My 3rd Triathlon: Skiing, Biking & Running —

I just raced in my 3rd Grizzly Peak Adventure Race! I skied, biked and ran 11.5 miles in 00:45:07. The race was a blast, I loved the excitement of seeing everyone out having fun. 

The very first race Griz Race in '11 was put on by amazing volunteers & fun people. It inspired me to run, race & do more with myself. It was the first race I'd ever really competed in. After the race I spontaneously ran through the summer of '11. I competed & placed in a couple little races.  Then I skied all winter, & continued to run. Last year in April 2012 I raced in the Grizzly Peak Adventure Race. I placed 5th in my age group, with a total time of 0:45:40. Overall took 99th place, out of 240 soloists. 

Through the summer (2012) I became an weekend warrior. September came, & I still was running some. My average time was slower, but if I really wanted to, I could do a 7 minute mile. When I was running a lot, my fastest miles were in the 6:30min family. During the 2011-2-12 ski season I injured my knee, during a ski race - tearing the ligaments that hold the kneecap in place and giving me a bad knee for life. My knee has since healed, but it's always gonna hurt, because it healed funky with scar tissue & muscle tension.

During the fall I became an every-other weekend runner. My miles taking anywhere from 7:45 - 10 minutes. Then when winter came again, I only went running (wearing a knee brace) whenever the roads weren't iced over, or in other words, not very often.

Bikes from this year's race! 

I skied this past season of 2012-13 about 20 times. Not as much as the 2011-12 season, but I had therapy for my bum knee or out was of town, 2 of 5 months for the season. I had a BLAST this season, even though my knee was weak & the snow conditions were kinda crummy up on the mountain. I love skiing! It's not just a sport, it's a passion.

I started running just a little February & found that after a couple months of not running, I was out of shape as far as stamina went. So I went running during the winter as much as I could, though not really very much. I got my average time to around 8 minutes. 

On the 2nd to last week of ski season in April '13 I badly sprained my right ankle (same leg as the bad knee). It was annoying - I while skiing only fell like 7 times all season. But I didn't quite land a jump & sprained my ankle… Had to end the ski day early, because it swelled up so much, & it was painful too. :P

But I went back up next week to ski, with an ankle brace on, & skied that last day of the season really easy & slow. Thankfully three weeks after spraining it, my ankle was feeling some better, but I was still hesitant about running…. But by then, the big race was upon me & I had no time left to train!

Somehow I managed to get 3rd place in my age group 20-29 females, with a time of 0:45:07 -for 2.5 mile ski, 6 mile bike, 2.5 mile run! Overall in the female division I placed 11th out of 71. Ultimately I placed 65th out of 173 soloists. (Top half, at least!) I might add that there were only 71 women soloists racing, the rest were men. 

For just the skiing part, I placed 9th out of 228 skiers, male/female. There were 173 soloists, but there was a large number of team racers, that raced as well. (With the team racers the total skiers numbered about 350. I placed 11th out of them!!)  I skied 2.5 miles in 0:01:50! My average speed was 81mph! 

My bike & run times were slower though. It took me 22min to run 2.5 miles, averaging 9 minute miles. If you have ever skied down a mountain, with the average speed of 81pmh, then ridden your bike as fast as you could for a number of miles, & then jump off to run up hill on a bum knee (or downhill for that matter) your legs will complain. My legs did, they felt quite heavy & jello like at the same time. My thighs were burning, and  I was huffing & puffing. ;)

Runners,  joggers and walkers racing their way up the hill. 

It was fun getting up on the mountain one last time for the season. Middle of April. Not too many people are still skiing then. The excitement of racing was great, I'm generally a pretty competitive person so getting through the race as fast as I could was fun. It's aways so beautiful & quite up there on top of the mountain. The views are amazing, I always feel so inspired & awestruck when looking down on the vast expanse of earth below.

I want to say just how thankful I am for good health! There are many people who don't have good health & are limited with what they can do. We should all be incredibly thankful for the abilities & heath that we all have. Talents great or small. Health poor or well. -Everything is ordained by God for our good, wether we see it or not. One day we all will see.

We can get out & do things, some things many people are unable to do. I love the outdoors. I love working hard. I love the feeling of the sun on my skin, dirt under my nails, an icy wind blowing in my face with the sent of pine in the air. To close one's eyes are listen to the sounds of birds singing their songs in the woods. Ahhh. We should all be thankful for our lives & for all that have & all that we can do. 

The time & freedom we have that allows us to get out & do the things we love, should never be taken for granted. The energy we burn running, cooking, skiing, gardening, biking, dancing, etc. is a blessing.  I'm thankful that I'm able to get out & take in the wonders of God's amazing creation! It's truly refreshing to know that we can rest in the strength & comfort that God will provide & sustain us through all things. Let Him have the glory & show Himself strong in your life. All strength comes from God - Remember your flesh & heart may fail, but God is the strength of your heart & our portion forever.  

So get out there & do what you love! Don't hold back. Stay strong, stay fit & remember always that Jesus is where your strength & life comes from. 

"He gives power to the faint & to him who has no might He increases strength. Even youths shall faint and be weary, and young men shall fall exhausted; but they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint." Isaiah 40:29-31

"…Be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might." Ephesians 6:10 

-GB  

Just Do It —

RUN. (Quoting Nike's catchphrase.) Been tryin' to get back into a good running schedule. Injured the knee skiing in January; it's still pretty stiff. I hadn't run in over a month. And I was feeling really out of shape. So I went out jogging tonight. (Did around 3 miles in 22 minutes, I was surprised how fast that was for me!) There was a truly magnificent sunset. The sky was set ablaze! Ever-changing shades of purple, yellow & orange lit the heavens in a radiant, dusty haze. While I was jogging with my ipod, it rained lightly. Got fairly wet, from sweat & rain, but it was totally worth it.

In the east, where dark clouds rose ominously, there was a bright rainbow. I could see the whole entirety of it's colorful arching span. The rain eventually slowed to a light drizzle & then stopped. The arch of color faded. The pavement was still warm & wet under my shoes. The air smelled beautiful. Crisp & clean. The sun slipped beneath the rimrocks, & I ran on….  

-GB

Triathlons, Racing, Gratitude & Ramblings

Soooo, I just competed in my 2nd triathlon! The race was a blast! It was 11.5 miles long. I placed 5th in my age group, boys/girls aged 16-20, with a total time of 00:45:40. Overall I took 99th place, out of 240 soloists. There were a total of about 500 racers, the rest being on a three person team, one person for each leg of the race. It was a skiing, biking, running event. Running was my weak link, as my knee was pretty stiff & sore from an injury I got about two months ago. Skiing was the best, I skied 2.5 miles in about 3 minutes! I love racing, (mainly skiing) the sport & excitement is fun - The starting point for the race was on top of the mountain. I skied 2.5 miles down to the bike transition, from there biked downhill 6 miles. Then I ran 2.5 miles to the finish line!

The day was beautiful, so cold with a fresh blanket of snow sparkling on everything, pristine & bright. 

I also participated in the Grizzly Peak Adventure Race it's very first year. 

It was April 2011.  I did an 11 mile triathlon: 2.5 mile of skiing: time 0:3:37,2.5 miles running: time 0:25:47,6 miles biking: time 0:18:03. Total time: 00.47.21. I took 27th place out of 66 female soloists, & 2nd place in my age group, boys & girls 16-20 years. Running was clearly my weakest place. But, in my defense, I got a reallly bad cramp, & actually walked for about a half a mile. Not fun. There were over 300 racers.

But overall, the race was so exciting, that feeling inspired, I started doing just a little bit of jogging on the side, maybe once every week or two. ;)

On July 4th, I did a two mile run, & took 2nd place with the time of 0:14:? min. for the female age group 15-20.

Now I was jogging, on the weekends whenever I could.

Then in like August 2011. I ran in a little 3K. I took first place, (age group) with an average time of 0:17:49. Overall place of 10th, out of about 70 racers. (Yes, it was a very small event.) I started "training" about a week before hand. Again, not a good idea, but it musta worked, that or all the other racers were reallllly crummy. (hehe!)

October 2011. I ran a 2 mile run, took 3rd place (age group) with a time of  0:14:23.  This was a large event, with over 300 runners, but the data is incomplete. I don't know anything other then that I placed 2nd. 

In November, I was in great running schedule. (I was actually running, not doing the jogging thing most people call running.) I did about 3-2 miles, every-other to every day, with good times: 7 − 6.30 minute miles.

But then I started skiing in December. I got lazy with my running. I became a "weekend warrior".  And in January 2012, I injured my knee in a skiing race. Now I've got to tell you about it — 

It was a smaller event, that lasted for 6 weeks. January- February. Timed slalom racing, with 106 racers total. Overall I placed 30th. But I had a bad crash while practicing, & hyperextended my leg, tore some little muscles holding my knee cap in place, & generally really twisted things up. (But I didn't know that, until about 8 months later, when I went in for Xrays & a MRI.) I just thought I'd pulled some muscles, or something. It hurt sure like the dickens, when it happened, I limped around for a few days & took pain meds. (NOTE: if you ever have a bad ski crash & limp for more then a week, go see the doctor, asap!) But after a week or so, the knee was just really stiff & weak feeling. I honestly didn't think much of it, thinking it would heal in time…

This is me slalom racing! 

Now I've caught you up to date, April 2012 & the triathlon I just competed in, & told you about.  (This post became a lot longer then I originally intended!) If you are a runner or a biker or a skier  - Keep pressing onwards! Don't stop & never, ever give up! NEVER take your good heath for granted! Be thankful - You have so much! Legs that take you places, eyes to see the beautiful world with, energy to burn & time to do it all. Enjoy what you do & find the beauty in God's amazing creation while you are on the roads, trails or slopes!  Stay strong, fit & thankful, while always remembering that Jesus is where your strength comes from!

"The Lord is my strength and my song, and he has become my salvation; this is my God, and I will praise him, my father's God, and I will exalt him." Exodus 15:2 

-GB