a 22 miler the month before, and the longest I had been on the stationary bike at the YMCA was 40 miles. The course was very hilly to say the least! Where I could average 24-25 MPH on the stationary bike, I ended up averaging 15 MPH on the road. Transition from the bike to run was very difficult. I was 4:51 into race and knew that I now only had 3 hours and 9 minutes in which to complete the run, which sounds very doable, but the way I was feeling, I had to hope that I could walk/run it in that time. As I left the transition area to start my run, I met my friend Rico Dorsey, whom I "competed" against in Atlanta Track Club races. We're both the same age and both run similar times. He has done quite a few triathlons and had given me great advice during the week prior to the race. It was great seeing him there. The heat was now starting to catch up to me and my legs were really fatigued. By the time I got going, I could only manage a walk for the first 5 minutes. Every effort to run was met with a strong desire to walk. It was funny in a way, since I could run a 9:15 pace for 13.1 miles if it was the only thing I had to do. Now here I was, contemplating what I would have to do to run 13.1 miles in 3 hours, which I calculated to be slightly under a 15 minutes per mile! I had relegated myself to the fact that I would walk 90% and run whenever the spirit hit me to accomplish what was now, my new goal. I was able to maintain this pace for the first 5 miles. In fact at before the turnaround on the first leg, I finally saw my dad. I was about 5 minutes behind him, and hoped that I would be able to run enough to eventually catch him, and walk with him the rest of the way. I tried, but by the time I got 5 1/2 miles, I was really starting to feel the effects of the heat, which was now 96 degrees on the road. My goal was to reach 6 miles and see how I felt after taking water. It took me over 18 minutes to go from miles 5-6, and by the time I reached the next aid station at 6 1/2 miles, I had made the decision that enough was enough. I still had nearly 7 miles to go, it was now 2 in the afternoon, and the prospect of being out in the hot sun on the hot road with no shade for another 90 minutes was more than it was worth. It was a very hard decision to make, since I had spent countless hours over the previous 6 months preparing for this very day. I was really looking forward to completing it, but it wasn't worth risking my health to do so. What helped me to make the decision was knowing that regardless of what I did, my children would love me regardless (and Rhian too, of course! :o>), and that there will be other days in which to compete. I told a race official who was directing on the course that I was done and asked what I needed to do. She said an ambulance was on hand, but I wasn't in need of it. She tried to encourage me to continue, and in fact I took a couple of steps on the 2nd leg of the run, turned around and said there's no way. I ended up sitting in the shade at the aid station waiting for a ride. I finished in 6:31, which for anyone, is a long time to engage in exercise! I thought making the decision to quit would be the hardest part, but I was wrong. After I got a ride back, I was dropped off short of the finish. As I walked in, Christian spotted me and both him and Rhian came running out from the side of the road, thinking I was coming in to finish. Tears welled up in my eyes and I told Rhian what had happened. Of course Christian didn't care, he was just happy to see his Daddy! Rhian was wonderful as well, and told me she was proud of me. She knew how hard I had trained and how much I had wanted to complete the race. She was just happy that I was okay. My mom, who had stayed on the side, still thought I had to finish, and was telling me to go! It's kind of funny now. As I sat and waited for my dad, I thought about why my race didn't go as planned. Obviously I needed to do more open water swimming. I also needed to do more biking on the road, and increase my mileage. Also, I would need to do more heat training on my run. After thinking about it, I was fortunate to have accomplished what I did. What's really funny now is that one point during my training, I thought I would be able to finish in 5 1/2 hours, since if you combined my fastest times in each of the events, it would add up to this. But putting all 3 together was totally different. It's actually quite laughable now. Dad had planned on finishing in 8 hours so we figured he be arriving around 3:45. After 3:30 every few minutes, Mom would go up the road to see if he was coming in. When she finally saw him, she ran out to meet him, like a wife greeting a soldier coming back from the war. It was the fastest I had seen Mom run in a while! Dad looked really good coming in. He was walking fast and talking with a smile on his face. He finished in 8:12:13, 12 minutes slower than his goal, but considering the heat, the humidity, and the difficulty of the bike, I'd say he did extremely well. Better than me! :o) Those that know Dad are familiar with his athletic achievements over the years. What's phenomenal to me is that he trains harder now at 67 than he has at any time in his life. To overcome a knee replacement 1 year ago at 66, and to compete for over 8 hours is simply amazing. Too look good doing so is even more amazing. I have been proud of my dad over the years, from being a small boy marveling at how strong he was lifting weights to watching him become a national class masters runner. Having shared the same experience as him in the half Ironman, and the amount of training that goes into it, I can easily say that I have never been more proud of him and proud to tell people that he is my father.

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