Fireman Triathlon

Ed did his first triathlon today. He started swimming with me at Minuteman about 8 weeks ago and decided to try triathlons 4 weeks ago. His goal is to do a half-Ironman in mid-September and he started out with an Olympic distance (1500 m swim - 40 km bike - 10 km run) today. He's been training really hard and I'm so proud of him.

So, we went up to Kennebunk in Maine at oh-dark-thirty. I saw a few people I know from bike racing - Kurt P., Sue M., and Lenore I., which was fun. I really enjoyed watching Ed race.

On a side note, the most surprising thing for me was how few of the triathletes wore helmets while riding around before and after the race. On our way to the car after the race we saw a woman riding and carrying a bag full of stuff (including her helmet) crash. Surprisingly she was okay. Just a few weeks ago Ed was on a ride with a friend who hit a puddle-concealed deep pothole and landed directly on her head. She walked away with nothing more than a cracked helmet and a slight headache. Anyway, we all have tons of stories about how amazing helmets are. Lecture over.

Here is Ed, bringing sexy back.





Ed said, "This was like an ice-water crit."



They moved the swim to a sheltered area, which meant a long run on the beach back to transition.



The transition from swim to bike.





I missed getting a photo of Ed's high-speed cyclocross-style dismount. He scared the riders next to him.





Final result: 2:20.06, 26th overall, 6th in his age group.



We both stupidly failed to apply sunscreen after the race and have uncomfortable sunburns to show for it. Afterwards we drove around a bit along the coast near Kennebunk and stopped on the way home for chocolate-dipped cones at Dairy Queen. Yum!

August

This month has gone by in a blaze of humid discomfort. Here are a few things we did.

I made myself a Mad Men-atar and have been enjoying season 3! I made one for Ed too.





Ed bonded with his sister Liz's dog, Micah, during a quick visit to the in-laws in CT. I knew that pocket was good for something.



A couple of weeks ago, we watched the Gran Prix of Beverly crit. It was fun to see some friends from racing and we scored a bunch of great deals at the Craft sample sale.



I got to see Matty B at the crit!



We've been riding together a bit. This was taken after a short ride around our town last weekend. And we've been swimming with Minuteman Masters. The bump is really slowing down my freestyle (Ed is faster than me now), but my fly, breaststroke, and backstroke seem thus far unaffected.



And of course, we've been trying to keep Miss Betty in fresh cardboard. Nom nom nom!

Baby party!

Kris, Rachel, and Neilie threw a lovely, low-key baby party for me and Ed and the little guy on Sunday. They were wonderful hostesses. Check out the food! I tried all five desserts.



All the children who attended were blond and male. Quite a coincidence.



My sister's back deck was very popular.



A fine book selection from Craig.



Some lovely art from Jen. If only our cats enjoyed leaving the house.



I surprised Ed with a baby-sized sweater vest featuring cabled owls, using organic yarn from Maine that my mother-in-law gave me as a gift a few years ago. I found that it is very difficult to do secret knitting now that Ed works from home. :) My sister was a huge help!



Brad and Fiona made this quilt themselves!



Mark A was in town for the weekend from SF and completely surprised us!



Hanging on the deck.



Lani entrances many guests.



The beautiful sweater my sister knit for the baby (pic stolen from her blog). Project details and additional photos are on her blog.



The adorable bunny slippers my sister knit for the baby (pic stolen from her blog).

Cape Cod bike trip

Last Friday, Ed rode with his friends Allison and Adam from Watertown to Plymouth on the first day of the trip. Here they are near Plymouth after riding through a tremendous downpour.



Allison is underwhelmed by Plymouth Rock.



I joined them in Plymouth the night before day 2 (Plymouth to Brewster). We were overwhelmed by the extensive breakfast menu at Persy's before we started riding.



Starting day 2. Anjuli took the train from Boston and joined us.



Crossing over the Sagamore Bridge to the Cape.



Sadly, this jersey doesn't really fit anymore.



Along the Cape Cod Canal.



Cape Cod Airport. Not too long after this, we got to Barnstable, where we had ice cream. Adam, Allison, and Anjuli continued on to Brewster, where they were camping. (They rode on day 3 from Brewster to Provincetown.) Ed and I turned around and headed back to Plymouth.