Joy in the Journey

Well, 2014 was quite an active year, full of new adventures while being a new mom.  One of hiking.......

Cecret Lake UT

.........Climbing....................

Maple Canyon UT

..........Camping, Fishing.........

Washington Lake, UT

...............And Triathlons!

The first of the year was the Rock Cliff Sprint Tri at Jordanelle Reservoir. Great to get back into the open water again, although the cold temperatures made for an incredible headache on the water exit! 

 Someone even had a special present for Mommy at the finish line! Explosion diaper! Hooray!

The next was Saratoga Springs, a sprint triathlon I had done the previous year when I was 4 months pregnant with Leilani. This year it was more training than anything, getting ready for my first Olympic distance. But I did manage to get a huge PR (personal record) on the course by 13 minutes, as well as place 3rd overall for the women! LOVE the new bike, it cruises. 

Saratoga 2014 - Leilani checking out the award

The final tri of the year was the more grueling Olympic Distance at Pineview Reservoir, my first attempt at that length, and perhaps my last! :) There was frost on the grass as we arrived in Huntsville, quite a cold September morning. But the water was perfect for a nice 1 mile swim - that was my favorite part. There were times when my stroke was so in sync I felt like a fish gliding through the water - nothing like it. I worked a lot in the pool on my freestyle technique, so that was a huge payoff. The bike section, however, was loooooong.... come to find out afterward that one of my brakes had shifted so the pads had been partially braking me the entire ride of 34 miles.... nice one....

The run had been the hardest to train for. Having pretty much thrashed my knees from sports in high school and college, I have a difficult time running more than 3 or 4 miles without joint pain. And yes, I am not even 30! But I survived and it felt great to accomplish the feat. 

But I must say............

The joy is in the journey!