October 4, 2015

It's race morning!! This was Charlie's third time racing and my first (our first as a relay) and it was such a great experience! I took the trail run portions and the lake swim, Charlie handled the mountain bike (like a boss!) and we came in 3rd overall, 1st of the relay teams!! Our time was around 1:18:25, more than 5 minutes faster than Charlie's time last year. Granted, we didn't have to worry about the transitions as much because of how we broke up the parts, but still! We both felt strong and it was so fun to compete together as a team!

The run was definitely flatter for the first half, and there were less 'mystery obstacles', so I was really able to book it! First mile was 7:42! On a trail! I might be slightly addicted to trail running after this weekend. It was such a cool new challenge and really keeps your mind engaged. The swim was tough - mentally and physically. I had put a lot into the run and entered the lake winded, not a good combination for breathing and swimming! I had a back stroke a few times to catch my breath, but I finished the 200 yards in just over 5 minutes, so I was pretty happy with that. Up the hill, soaking wet, so hand off to Charlie and he took off like a rocket on the bike. Six miles for him, a few scrapes and bruises, but he was back in about 35-40 minutes and I was off again! He started the bike in 5th place, came back in 3rd and I was able to keep that through the end. Perfect weather for a race, and a great teammate too ; )

Feeling strong going into the swim...

Up the hill in a dripping swimsuit and sneakers. Weirdest running attire ever!

Jennifer and Trigg - so glad we kept in touch this year and that we could have fun with them all over again this weekend! What a great family : )

October 3, 2015

Meet Your Maker 2015

Camp Peniel, Marble Falls Texas

This is our third year to race Meet Your Maker and it just gets better every year! The first year we went with friends but didn't take advantage of all the activities at camp. The second year we got there late so we were rushed on the activities but participated in the meals, plus we met a few families that we kept in touch with. This year, we got there when registration opened, the Even's were back again this year too, we got to participate in all the activities and meals AND we raced as a relay, so we both got in on the action!

This race is not very big, which is a cryin' shame because it is awesome! The director, Ben, does such a great job at putting it on, it's a challenging course but it's very family friendly for the whole weekend. Tons of activities, lots of ways for the kids to be involved, a worship time at the end of the evening and time to get into nature and unplug from everything else. What a great weekend!

A zip lining, rifle shooting, lake swimming, tractor riding, hiking, gym swimming, tree climbing, water sliding, canoeing adventure!!

October 4, 2014

The time has come again for the Meet Your Maker Triathlon! We went this year without any other families and had such a great time. The race was so well put together, family friendly and felt like a small community. They had many of the camp activities open for the afternoon and all three big boys were brave enough to zip line for the first time! We were SO proud of them! We rode in a canoe and Eli even tried the gym swing that pulled him up close to the ceiling in the two story gym before letting him swing from a harness. I can't believe how adventurous they are getting!

The camp/race director had a tractor ride for all the families out to a campfire for a fajita dinner that was delicious. Hopefully next year we'll get to attend the worship service too, but this year we needed an early bedtime for the boys.

[Aside: At some point during breakfast Dylan fell and hit his mouth. It wasn't until after the race was over that I realized the extent of the damage - he almost knocked out his front tooth! To the dentist first thing in the morning!]

Charlie's race went great this year! He took 4th place overall with a time around 1:24:00 and said that he felt stronger this year than last. We got to see him at several points along the course and cheered as loud as we could : ) A sweet little girl named Delaney took an interest in Dylan and she held his hand and kept her arm around him the whole time. So cute! The boys had a fun run after all the racers were finished... they are getting fast! Charlie stayed back with Garrett who ran the entire time and had a pretty good pace. Owen and Eli came in 5th and 6th place out of all the kids. We'll be racing as a family in no time!!

We love everything about this camp and race. Can't wait until next year!