Mix It Up: How To Get Your Kids Into The Backcountry

Much of the reason I love the triathlon lifestyle is because it keeps me fit enough to get into the backcountry on any given day and still have enough energy to enjoy it once I get there.

My biggest goal in life is to raise God-fearing kids who love the outdoors. And, of course, I want to spend time in the outdoors with them. I don't want them stuck to the tv and other electronic devices. I want them to prefer to be unplugged.

I figure to be able to get that foundation in my kids, you have to start early. So, that's what I'm doing.

The below article is one I wrote over the summer for a backcountry fly-fishing blog,  but it never got published. I'm posting it here in case anyone is interested.

While you are planning your TRIATHLON race schedule, maybe you can plan a couple extra days this summer to get outside with your kids.

Happy Reading!!

Darin

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Ten years ago, my wife and I often went on long backcountry hiking trips with just some quickie planning. These days with 3 1/2 year old and 16 month old boys, we do more quickie trips with long planning time.  When I first started fly-fishing in the backcountry areas of Yellowstone National Park and the Sawtooths of Idaho, I could basically just tell my wife the when’s, who’s, and how’s of a trip and be on my way to paradise. That freedom has turned into clearing everyone’s schedules of many different other who’s and when’s to make clearance for us (on a side-note, the second or third Saturday in September is always reserved for some Lamar River action! And nothing can remove that day).

So, here we are trying to figure out how to get back into fun and fishing in the backcountry, or as close as possible to it, now that one of the kids can walk a few a couple miles each way. Our quickie-trips are generally a half-day scheduled around nap time, and the extended planning effort requires diapers, multiple snacks, safety considerations, and a couple of toys if we’re feeling energetic enough to carry them. The focus of effort is generally keeping the boys happy rather than hoping the fish take some fake food, but that’s how it is as parents of toddlers.

I’ve searched the Yellowstone maps for a place a couple miles off the road to provide some quiet from the road while also providing a safe place for the kids to play. The Lamar River about 200 yards upstream from its confluence with the Yellowstone River provides a two mile hike that the 3 ½ year-old can make on his own, a large gravel bar that provides some sand and many rocks for throwing, and a plethora of nice fishing holes in the immediate vicinity. Perfect!

I have a life-vest for the older boy, but I just can’t get myself to even make him put it on. I would rather watch over him like a hawk than squash his personal movement freedom with the life-vest. If we were rock-hopping and such along steep banks, it would certainly be different. As it is, the ground is flat, the water is barely-moving and shallow next to the gravel bar, and his Mom is there to watch like a hawk. All he wants to do is throw rocks and splash in knee-deep water, and at this location he can do that with the endless rocks and great little pool of water.

The 16-month old is easier in some ways but harder in others. We have to carry him into the location using a baby-backpack (we use the Deuter Kid Comfort III…absolutely awesome and worth the high-price; it has lots of storage).  He’s about thirty pounds, so I get to carry him while his Mom carries the fishing gear and other stuff. Once at our location, he mostly sat in the sand and played with a little plastic rake. He can’t maneuver very well over the rocks yet, and that is mostly a good thing. 

When nap time rolled around, we put him on a little blanket we brought, and give a bottle of milk we kept cold in an insulated cooler made just for that type of thing (all you dads, take a look at baby gear to repurpose for your own needs, too!). We forgot the small shade-tent, but the canyon walls and some trees provided plenty of shade up on the banks of the river. He didn’t take a nap, though! So, we had reverted to Plan B and left for the trailhead before he got really cranky; he was asleep in the backpack before I took ten steps!

I almost forgot! I got a good two hours of fishing in, too! I went mostly up-river, but there were plenty of pockets in both directions. The catching wasn’t very good, but I got looks on nearly every fly…..my prep time was spent planning for the kids rather than researching what flies the fish would be looking for. Anyway, for me, half the fun is just getting the fish to say “yes” or “no” to the fly, and I was getting that answer as I watched them swim away.  It was a bit frustrating, but it beat walking the boardwalks with the crowds at Old Faithful.

Here are a few of the things to think about when you are setting up your trip to the backcountry with toddlers.

1.       Recon

-          Look at the maps for possible locations,

-          Visit the areas in person to look at safety factors and the trail to the site.

-          Look at the area in Google Earth, realizing that water depths are probably different. Check river conditions on USGS water gauges (http://waterdata.usgs.gov/nwis )

2.     Safety

-          You MUST have a water-safety plan of some sort: life-vests, always-in reach, small water, etc. Don’t under-estimate the dangers of the stream. These are little kids who don’t know better.

-          Consider the impacts of bear country. Follow the rules exactly, and all adults should have bear spray. Teach the kids not to run as a basic backcountry safety principle, but vitally important in a bear situation.

-          Check the weather before you go for heat, thunderstorms, rain, wind, etc.

-          Sunscreen your kids. If you forget it, go back and get it. That goes for bug spray, too.

-          Take a shade-tent and a ground-cloth or blanket for protection from elements.

-          Have plenty of water. Take a filter to make sure you don’t run out.

-          Keep the distance short. Tired kids trip and hit their heads on rocks; beyond the health issue, if the kids get hurt, they probably won’t want to go back.

-          Take a first-aid kit with a small ice-pack for any bumps and bruises.

-          Continuously ask yourself “How could my kids get hurt, and how will WE deal with it?” There’s no 911 in the backcountry.

3.       Plan For Fun

-          If they are old enough, this might be the perfect time to teach your kids to fish!

-          Boys love throwing rocks and playing in sand. Make that a priority.

-          Take some familiar toys with you (yes, jam them in your pack, it’s worth it!).

4.       Kid Care Items

-          Snacks are almost as important as all the safety factors. Take a variety and enough for lunch.

-          You CAN take real milk. Put it in a basic lunch drink cooler.

-          Have a nap plan.

-          Dress your kids for the environment: shoes, shirt, pants vs shorts, hat, etc.(rain gear?!)

-          Don’t forget diapers/wipes/ etal. Remember a bag for the messy diapers (pack it out!).

We had about four awesome peaceful hours in the near-backcountry on this trip, including the excitement of a coyote following us quite closely, the constant sound of the river with no road-noise, and the opportunities to see wildlife up close. Our oldest boy walked the entire way, which is really awesome (insert proud Dad grin here!), and the youngest definitely wore himself out for the day. And Dad got to fish while Mom stayed mostly happy; I say “mostly” because she got to fish for only about fifteen minutes. 

Absolutely most importantly, we are building the foundation of a love for the backcountry that I so deeply hope turns into future long backcountry trips with quickie planning.

Non-Standard Cross-Training Opportunities for triathletes in winter...

Winter is definitely here, although you wouldn’t know by the amount of snow on the ground here in town. But it’s cold! And there is snow in the mountains. I could actually ride my bike on the snow/ice-free streets!
But I like to mix it up a bit. Here a few of the different opportunities presenting themselves lately.

Johnny Jump-Up! We need an adult version of this. It wears out Noah after 20-30 minutes. Paul and Noah both absolutely loved this thing!

Annual Christmas Tree hike! 30 minute walk up a trail, cut the tree, back to the parking lot for recovery drinks. The weather was so AWESOME on Saturday when we did this. No Wind. 100% bluebird skies. About 15 degrees. One kid on your back + pulling one in the sled = SWEAT!

Starting out....BEAUTIFUL day!

Heading up the trail...

Tera found a good tree.

Back at the parking lot, enjoying hot chocolate and the sun.

And the last one for today……getting Kiddo #1 geared up!

Clear Priorities allow Clear Focus

No doubt that any athlete with a family and a job has trouble finding the opportunities to make the most of consistent training. Kids, spouse, housework, yardwork, cars, maintenance, burned out light bulbs, dirty diapers, throwing the balls around, time at the park, etc etc etc.....they all add up to missed workouts because we all put our families first (as it should be).

So how to solve that problem? Set clear priorities of effort for spouses based on time of the day or whatever will work for you and allows you to focus on what you want during a specific period of time. My personal example is below.

The last two months have been hard for me because Noah is still waking up at night and early morning. That means I never know if I'll be able to get in a morning workout session. Last year worked great because Paul almost always slept til 7:30, and so I would get 100% priority from 4:30am - 6:40am for my workouts....if Paul needed anything between those hours, Tera would take care of it. And then from 6:40 until he left for school, I would take care of Paul. Tera and I had a deal that clearly defined the priorities of each of us for a set period of time, and that allowed us both to succeed in our goals.

So tonight we made the deal again, a bit different, but the deal has been made. I will get up and give Noah a bottle anytime after we go to bed, and then I get to not worry about it from 4:30am - 6:40 again, just like last year. This allows us to both KNOW EASILY what is supposed to happen in the fog of the night. No questions. No arguing. We both understand what is supposed to be happening.  I get to KNOW that I'm going to workout in the morning, and the added pressure of that being my only "window of opportunity" will get me out of bed. Tera gets to know that she'll be able to workout in the morning, too. And, most importantly, our kids will be taken care of appropriately. The juggling act is solved, at least for now. If Noah starts sleeping all night, then I'll be that much happier.

Other examples could be a specific time right after the work day, like 5:30pm - 6:30pm where you get to do a workout after work, but then take the kids the rest of the night. Even if that is the deal for just one night per week, it is one night per week that you get to focus. Choose a night that doesn't have many interruptions that can break the deal....the maturity level comes with how you handle it if you get home later than expected and realize you only have 30 minutes instead of an hour....then what? You shutup and do 30 minutes because that was the deal.  Trying to muster more out of the deal because of circumstances neither of you can control doesn't help anyone. Roll with it, and go for something for the 30 minutes in the name of consistency and keeping the deal.

Or it could be a three hour period on Saturday or Sunday morning. Again, the deal is the deal. If the weather sucks or you drank the night before and can't get the whole workout in, that's just the way it is. You get your allotted time period -- no more and no less -- so that the other person can have their time. They've surely planned it out to maximize the time, and screwing with the timeline could break the whole deal.  Obviously, there is some give and take on this, but if you are giving more than you are taking, then you need to realize the deal is probably in jeapordy.

God and triathlon

A perfect relation between God and triathlon...

"When Dick ran, he pushed Rick along in a wheelchair. Rick was dependent on his dad in order to finish the race. He couldn’t do it without him.
We see a parallel between their story and our own Christian life. Just as Rick was dependent on his dad, we are dependent on Christ to complete our Christian race."  


Read more at.Our Daily Bread.

If you don't know the story of Dick Hoyt, you really need to google up his story... or just read this. I had him as a desktop when my first boy was born....very inspirational.

The Good Side Lost A True Warrior over the weekend

Sunday morning brought tragic news to me. A friend, fellow Marine, San Diego Policeman and a great warrior for the good side was killed Saturday while on duty with the San Diego Police. Jeremy Henwood was a great man and will be missed.

Therefore, running has been the therapy of choice. I went through the five stages of grief every two miles or so and finished three full grief "cycles" on a six mile run yesterday.

Recover, Rest, Relaxation

Incredibly, I am still sore from drill PT on Sunday! How does that happen? Do a few leg lifts, sprint 100 yards, jog a bit, pushups, pullups....and then still sore three days later. It boggles the mind. Anyway....

Tomorrow me and the family are off to Yellowstone for R&R&R. Fishing will be tough because the water is incredibly high. And I won't be spending any time in the backcountry because of the little ones (I'm going to wait til they are potty trained to go into the backcountry. I don't want a bear sniffing around some diapers). Weather should be standard weather, so we'll get some hiking in, of course.

I always feel incredibly refreshed after a few days in Yellowstone, and I'm looking forward to making some family memories (not that the little ones could remember, but that's why we have cameras!).

So this is how it's gonna be? Life priorities need to be clear!

From October to March, I had a great winter training season. I was well on my way to meeting all my goals. In fact, in late March and early April, I did meet two specific running and biking goals when I biked twenty four miles in one hour at a specific resistance on the trainer and then a sub-18 minute three mile.  I knew things would change when Noah was born, and they have indeed changed. As I write this, I'm supposed to be at the pool for a swim this morning, but little Noah didn't want to go back to sleep after his Mommy fed him. So I got to stay up (get up out of bed early, really) with him.

In all reality, training is going much better than I thought it would, and I'm getting more workouts than I did when Paul was really small. So, things aren't all that bad. I'm getting in almost the equivalent volume of last year's workouts. I'm just not getting what I want to get this year. I have to learn to live with it. 

This is why I put in my annual training plan that family will always have priority. Tera was so nice and AWESOME this morning when she was trying to figure out how she was going to get back to sleep while I went for my swim and Noah continued to stay awake and cry. She didn't want to ask me to not workout. Of course, the reality was that I needed to cut my swim and take care of the baby, and it was a no-brainer that I should have been telling her that I would do that so she could get some sleep.  In my not-quite-awake stupor, I got frustrated with her for not just asking straight-out to take care of the kid, when I should have been happy that she was trying to figure out how to balance the kids and my workouts.

This year was going to be tough no matter what because we have a newborn in the house. Throw in a 2 1/2 year old and some other competing priorities, and all of sudden there is angst and stress.  Honestly, though, that stress starts to go away when I watch Noah sleeping and making all of his sleep-noises as I drink some coffee and watch the sun come up...God's miracle of life!

I really wonder how the people who train for full distance Ironman events find the time. When I first started this triathlon stuff, I wanted to do an Ironman. Now I don't have any desire because I know I simply don't have time with two kids in the house. I'm having trouble finding time to be competitive at the Olympic distance, and that really only needs 12-14 hours per week to be competitive.  

I can get the first eight hours pretty easily on a couple of mornings and one hour at lunch each day, and I will do ok on that kind of volume. But it's the last four to six that I want so I can be competitive.  On the good days, I get up early and do a bike and maybe a short swim before the kids get up at 7:00am. Then I run at lunch. It's not always easy to get up in the morning, and if I set my goals too high, I tend to blow off the entire workout if I'm tired, when I should simply adapt my goals and do something shorter and/or easier. All of that then combines with the days that I want to workout but can't because I have to take care of the kids in some way. 

For me, I know that Tera and the boys take precedence over these daily workouts, and I have written it into my overall triathlon philosophy and annual training plan. It's an easy choice for me, if you can even call it a "choice;" I just have to remind myself sometimes. And then I need to make sure I get out of bed and workout on those days that the kids are cooperating.

Family Matters: Choosing a gate for a stairway

This is quite off topic, but it's something I wanted to share with everyone because it is making my life alot easier. We have a two and half year old boy and now a one month old boy. We also have some stairs leading to downstairs. Well, that means we need a gate to keep the little ones off the steps.

The first try at the gate was a miserable failure. It was so bad that when my parents were here last week, I dropped an f-bomb with my mom in hearing distance....yes, the gate made me say the second f-bomb ever in front of my Mom (the first one was when I was fifteen and it should have NEVER happened). Anyway, I hated this gate because it didn't work very well, it was lopsided, and the screws pulled out of the wood and sheetrock, making it look awful. It nearly cost me a laptop, too, last fall when I dropped my laptop down the steps (tile, not carpet) after screwing with the unworkable gate latch.

My wife then got a Munchkin gate that promised sturdieness, ease of use, and no screws required. Triple win, right?!?  Indeed it was!! Simple to install. Easy to use. And quite sturdy. Took me ten minutes to put in, and it is great.

Why waste time screwing around with a gate and screws and all that? Just get one of these Munchkin gates and thank me later. Just sayin'......

Recovery complete?

If you read Friday's post, you know that I kind of crashed. I haven't really figured out if it was all mental or physical or whatever combination, but I know that there was no exercising to be done on Friday or Saturday. I was ready and willing to go today, but I decided to hold off. I felt like one of those race horses in the holding area right before they are released for the race.

Instead, I played with Paul alot today, and I worked on my other book, "Yellowstone's Backcountry Cutthroats." If you haven't figured it out or you don't follow this blog much, I also enjoy fly-fishing in Yellowstone National Park. That is a primary fun time with family and the great outdoors, and is really alot of the reason I love living in Pocatello so much. In any case, I got that book finished up finally and submitted it to the publishing process at www.smashwords.com. In about a week, it will be available. I've also got going on the blog at www.backcountrycutts.blogspot.com and www.backcountrycutts.com as a companion website. Hopefully I'm not biting off more than I can chew by getting those going.

On another note, as I was on smashwords.com the self-publishing website, today, I noticed that 46 of the weight training e-books have sold.  All along, I've been seeing "2" in the sold column, but that was the two sold on smashwords.com only. Another 44 have been sold on different network sites. I ain't getting rich, but it's interesting to see how the book goes about. I really just hope it is helping people!

Paul Yoga and a calf strain

 

The video above is Paul doing yoga. He's been able to do it for a while, but this is the first time we caught it on video. It's awesome!

I have a calf strain from Monday's run. The regular lunch run was going great; kind of fast even. Then my calf tightened up like it used to a couple years ago. I walked the last two miles, and it got tighter and tighter the rest of the day but I think I managed not to hurt it really bad. I'll stay off it for a couple of days and see what happens. There are too many variables to narrow down: first cold day, sick the day prior (dehydration?),treadmill from day prior? Who knows, but I'm not taking any chances on it becoming chronic again.

What every Dad wants to hear!

Tonight Paul said "Daddy...go swimming." Lovin' life! I think we're going to hit the pool VERY soon.

Early end to race season

My race season has come to an early end. With so many trips in the past few weeks and more coming up along with a busy time at work, my wife and I decided I shouldn't be doing the Bear Lake race. I agreed, but it is a serious bummer because that's the race I could use to gauge my improvements this year because it's the only Olympic distance I did last year.

Consider: leave late Friday Sept 11 to get to the lake 2 hours away (I have to work til 7pm). Up early to race and drive back tired. Pack for USMCR trip and leave early Sunday. Gone all week. Return late Thursday, and pack for a fishing trip. Depart Friday morning at 0500 for a long drive to trailhead (the short route in Yellowstone has a closed road, so I have to go a long way around). Fishing trip til the next Tuesday.

That is simply too much time away. And I've cancelled the fishing trip, too, which was ten times harder to cancel than the triathlon because it is three full days of September fishing in Slough Creek.....that trip with a guide goes for about $1,500 because it such an awesome opportunity. Even though I'm not out the cash because we do it on our own, it still sucks. And my fishing buddy is out a plane ticket, or at least the miles he used to get it, I think. This was certainly a difficult thing to ask him.

The last few weeks have been quite difficult with time away from work and family. I know I needed to cancel this race (and fishing trip!), but it was very difficult. The last trip to NoDak for family cost a lot, and the tab is still running as I have a car broken down that needs repair, I have a rental car that is running at $50/day, and I have to go back to Wyoming and get my car after it's fixed and turn in the rental car (that's a full day trip...12 hours probably).

As for triathlon, now I'll sit down and evaluate what I did this year for training and racing and see where I can improve. I still want to continue my training schedule as it was simply because I like to do the workouts. And, I have to stay in shape for the fall trail race series and ski season(!).

Such is life. The little guy Paul has me around his tiny little finger!

Fishing tomorrow through Thursday

Tomorrow I go to Yellowstone for a week of fishing (and hopefully catching!). I wanted to completely wear myself down this week, kind of like a crash week that I've read about, I guess. I got close. Had I been able to do a 40k bike followed by 5k run tonight as planned, I would be there. However, with 50mph gusts from a crazy front coming through, I decided I didn't want to chance getting blown into a car or simply blown over on my bike.

So the only workout today was the same lunch routine as yesterday....run to the gym for a swim (that sounds cool...run to the gym for a swim!). Today was only a 1x1000, but I swam it a it harder to see if I could maintain this new stroke technique I "found" on Tuesday. I held for everything but the last 100 yds. Came in at 7:30 and 7:50 for the 500 splits.

I wonder how this fishing trip will affect my endurance. I certainly need a bit of a break, after five weeks of pretty consistent (albeit non-morning) workouts. I have a 4 mile hike in and out, mostly flat, with a 35 pound pack (I'm guessing...have four days of food in there!). The walking around all day (literally fishing about 10 hours per day) should do some good. I'm pretty sure I"ll be in a calorie deficit the entire time (-500 cals/day?). Last year, I hiked ten days in the Sawtooths and I think it actually helped alot, in mid August for the September Bear Lake tri. That was mostly walking 8-10 miles per day with a pack, rather than fishing. But at this point, I'm ready to do some fishing and sleep under a full moon tomorrow night!

I get back Thursday, then Friday after work we head back up that way to Rexburg for the Rush Tri on Saturday morning. I see the lake for the swim every time coming back from Yellowstone and wonder what this race will be like. I know I have to get in a quick bike spin and easy two-mile run Thursday just to knock some rust off. This race has separate locations for the transitions, and I'm worried about how that's going to work out because I've never done one like that. Tera will be there to make sure my stuff gets to where it needs to be...she's awesome!

I realized I'm not going to hit the 20-60-40 goal this year. My bike has come down about six minutes on the 40k home course, and the run came down about a minute. My swim has lost about 1 minute for a 1500. Overall, I'm thinking I'll come in at 22-69-46 if I have an average race. The bike course has a big hill on it, so I'm thinking that might a couple minutes. I really think I could hit a 1:06 (66 minutes) on a flat course right now....there's just no flat courses in Idaho!

I'm thinking about the Portland Tri now too, the following week. How do I maintain fitness while not over-doing it for that race? I guess I'll just keep it short, with a few hard intervals thrown in, in each of the events. I'm not looking forward to the 9 hour drive, either. Plus, I have to go to North Dakota (12 hour drive each way!) for four days in between the races for my Mom's surgery. God is asking me to make some decisions on priorities in my life, I guess. The decisions are easy, though.

In any case, water temp in the Willamette was 72 degrees yesterday. If it's that warm in three weeks, I'm thinking of not wearing a wet suit. But it will be 58 degrees (avg morning temp every day of August in Portland is 58!), so coming out of the cold water and hitting the bike in 60 degrees or so might be too cold for me. Not sure. We'll see.

No posts til Thursday, and hopefully there will be a photo of a nice Yellowstone Cuttthroat to go with that one!

Bike/Run brick yesterday, swim today...It's HOT

Getting hot out there! 93 degrees today and yesterday. I'm not used to the heat, either.

Yesterday (Wed) did a bike and run brick. 40k bike, and 5k run. Was going to be a 10k run, but the heat was getting to me and I didn't want to kill the rest of my workouts this week. The bike came in on 1:12, which is good for me, and there was no wind. Felt good, considering I hadn't biked in a week or so, and I ran a hard 6 miles the day prior.

Then ran 5k. Wanted to do 10k to see where I'm really at, but I found out before I got finished. I cut it short because of the heat, so I know I'm not acclimatized to heat yet. That will come. So I finished the 5k in 25 minutes. I could have held that pace, so I'll consider that I could have done a 50min 10k, with the hills and heat.

Swam a 2x750 today. Felt good, but I know I'm losing my swim endurance now that I'm not swimming 3 days/week. But I need to focus on the bike and run.

This posts has a few qualifiers in it, as in "but,...." So now I know I'm making some excuses, too. This year is a bit different than last year for sure, mostly because I have a young boy at home now who needs a father!

Bike instead of run this week

I'm not running at all this week to let my calf heal up a bit. It's doing pretty good, but I don't want to test it. I self-diagnosed it on the internet as a calf pull and not achilles tendonitis. Basically, it's too high up the calf to be achilles tenonitis/tendonosis. When I flex with a bent knee, it hurts. There is no pain when I flex with a straight knee.

So today was a double bike. Biked 14 miles at lunch, then the standard 40k route to Inkom. Very windy today. The 40k time was a few minutes slower than normal, and I'll blame that on the wind. We'll see how I feel tomorrow after a double bike day.

Saturday was a nice family hike up Gibson Jack to see how Paul liked the baby backpack. He seemed ok with it, fell asleep, on the way up, then babbled the entire hour and half on the way down. I practiced talking back to him! Overall, a nice three hour hike.

Sunday I did six hours of yardwork. Call me the "ivy killer." I hate ivy, and all the recent rain has made it grow like the weed it is. It is killing one of our juniper bushes, so I yanked it all out of there. Then I cleared the area around our air conditioner. Sweated like a beast all day. Good workout I guess, but I don't log it as such.

Ready for next race Saturday

Leaving tomorrow at noon for Yellowstone National Park. Reservations at Madison Junction campground. Fishing reports are awesome! We're staying there and then making the 15 minute drive over to Hebgen Lake for the triathlon.

Mostly packed and 100% mentally ready to go for my next race. The Janet's Triathlon at Madison Resort on Hebgen Lake, just north of West Yellowstone. I did this race last year as my first tri ever and absolutely loved it. It was such an awesome day with awesome weather. This year doesn't look as good, though.

Water temp is 53 today, with only one more day of warming. I don't think it's going to get up to even 55, much less 58 or over 60. If they make it a duathlon, I'm not doing it so I can give my calf muscle a chance to recover (and the Firehole River is fishing AWESOME right now, I hear).

If it's a tri, I'm going to love it again. It's 1,000 meters in the water, 500m out and back with a lane rope to follow. The bike is MTB on flat, packed-dirt roads. The run is flat on packed-dirt, too. I love this course. Actually, I wouldn't mind a couple hills to make it interesting, but it's still great to get on the dirt for the bike and run.

This will be Paul's first trip to YNP (out of the womb, anyway)!

A few photos (double post tonight)

I wanted to post a few pix for a while, so tonight is a double post.


Here's Paul on a cool morning at the South Fork of the Boise River last weekend while we were camping.

Paul seems to be liking the camping. Sometimes he goes into the pack n play to give everyone a break from holding him.

Family photo. It got hot on the river! But the water was really cold...I'm guessing 50 or less.

Me and Steve after the Pocatello 50. He ran the first leg and had been done for about 8 hours by the time I got to the finish line. Our third team member wasn't there.

Recovered and rocking it!

My body has recovered after a weekend of camping and fishing (lots of bug bites but no fish bites or fish to speak of). I took my MTB with us camping, but I slept so well each night and well into the morning that I didn't ride it.

And today I had great workouts.

Started in the morning w/ 1 mile OWS in 25:51. Time was slower than previous, but I think I swam pretty crooked lines. I actually smacked into a guy this morning. I haven't seen anyone else out there in my other swims. Then today, I'm swimming along, thinking I finally feel 100% comfortable in open water and watching the rocks go by and then completely zoning when WHAM! I run into something. I popped up and it was another swimmer. It was completely my fault, and he was nice about it. Dang that scared me! Gotta pay attention in the water. At least I haven't run off the road on the bike recently cuz I'm constantly telling myself I gotta pay attention after I ran off the road a few times last year.

Great 5 mile run at lunch. PR'd my usual 5 mile lunch course, beating previous time by 1:32 and it wasn't a race effort, just a hard effort. Beautiful weather, too.

After work did my Portland tri simulation route. Got my best times going up the big Terry hill to start, and then my best split going up the other side on the way home. I only did two hill intervals, the first an average time and the second about a minute off average time (not sure what I was doing but it did feel slow). My downhill times both beat previous bests for those splits, too. It started to sprinkle at the beginning of the second hill interval, so I got to practice riding in the rain for the first time. I'm definitely much slower and very careful with wet roads, so maybe that was it.

A great day! And then I got Paul to sleep without rocking him at all. Just put him in the crib with "Harry the Horse," a little doll thing, turned on the mobile three different times, and he was eventually asleep. First time for that!

A good day all around!