FIRMMAN Tri

I've got a cold, so I've finally got some time to catch up on blogging.

Almost two weeks ago, Ed finished off his short triathlon season with the FIRMMAN (half-Ironman distance) in Naragansett, RI. I got a refurbished entry-level DSLR (Olympus E-520 w/14-42mm & 40-150mm lenses) so we can get better pics of the kiddo in the future. The camera arrived just before Ed's race. I got more than 100 photos, thanks to sports mode and "microdrive." We have some time to become more sophisticated camera users before the due date, fortunately.

One thing I hate about triathlons is that they start super-early in the morning. We were on the road at 4:30 a.m. There was no coffee to be found at the race, so I had to make do with some Clif ShotBloks (dark cherry w/caffeine).

The seas were pretty choppy, which made the swim challenging. Ed was able to use his skills from our surf lesson in Waikiki in May to successfully negotiate the breaking waves at the start and finish of the swim. You can just barely see a kayaker and a buoy and a few swimmers in this pic. I guess I need a longer lens. :)





As usual, Ed had an excellent bike leg and made good use of his cyclocross mount/dismount.





Off on the run.



The last brutal .5 miles of the run was on the beach. While I was waiting to get this shot, I was standing behind two Cyclonauts guys (one of whom had crashed and had a huge rip in the back of this shorts). They were talking about pro cycling. I think one guy was from Belgium and the other kept talking about those great Belgian pros, the Schleck brothers. It was all I could do not to yell, "They're from LUXEMBOURG!!"



The finish -- 4:55.44.



Half-Ironman complete!

Mayflower International Triathlon

We went to Plymouth (home of Plymouth Rock, which was on the course) for Ed's second triathlon yesterday. It was a gorgeous day and I had the best iced coffee and breakfast sandwich (egg and cheese on a Portuguese sweet bread roll) before the start. I'm glad that it's not too hard to get Portuguese sweet bread around here -- it's one of my favorite Hawaii foods.

The swim went along the jetty in Plymouth Harbor. Here all the guys in Ed's wave lined up by the boat ramp and then started the swim.





Ed did a textbook cyclocross dismount after the bike section, which had a lot of short, steep hills and went through Myles Standish State Park.



The run. Ed went even faster this week than last week!



Floating on air at the finish. This was a longer course than last week.



Ed was 2nd in his age group! Unfortunately he got the wrong age group trophy, but the promoter said he would send the correct one next week.



And here's the baby bump at week 28. It's getting a bit hard to transport this thing with all the walking involved with triathlon spectating -- I'm going to have to break out the running shoes for next week's half-Ironman so I'll have some more support. Or maybe I'll bring my own bike so I can get around more easily. If I do, naturally I will avoid the triathlete faux pas of riding without a helmet and festering in a chamois for hours and hours after the event is over.

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.