Dave - It's a no brainer! You are not a fraud if you are slower than others, you are still a participating athlete! I have to remind myself of this all of the time. You should enter! It sounds like a ton of fun.
So speaking of being slow and still being an athlete, here is my race report.
I just finished my first xterra race. It is basically an off road tri w/ swim/mt. bike and trail run. The mountian biking is all single track as is the trail run. The ride (one that i had the fortune to practice a few times) is NOT entry level mt. biking at all. It is very technical w/ lots of huge climbs and tons of rocks, roots and drops. At one point in the bike course, there was a mandatory dismount b/c they were concerned that that part of the course was too far away from medical help!
During the prerace meeting, the race director told us of the course hazards and what to expect during the swim. Basically, he said the lake was spring fed, so very clean and clear but that it had lots of vegitation! He was not kidding! The race started w/ a mass start (87 participants). We ran into the water. I think i was the last person into the water as i did not want to be beaten in the head and bod by all other swimmers, so i literally waited until everyone was swimming, and then i started (can we as non-aggressive!) The vegitation along the bottom of the lake was visable through the entire swim. I often had a piece on my face arm or shoulder. It was kindof' surreal! I hate being lonely during a race, so i found a swim buddy! There was a guy that was side stroking about the same speed as my freestyle, so I talked to him in the water (that really made me happy) It was also nice having him b/c I did not have to look up to keep my direction as much. I knew he could see, so I just kept him in my sight!
After coming out of the water i slow jogged to the t/a which was really far away. During the t/a i ate a gel and put on my socks and bike shoes. Phil was leaving out of ta and EC was just getting there. I took out on the bike for the huge long ride (13 miles which does not sound like a lot until you see these trails. They are not normal!) I passed a bunch of people on the 1st lap (5 miles). I planned to climb the next big hill and then eat another gel. Guess what I forgot to load!!!!! the gels! I had to ride to the next aid station. by then I got really low. I did gain on couple of people, but never passed too many more. I made a really big mistake forgetting my gels! Anyway, I caught up to a girl in my age gp (she ended up coming in 3rd overall) I was riding better than her and faster, until.... I crashed BIG! I ripped my shorts, bent my derailler hanger (which messed up my easy climbing gears) and my handle bars were crooked (the stem was moved) I caught up to the girl again and then lost her again at the aid station where i stopped to get food. Then I was feeling pretty low on food and spirits. I was bleeding, ripped and my bike was jacked up. i also lost my bike computer on the fall. Anyway, I started thinking aobut you guys and my feather (which i brought, but forgot to put on my bike.) I was literally smiling and thinking (in a very girly way) "my feather" when all of the sudden i was flying over my handle bars and onto the ground! I hit a mud slick and think i was riding w/ my handle bars straight in my hands, which means i hit the mud w/ a sideways front wheel! I got back on, passed that girl on the next climb and then basically tanked! I thought aobut quitting when i got back to the ta. I rode the whole deal faster than i had in training. I decided to go back out for the run. I remembered my food and h2o. Basically at that point I had NOTHING! I was so imbalanced electrolyte wise that i could only walk! I walked (slowly) most of the 5 mile run (in my defense, it took EC a really long time by her standards) I used Christa's prayer technique (although part of the time it was not too altrustic, as i was praying for myself
) On the run, i was thinking about judy's healthy cat and about telling you guys about my feather crash! I was able to sprint out the finish. there weren't very many women there and until the very end of the bike, i think i was somewhere around 2-4th overall. by the end of the run, i'm pretty sure i finished last in my age gp. #3 in my age gp passed me about 1/2 way through the run. #4 passed me while i was sitting at an aid station trying to catch up by drinking gatoraid. I did some things really wrong like forgetting my gels (huge mistake) and not even thinking of taking elecrrolyte tabs for a hot summer race. I did one thing right in that i recognized what was happening on the run and I slowed my body down to prevent additional sweating and I drank only gatoraid. Mostly I kept going! I'd have liked to have done better on the finish, but I suppose I'm just happy to have finished it! I have major bruises from the 1st crash and I'm going to have to take my bike in today b/4 i can ride again. Someone found my bike computer and i ended up getting it back! Phil did great but his time was not excellent as he and 3 flats and only one tube and enough air for 1 and 1/2 inflations. I actually almost caught up to him b/c he had to walk. He was walking in to quit as he couldn't finish on a flat and friends saw him and gave him additional tubes and air.
Thanks for riding and running w/ me again wish team!!!! Next time, i'd like to not take a dive right at the moment that i'm thinking affectionaly of you guys
Sunny - how are you today? any better?
So speaking of being slow and still being an athlete, here is my race report.
I just finished my first xterra race. It is basically an off road tri w/ swim/mt. bike and trail run. The mountian biking is all single track as is the trail run. The ride (one that i had the fortune to practice a few times) is NOT entry level mt. biking at all. It is very technical w/ lots of huge climbs and tons of rocks, roots and drops. At one point in the bike course, there was a mandatory dismount b/c they were concerned that that part of the course was too far away from medical help!
During the prerace meeting, the race director told us of the course hazards and what to expect during the swim. Basically, he said the lake was spring fed, so very clean and clear but that it had lots of vegitation! He was not kidding! The race started w/ a mass start (87 participants). We ran into the water. I think i was the last person into the water as i did not want to be beaten in the head and bod by all other swimmers, so i literally waited until everyone was swimming, and then i started (can we as non-aggressive!) The vegitation along the bottom of the lake was visable through the entire swim. I often had a piece on my face arm or shoulder. It was kindof' surreal! I hate being lonely during a race, so i found a swim buddy! There was a guy that was side stroking about the same speed as my freestyle, so I talked to him in the water (that really made me happy) It was also nice having him b/c I did not have to look up to keep my direction as much. I knew he could see, so I just kept him in my sight!
After coming out of the water i slow jogged to the t/a which was really far away. During the t/a i ate a gel and put on my socks and bike shoes. Phil was leaving out of ta and EC was just getting there. I took out on the bike for the huge long ride (13 miles which does not sound like a lot until you see these trails. They are not normal!) I passed a bunch of people on the 1st lap (5 miles). I planned to climb the next big hill and then eat another gel. Guess what I forgot to load!!!!! the gels! I had to ride to the next aid station. by then I got really low. I did gain on couple of people, but never passed too many more. I made a really big mistake forgetting my gels! Anyway, I caught up to a girl in my age gp (she ended up coming in 3rd overall) I was riding better than her and faster, until.... I crashed BIG! I ripped my shorts, bent my derailler hanger (which messed up my easy climbing gears) and my handle bars were crooked (the stem was moved) I caught up to the girl again and then lost her again at the aid station where i stopped to get food. Then I was feeling pretty low on food and spirits. I was bleeding, ripped and my bike was jacked up. i also lost my bike computer on the fall. Anyway, I started thinking aobut you guys and my feather (which i brought, but forgot to put on my bike.) I was literally smiling and thinking (in a very girly way) "my feather" when all of the sudden i was flying over my handle bars and onto the ground! I hit a mud slick and think i was riding w/ my handle bars straight in my hands, which means i hit the mud w/ a sideways front wheel! I got back on, passed that girl on the next climb and then basically tanked! I thought aobut quitting when i got back to the ta. I rode the whole deal faster than i had in training. I decided to go back out for the run. I remembered my food and h2o. Basically at that point I had NOTHING! I was so imbalanced electrolyte wise that i could only walk! I walked (slowly) most of the 5 mile run (in my defense, it took EC a really long time by her standards) I used Christa's prayer technique (although part of the time it was not too altrustic, as i was praying for myself
) On the run, i was thinking about judy's healthy cat and about telling you guys about my feather crash! I was able to sprint out the finish. there weren't very many women there and until the very end of the bike, i think i was somewhere around 2-4th overall. by the end of the run, i'm pretty sure i finished last in my age gp. #3 in my age gp passed me about 1/2 way through the run. #4 passed me while i was sitting at an aid station trying to catch up by drinking gatoraid. I did some things really wrong like forgetting my gels (huge mistake) and not even thinking of taking elecrrolyte tabs for a hot summer race. I did one thing right in that i recognized what was happening on the run and I slowed my body down to prevent additional sweating and I drank only gatoraid. Mostly I kept going! I'd have liked to have done better on the finish, but I suppose I'm just happy to have finished it! I have major bruises from the 1st crash and I'm going to have to take my bike in today b/4 i can ride again. Someone found my bike computer and i ended up getting it back! Phil did great but his time was not excellent as he and 3 flats and only one tube and enough air for 1 and 1/2 inflations. I actually almost caught up to him b/c he had to walk. He was walking in to quit as he couldn't finish on a flat and friends saw him and gave him additional tubes and air. Thanks for riding and running w/ me again wish team!!!! Next time, i'd like to not take a dive right at the moment that i'm thinking affectionaly of you guys
Sunny - how are you today? any better?
). Everytime I thought it was better and tried to run, I hurt it again!! But, I think it is finally better-- I've had a couple runs last week, and things are looking better! (especially since I was at DisneyWorld last week-- I think it was Disney that healed it-- it was just too great to be able to run around Seven Seas Lagoon to have an injured foot!!!!)
To EVERYONE! Iknow we are all in need in some way. 
Glad to know that I will find some along the way. I can only dream of a 14 min pace, I will be happy with a 15:30!!
I left my diet when I left the state of Colorado. lol. Tomorrow I'm going to try to walk 6 miles, 
if my big spare tire can fit through the door. ha.ha.
work doesn't seem to be slowing down at all, if anything I am gettting more and more work - which is fine, the day goes by fast but it is part of the reason that I don't get to post as much 
at this.....My MIL told me last year at HH that with all the running I do, you would think I would be thin. 
So what is she trying to say???? Well she let me know real quick that my SIL (the evil one who causes all the probs in the fam...but MIL LOVES her) was so much thinner than me and she has had 3 children (and I only have 2). Any who....My SIL was not then and is not now thinner than me...but I still choose to be mad! 
I split the first mile at 9:07 and then did the second in 8:40. I guess the rest day worked! I'm scheduled for another 5K training run tomorrow morning, so we'll see how that goes. I feel like I am finally back in the groove again.
Glad to hear that I am not the only one who has a SIL from hell!
good to see you around again. We missed you!
I say we put your MIL and my MIL in a troom and just let them kill each other, 
