Shake Your Pom Poms

This past weekend I got to do a lot of cheering.  Not only was my coach Anthony and fellow triathlon blogger Courtney from The TriGirl Chronicles crushing IM Syracuse 70.3, but my kids raced in their first obstacle race.  The Extreme Field Day for Kids is a race series that put on Warrior Dash-like events for the younger set.  Not only that, but the race was being held at Wachusett Mountain, our nearby ski resort.  Also the place that we got married nearly 9 years ago. Jumping ahead - after the race we rode the chairlift to the top and then hiked the short hiking trail up to the summit.  This picture is us on our wedding day, then our munchkins running up the same trail.  Pretty cool.

The event itself was great. Very well organized, with lots of goodies (included Yasso Frozen Yogurt bars - yum!) available to reward the little racers and their parents.  Gypsy also brought her gang, so my two and her oldest three all ran in various heats.  They had the kids do jumping jacks, knee touches, and generally goof around in the moment before each wave went off, which I think helped dispel some of the anxiety the kids were feeling.

  

I was really impressed with the way my little guy attacked the rope climb and the mud pit.  He was not messing around.  He was in the Cubs heat, so he ran a total of 0.5 mile.  His sister was in the Tigers heat, so after doing about half of the obstacles she was sent to run up and around the lift to make her total distance a mile.  The older kids would run all the way around the lodge for 1.5 miles.  The obstacles were all kid-challenging but kid-appropriate.  Parents (myself included) were called in to help on a couple of tricky spots, but overall everyone seemed to have a great time.

Over the barricade

My little guy in is the white shirt and brown striped shorts.
Attacked that rope climb!

Through the rainbow tires

My little girl (orange) jumps over

If the Extreme Field Day series comes anywhere near you and you have little ones, I would totally recommend signing them up.  It was a ton a fun, a great confidence builder.... and come on.  What kids doesn't really want to jump in a mud pit??

Podium finish!!!

 In other awesome kid-related news, Hummingbird (left) and I spent chunks of the past week and then most of Saturday making this Marvel superheroes cake for a little boy's sixth birthday.  We donated the cake through Cakes Against Cancer for Kids, a nonprofit that connects bakers and children fighting illness in order to provide a special designer cake for their birthdays or other special occasion.  It was a lot of fun to make, and the first time that Hummingbird and I have worked together on a large project.  She got to deliver it (I was at the race with kids), but she said the little guy adored it!  Success!

This coming weekend, it's my turn again to race.  Gypsy, Gill and I are headed north to Fairlee Vermont for the New England Trifest, sponsored by Sun Multisports.  The weather looks great, and I'll have some great friends by my side.  All that said, I do have a certain amount of nerves about the event.  It will be my first Olympic distance triathlon, and I have some concerns about nutrition and the run.  I've not been able to run continuously since I started back after my cortisone shot a few weeks back - the most I've managed in 5 miles doing 4:1 intervals.  So that part could be interesting.  I have some nerves about crashing my bike, since a good friend bit it at the Patriot 70.3 two weeks ago, and Anthony did this past weekend at IM Syracuse (they are both more or less ok.  But still).

Actually the former friend that crashed turned into a really sweet story.  She hurt her shoulder, but finished the bike and did the whole half-marathon anyway for a strong finish.  After the race, another triathlete in our community organized a secret fund - her students (she is a personal trainer), teammates, and fellow triathletes all chipped in to cover the cost of the ER, her bike repair, and of course a new helmet.  That is one thing I really like about the triathlon community.  You never know who you are inspiring, and people really do join together to help each other.  Very cool for what is, by its nature, a pretty competitive sport!

My next post will be a race recap!  Fingers crossed - I'll be in the water by 7:30 am on Sunday!!!

What should Jedi and I do for my anniversary??