Monday, May 04, 2009

Alec Earns His K-Dot

This weekend, Alec did his first triathlon in Mission Bay at the Iron Kids Triathlon . He did awesome! On the ride there, he said, "Poppa, I'm kind of scared of my triathlon." We reassured him that this was normal. First, he got body-marked.

Then, Poppa helped him get ready in transition.

And helped him get his "wetsuit" on (to keep the chill off--the Bay is COLD!!!).

Then, Poppa carried lil' Tenderfoot down to the swim start. Gotta start running around barefoot more, buddy!

One more shot with the athlete (he looks like a Superhero in his swim stuff), and it's time to get ready.

Alec gives us one more smile before the 6-8 year old wave starts.

And he's off! Into the Bay and around the buoys for a 50 meter open-water swim. Something many adults can't do! Alec was fearless.

Alec gets the superstar attention as Ironman Champion Heather Fuhr pulls him out of the water.

--Up and at 'em, he's done with the swim!

--T1: Putting shoes onto wet feet is tough! Grrrr...

And he's off for a 2-mile bike! He went so fast, all I could get was a blur of his back as he whizzed by. (Someone is getting a new bike for his B-day in a few weeks).

After racking his bike and almost forgetting to take off his helmet, he sprints out of T2, full-tilt for the 500-meter run. Go, Alec, go!

In the blink of an eye, he's almost done. Coming down the chute at the end, Alec bobs his head, working hard. This is hard work!

Alec blasts across the finish line! He made it! He's an IronKid!

We pose with our superstar athlete at the end. Good job, Alec! (He said the run was the toughest).


I took off for my ride afterwards, going 62 miles. A small group of us went from Mission Bay through Ocean Beach and Point Loma to the Cabrillo National Monument. Back through Sunset Cliffs and around Mission Bay again, we cut through Pacific Beach and rode up to Mount Soledad. I snapped some pics. The view was gorgeous, as usual.


We continued on to La Jolla Shores, up to UCSD, down into Del Mar and back up Torrey Pines. We then returned to Mission Bay via Rose Canyon. It was a great ride.
On Sunday, I did my 18-mile run in Black Mountain Park. Why did I think 18-miles of hilly trails would be a good idea (actually, it was 9 of hilly road and 9 of hilly trail). The rattlesnake sunbathing in the middle of the path at mile 17 was an extra bit of excitment. Oh, and there was an extra mile at the end, making it an 18-mile run, plus a 1-mile walking cool-down. Hmm, maybe that's why I'm tired today? Time for a recovery week! Yippee!!!
--Sasha, demonstrating proper recovery form.

13 comments:

MJ said...

Awesome race! Congrats to him!

I am looking forward to my son's first triathlon - maybe this summer, maybe next....

Unknown said...

Awesome job, Alec!!!!

Diana said...

How cool and exciting for your son...he must be grinning from ear to ear!!!
Sweet scenery pics...thanks so much for NOT taking a pic of the snake!

SM said...

Great job! Congrats to the new IronKid!

Anniversary Moments said...

this is fantastic! it must have been so fun seeing all the little ones getting out there. Great Job Alec! nice job on the ride and run too.

Grey Beard said...

Too cute! Fast on the bike, tough work running - takes after dad? :D

Congratulations Alec.

teacherwoman said...

That is so awesome trhat Alec completed his first triathlon!! Wahoo!

Leah said...

Very adorable! I love how serious kids look when they're racing. Go Alec!!

Kevin said...

Way to go Alec

RoadBunner said...

Awesome job, Alec! You're right...many adults can not do what he just did!

And hello, Sasha! It's been a while since a bun pic was up :)

Caroline Novak said...

What a great job!!! Alec looks so dedicated out there, and so proud at the finish line!!

That's pretty neat that they even had the open water swim. Many of the kids tris I see around seem to have the swim in a pool only.

Liz said...

Woohoo Alec! You're my hero! No way would I have been brave enough to do all that when I was a kid. I couldn't even swim until I was 21.

Sounds like you had some great rides and runs recently, too. Enjoy your rest week!

Benson said...

Great job Alec.

Nice ride and run to you too.
Follow Sasha's lead.