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Ironman St. George Weekend



No way was I going to miss the Ironman coming to Utah!

Just in case there is still any confusion:
I was not racing. Never planned on it. Never had a desire to do so. Almost.

Why?
I like to have a life besides triathlon. I've been there, done that. Too early in the season. No desire to train hard through the winter.

But I was still dying to go down there, be part of the excitement, support my friends, and have a blast! So when my friend, Lynda Wallenfels, invited my family to stay at her house, we packed up the car and headed south. Part of me wanted to go down there by myself, so I could spend all of race day out there being the kind of cheerleader I like to be. The other part of me was excited to go on a fun family adventure and squeeze all of my favorite activities into one short weekend:

Early morning trail run, beautiful bike rides, lots of family fun, cheering here and there, good food. What more could I ask for?

Congratulations to all of my friends who finished such a tough Ironman!

Especially to B.J. Christenson who finished as the 3rd age grouper!










And to my good fried, Leslie Howlett, who had an amazing race!











On Sunday after church, Lynda and her friend Dave took me on a mountain bike ride in one of my favorite places. I was so happy to see the Bear Claw Poppies as they are only in bloom 3 weeks each year.


I thought this was going to be a nice little ride but I should have known better. After all, I was riding with the 24-hour Solo National Champion! I tried to explain to her that I am NOT a mountain biker but she was not listening. A few miles into the ride, I said: "When I told you I can't mountain bike, I actually meant it." Dave's reply: "We did not believe you." Yeah, well, they figured that one out fast.

Lynda is one tough chick!

Personally, I thought I was doing pretty well. I kinda felt bad I was slowing them down so much. But mostly, I was so happy to be out there on the trails and having a blast!

Someday I am gonna be good at this!


Comments

jaredandgina said…
Oh the crack, many good memories there. Did you ever go with us there way back when we were in high school? I was surprised to hear that St. George was having an Ironman and even more surprised to see that two of my cousins participated. One finished. Pretty crazy! When are you guys moving?
May 07, 2010
LyndaW said…
We loved having you guys. Those are cute pics of the kids playing.

Sarah you CAN mtb - you rode the dirt great! It was fun to show you some trails and the poppies were beautiful. They are fading a little already.

Lynda
May 08, 2010
Nate + Carlee said…
So glad you got to go! Sounds like it was very fun!
May 08, 2010
Leslie said…
So glad you came down Sarah! It was great seeing you on the course (and on the way home). Looks like you guys had a great time!
May 08, 2010
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