"But You're Here Doing It!"

Says the girl with two braids in a ridiculously chipper voice...every time we passed her.  She was obviously feeling pity for the girls in last place!!  I know she was trying to be encouraging and supportive, which is so awesome.  But hearing those words while you're barely able to pick your feet up off the ground is more like a swift kick to the seat of my padded cycling shorts!

"Oh you're last. You poor things!"

But, yes...we were there doing it.  And we finished.

Rewind to the beginning.

Me and miss Rachel.  Duathlon buddies!

ELMA, WA.

LABOR DAY DUATHLON

2.13.2

So we got there and we were nervous and it was cold.  It was our first duathlon and neither one of us really knew what to do.  Our mechanics (Doug and Greg) set up our bikes while Rach and I made a pit stop and I squeezed into my super hot padded cycling shorts.  Doug kept telling me it looked like I was wearing a diaper.  Thanks honey.

Rach gets frisky when she's nervous.

At the starting line.

The course was a back and forth course.  This is us on our way back from the first 2 mile run.

There was a triathlon going on at the same time.  The peeps that were doing that were out of the water and  passing us on their bikes before we were even to the half mile mark!!

Out for the 13 mile ride.

Back from the 13 mile ride.

Going out for the second 2 mile run.

(I had my pants on over my cycling shorts cause I was so cold!!)

This was the hardest part.  Trying to pick up my legs to run after riding on a bike for 13 miles was insane.  I felt like they weighed an extra hundred pounds each.  There is no exaggeration in saying that.  It may be different for other people and they may handle it better, but not for me or Rach.  It was difficult...to say the least.

But we kept going.

(and so did this guy!)

Back from the second 2 mile run.

Just about to cross the finish line.

All done.  And very tired.  It was hard.

And very touching.

Even though is was harder than we thought it would be and we finished last with times of  (me) 1:41:30 and (Rach) 1:41:35...we are so doing it again.  I still can't get over the feeling of accomplishment when I am done with any sort of race.  I worked hard.  I trained, I sweated, I doubted, I hurt.  But I did it.

WE DID IT!!

Thank you RR for doing this with me.  You rock sister!!  You know I love you!

So, on to more intense training. More sweat, more soreness, more pain, more adrenaline...I LOVE IT!!!  I can't wait.

P.S.

Olivia and Isabelle were having a little moment...

I stayed after...just in case...I were to receive something.  (Which actually makes me chuckle a little).   Low and behold,  I did.  But I assure you it wasn't because I placed.  I believe that they had some medals left over and they were just giving them out till they were gone.  I got the very last one.  But...a medal is a medal and you bet I ran up there like a giddy school girl and put that sucker on right away!!

P.P.S

Big shout out to Greg for letting me use his bike.  I promise that I will be getting one soon, so you will only have to loan it to me a few more times!!  ;)

And somehow those homemade chocolate chip cookies and package of Oreo's don't seem like a big enough 'thank you.'  I will have to come up with something else.