The girls arrived and we spent most of our brain- and bodypower trying to figure out how to fill and feed bottles, bathe, diaper, play, put to bed (them and us), put to nap, keep children out of dishwashers, and teach how to sit, crawl, stand, talk, walk, climb, potty, dress, eat...it takes a lot.

We bought the House, the first house either of us had owned and operated since childhoods. We spent any spare brain- and bodypower learning how and taking care of the lawn, gutters, carpets, air conditioning, water softener, tub, cracked door, backyard playground, drains....the house is by no means a money pit but still, it takes a lot.

Needless to say, 2010's training and Race performance faltered. A lot.

I'm not in The First Year anymore. The girls are delightful and grow more independent each day (well, each month at least). The house is under control. I had a sanctuary for the winter months and some good time this summer to get out and train. So when my lobster asked what I wanted for my birthday, there was no question--Camp Whitcomb-Mason Triathlon.

CWM is a small race to begin with and for whatever reason was even smaller this year. We drove right in and parked immediately about 20 yards from T2 with half an hour before transitions closed. Unheard of. I set up, got marked and chipped, and awaited the start.









I had decided not to use a wetsuit for this one; the water temps didn't require it and the swim had been shortened to 1/4 mile, lessening any advantage it may have provided. Frankly, I remembered how difficult it was to put on in Pewaukee and didn't look forward to that embarrassment again. Not until the baby weight was gone.

Wave 4 (a tiny Wave of maybe 20) departed 12 minutes after the start. I got into a great drafting groove and kept right on target with good sighting. My split after the swim was a bit slower than I expected, though; perhaps the wetsuit could've helped with buoyancy after all.

As long as I've known this race I'd had a mental block about the Bike route. Oh my goodness those hills. Just get through it. Try not to die.

Not this time. I had the opportunity a couple of weeks prior to bike the route and you know what? They weren't that bad. I even broke 17 MPH average on the training ride. I went into this bike with a smile on my face, feeling confident that I could do this.

And I did. 22 miles, 4 major hills, 2 gels and one lost water bottle later I pulled into T2 proud of my sub-1:15:00 bike time. A quick shoe switch and I'm running out of transition to the faces of my smiling family jogging alongside for a few yards. I began this race hoping to break 2 hours for the first time ever and I was on par to do it.

Not much to say about the run. I was on a mission and I stuck with it. I ended up besting my previous CWM times by 14 minutes and 6 minutes.

Just the boost I needed. Onto Devil's Challenge.