Lessmann Visit, Father's Day, and Sprint Triathlon

Gayle got me some pictures, so I'm catching up with my blog posts. Mom and Dad (Lola and Papa) came into town for Father's Day weekend. They knew in advance that I had a Sprint Triathlon scheduled for the Sunday, so I had to pick up my race packet on Saturday in Boulder. Dad accompanied me and we went for a tour of foothills, looking for some property that my Dad had his eye on.

Time with Mom and Dad is always busy when they come, as they are trying to spend time with grandkids plus Rachael and Brian next door. But they manage to cram many activities and much love into a short period of time. Dad mowed the lawn with Austin, and Mom was ever willing to read yet another story that Wyatt carried over to her (precious!).

The real highlight of the weekend was celebrating Mom and Dad's 35th anniversary with them. Rachael and Mom cooked a DELICIOUS Crab Imperial, and after dinner, my dad whipped out of list depicting everything he and Mom had done for their anniversary for the 34 years prior. Talk about a stroll down memory lane. Somehow their anniversaries coincided with free meals dolled out by the drug companies, but hey, they sounded good!

The other highlight was that Dad and Gayle got to accompany me to my second ever triathlon, this one a sprint triathlon in Boulder, Colorado - a 750 m swim, a 25 mile bike, and a 5k. Sounds easy, but pretty gut-busting actually. I swam the whole time on the swim, which isn't to say I had a great swim. But I had a very solid bike (on my road bike), averaging 22.9 mph in somewhat windy conditions, and then managed to run 6:48 miles off the bike - I'm capable of faster, but not bad. Best of all, Gayle and Dad cheered me out of the water, through the bike transition, off the bike, and twice during the run. And better yet, at the 3 mile marker, Dad took off in front of me and willed me to the finish line. What a Father's Day moment!

They say you watch a triathlon and either want to do one yourself, or say hell no. No surprise, Dad found himself in the former category, and was already looking up times in his age group when we got home.

Gayle took some pretty sweet pictures, including of me and my training buddy Dan. After the triathlon, we cruised home and played with the kids, did a drainage project in the backyard (thanks to Brian's genius), and had bbq ribs for dinner - my favorite - thanks to the Pritchards.

Getting ready for the race - 6:15 am. Cool artsy shot by Gayle. Dan and me before the race.10 seconds before the gun goes off I gather my thoughts.

That's me in the middle.

I will never forget this moment with my dad. Every triathlete has people who aid and inspire them. Here's a perfect example.

My precious boys and me on Father's Day.