Tri-athlete

Micheal was the first in our family to be a triathlete. He did a kids triathalon on Sat. (I say the first because the whole time Jeremy kept saying "I'm jealous!")
Micheal started with a 100 yrd swim. He had to do 4 laps (one way). He hadn't been in a pool since the end of last summer, nor has he had any swimming lessons, so this was his weakest part of the tri. The pool was heated but it was only 74 degrees so it was cold.

Then 2 mile bike. His race started at 7:20pm so it was starting to cool off, there was a cold wind blowing and he was wet. When he finished the bike portion his lips were purple and he was shivering. We gave him a dry shirt so he could continue, but he was struggling because he was so cold. Poor guy!

And last was 3/4 of a mile run.

He was the youngest in his age division (11-12yr olds) so he was at a disadvantage to begin with (there were some serious kid triathletes in his group, they had actual street bikes) but he still tried and he finished! That is the most important part of doing any race, that you don't quit when it gets hard, you keep trying until you cross the finish line. After a race, it is a tradition to reward the racer with a treat so we planned on a trip to Smoothie King, but he decided that he wanted hot chocolate and a warm shower instead. He slept like a rock that night and fell asleep at church too. He gave it everything he had but the cold just zapped him. He said he wants to do another one but only in the summer. We are so proud of him!