Denver - Part 3

Of course no trip to Denver would be complete without a trip to the Denver Zoo. Sadly, my kids have led a pretty zoo-deprived life. Caleb and Amanda have been to the zoo once (5 years ago), and Joshua had never been. So they were really excited about the prospect of going to a real zoo, and it lived up to all their expectations. We spent the whole day there, walked every inch of the grounds, saw every animal, and had a really good time overall. The favorite animals were definitely the various monkeys, chimps, and apes.

Getting to pet a bunny at one of the presentations. Notice how the petting is immediately followed by a squirt of hand sanitizer.

After the bunny came the snake. Caleb and Joshua had no interest in petting a snake, but Amanda was one of the first in line.

The obligatory "standing in front of an elephant" pose

Of course we had to ride the zoo train, as if we hadn't ridden enough trains already during our trip.

The real highlight of the day. I hadn't had a vanilla chocolate twist cone in way too long. I'd forgotten what a tasty treat that is. I felt like I was back at the Pleasant Grove Pool.

Denver - Part 2

I wanted to take the kids to the Denver Children's Museum, and since the first Tuesday of every month is free admission night, and we happened to be there on the first Tuesday, I thought it was the perfect opportunity. Unfortunately, I think 90 percent of the families in the Denver metro area also wanted to get in on the free museum action. Despite the crowds of crazy children, our kids had a great time exploring and playing in the different exhibits. Bill, however, would have been tearing his hair out if he had any hair. He was a good sport though and toughed it out for the sake of the kids. The museum adventures included:

Dressing up like fireman and playing in a full-size firetruck

Playing veterinarian in a vet's office

Building a tractor out of wood and recycled materials

Shooting hoops in the mini basketball court


Playing in the kid-sized grocery store and restaurant

Dressing up like ants, worms, and bunnies and exploring an oversized habitat

(This picture is just so Amanda. That's her classic "mad at my brother" expression.)

The historic Platte River Trolley was giving rides just outside the museum, so we took a spur-of-the moment ride. The kids were pretty fascinated when the trolley stopped to go back to where we started and the conductor came around and flipped all the benches over to face the opposite direction. It was quite the engineering wonder.

Denver - Part 1

We spent August 2nd-7th in Denver. Bill had his annual Advanced Placement Conference, so the family tagged along for a little vacation.

The kids and I spent a good amount of time exploring different Denver-area parks. Our favorite park was Belleview Park in Englewood. First we hit the playground:

Then it was onto the little mini train that winds around the park.

The park also has a small petting zoo with a variety of barnyard animals.

I think the favorite attraction was the shallow stream, perfect for wading. At first I tried to keep the kids from getting their clothes wet, but Caleb slipped and fell about three seconds after putting his feet in. From then on it was a free-for-all splash fest.

Durango Triathlon

Bill and I started out August with another triathlon, this time in Durango, Colorado. The race consisted of a 500 meter pool swim, a 13 mile bike ride, and 5k run. The course was a lot less challenging than Hillman, and therefore faster and more fun. Adding to the fun were all the other folks from Blanding who were there. This small town of ours has an unusually large number of triathletes, and many of them made the trek over to Durango (about a 2.5 hour drive) for the race.

The San Juan County folks. Bill was off perfecting his transition area and missed this photo op.

Me, Sunny, and Cristi striking a tough chick pose after the race. These gals are awesome friends and training buddies, and they did great in the race. And yes, we're all wearing variations of the same top. We were wearing the same tri shorts too. We're just cute like that.

Me and Bill. "Triathlon #2 Baby!"

The Hillman (and a Hillwoman)

Last Saturday (July 25th) Bill and I followed Caleb's excellent example and competed in the Hillman, our first triathlon. Despite the tough hilly course (hence the name "Hillman") we both managed to finish, and had a great time racing here in our hometown amongst friends and neighbors. The race was challenging, but the feeling of accomplishment at the finish line was amazing. Here's a photo recap of the race:

After setting up our transition areas and getting bodymarked, we donned our wetsuits (aka "The Supersuits") and prepared for the swim.

Posing in the water just before the starting horn sounded. This was the last I saw of Bill for a couple of hours.

Diving in to Recapture Reservoir. The swim was a half-mile triangle going across the reservoir and around a buoy, then to the left and around a big rock formation, then back to the start. I had felt pretty good about the swim portion beforehand, since we'd practiced swimming in the reservoir several times, but it ended up being harder than I'd expected. A combination of race day nerves and my inability to see where I was headed (thanks to dark overcast skies and my dark goggles) left me anxious and I had a hard time relaxing and getting into my rhythm. I really expected to be the last person out of the water, but in the end my time wasn't too terrible.

Bill finished his swim a couple of minutes before me. Behind him is my friend (and amazing triathlete) Kim, who ended up being the overall female winner.

Exiting the water and stripping off my wetsuit.

You'd think with the relatively small number of racers I wouldn't have a hard time finding my transition area, but I ended up running right past it. Doh! Here I am getting ready for the bike.

Bill back from the bike and transitioning to the run.

Back from the bike portion. The bike route was a 15-mile out and back with a lot of uphill climbs. I'm not a great climber so I was cursing those darn hills, but I sure liked the downhill portions!

Getting ready to run. They call the run a 5k, but it's really more like a 6k (about 3.7 miles), and again it was a tough course with two big hills to climb. But again, I was rewarded with a downhill last mile that I loved.

Bill just after crossing the finish line. Now he just has to wait for me.

Here I am! That finish line was a beautiful sight.

"We finished our first triathlon!"

Much to our surprise, Bill and I both received age group awards (hand-painted Indian pottery). I was first in my age group, and Bill was second. Before you start thinking we're some kind of triathlon prodigies, keep in mind that this was a pretty small race. But I still enjoyed my moment of "victory" (since I'm pretty sure that will never happen again!).

Here we are with Steve Hiatt - swim coach, Ironman, neighbor, friend, triathlon mentor, and all-around good guy. We never would have been ready for this race without the help of Steve and his wife Kim.

Now comes the big question: Will we ever do it again? The answer is a resounding YES. In fact, we're doing another one tomorrow morning!

Caleb, the Birthday Triathlete

Every year our little town hosts the Hillman Triathlon. The night before the race there is a mini triathlon for kids age 7-13. About a week before the race I mentioned to Caleb that he would be old enough to do the race (as it fell on his 7th birthday) and asked if he would be interested in doing it. At first he was hesitant, especially about the swim portion. Caleb has spent a ton of time at the pool this summer and is quite comfortable in the water, but he's never had actual lessons. I took him to the pool and showed him that he was capable of making it across the pool and back, and after that he agreed to sign up for the race. Next came the race "training," which consisted of one bike ride and one run to show him how far he would actually have to go.

The birthday/race day came and we headed down the street to the pool. After setting up his transition area with his bike, towel, and shoes, he went to get body marked. He was number eight.

The little girls wave started first, then it was time for the 7-10 year old boys. Caleb looked so young compared to the other boys! I could tell he was somewhat nervous, but he was also very serious and determined. I wish I had captured the look on his face when he started to swim. I've never seen such determination and resolve. It literally brought tears to my eyes.

Waiting for the swim to start.

Almost time!

And he's off!

Caleb's swimming technique consisted of a dog-paddle type stroke under the water, then coming up for a breath, then going back under to paddle and kick with all his might. He had to grab the side about half way down and rest for about one second, but then he was right back at it. After one lap (50 yards) across the pool and back he had conquered the swim portion of the race.

Done with the swim, yay!

Caleb exited the pool and ran out to his transition area. He dried off quickly then put on his shoes and socks. Putting the shoes on and tying them took him quite a while, but he was determined to do it himself and wouldn't accept help. Velcro shoes would have been a good idea! After a few minutes though he finished up and moved on to the bike.


The bike portion consisted of two half mile loops around a large neighborhood block. It was kind of hard to just let him go off out of my sight and not be able to see if he was doing OK. He did great though chugging along on his little dirt bike.

Amanda and Joshua were Caleb's personal cheering section, complete with signs they colored themselves.

As he wrapped up the bike and moved on to the run I quickly asked Bill if he would run with him. I just felt like Caleb could probably use a little motivation to keep running. The run was one time around the half mile block. Caleb and Bill set off and we anxiously awaited their return. As they reached the end Bill dropped off to the side and Caleb crossed the finish line cheered on by many onlookers, neighbors, and friends. I was so proud of him!

Crossing the finish line!

Post-race hydration

We waited for the 11-13 year olds to finish their race (which was twice the distance as Caleb's), then it was time for the award ceremony. Caleb got a special surprise when the race director called him up to the front, had him stand up on the "podium," and everyone sang Happy Birthday just for him. I could tell he was a little embarrassed by the attention, but I think he really thought it was pretty neat.

"Happy birthday dear Caleb. Happy birthday to you!"

After that he received his finisher's medal. No, he didn't win, but as far as he was concerned he'd just won Olympic gold. That medal has definitely become one of his treasures.

Shortly after he crossed the finish line I asked him if he wanted to do it again next year. He hesitated and replied, "Um...I'll have to think about that." However, the satisfaction of a well-run race must have displaced his tiredness pretty quickly, because by the end of the night he was already making plans for the next time. We may have created a triathlon monster!