Rise & Report

Well, after circumstances beat me down pretty good yesterday, I feel today as though I must literally rise up, shake off the past, and report on the weekend.

Paul participated in the Sprint Triathlon this past weekend in Galina, IL. We decided to make it a weekend family trip to create fun memories and have a great time as a family. Friday night, we stayed at a ski lodge in Galina where the girls enjoyed swimming and sleeping in a new bed. For the morning of the race, I would have all 4 children with me, and we would cheer-on Daddy throughout the event! However, what was supposed to be a challenging morning, turned out to be a trying and exhausting day.

Ten minutes before arriving at the race, Sabrina threw-up. 5 minutes after that Samantha threw-up. I sent Paul off not knowing whether we would see him start the race, but thankfully someone stopped their golf cart to get the 5-of-us and the stroller to the lake on time, so we were able to see him begin the swim portion of the triathlon. That was about the end of that, sadly, because the trek back to the car was thwarted with several 2-year-old tantrums, a stop to feed a crying and hungry baby, and hauling the double-stroller (not meant for off-roading) up a long, VERY steep hill on the slanted grassy/gravel side of the road.

By the time we hiked the 1/2 mile to the van to the back of the bumpy, grassy, parking area, and after loading all 4 kids into the van with intentions to travel to the second destination to hopefully see Paul finish the biking portion of the race, watch some of his running, and see him cross the finish line, I turned over the ignition only to be greeted with the clicking sound announcing the battery was dead. My heart sunk. "No" I said as I dropped my head in disbelief. I was in the middle of no-where, no stores, no repair shops, and almost everyone gone to the next part of the triathlon that was 1/2 hour drive away. I had my cell-phone, but who would I call? Paul was still racing, and besides his phone died that morning, so he was going to finish his triathlon alone and not know where we were, and not have a way to contact us.

There was just enough juice in the battery to roll the windows down a little bit, so I left the children locked in the car while I hiked down the grassy hill to seek help from the triathlon volunteers guiding the racers. Thankfully, one of the volunteers was willing to come and try to jump the van for me, but I would have to wait till all triathletes had finished the lake portion of the race before he could drive his car to the parking-lot to attempt the 'jump.'

20 minutes later, our rescuer arrived, got the van running, and away we flew. Up, down, and around; over hill and dale trying to get to the next destination. Maybe we'd see Paul cross the finish line . . .

We arrived at the next 'remote' parking lot where we needed to take a shuttle to the finish-line, however Gabriel, Samantha, and Sabrina were all asleep, so Anastasia and I sat in the grassy field chatting for 40 minutes while we let the "little ones" catch a nap. I knew we had missed Paul's race, and I also knew he would be really wondering where we were with no way to contact/find us. So I reluctantly awoke the girls. Sure enough, 10 minutes later I was plowing through the bumpy, grassy parking field pushing my double stroller with Gabriel crying because he was tired of being in a car seat, Samantha screaming because she didn't want to be strapped in, Sabrina crying because she too wanted to sit on the stroller that I was muscling over the ground, and Anastasia running through the field, grateful to be free of the van. I seriously just about sat down on the ground and yelled, "I GIVE UP!" This was a surreal moment for me.

At this same time, a shuttle bus that was driving past bound for the destination I so longed to go, pulled off on the side of the road. The bus driver called out to me and asked if I was trying to go where he was going. "Yes," I cried. He came to the rescue, along with a nice passenger on the bus. The driver carried the stroller, the lady carried Gabriel in his carseat, and I hauled a screaming Samantha who finally stopped screaming after the bus began driving again. "Thank you," I said with tears brimming in my eyes.

We arrived at the "finish line" and by the Lord's blessing Paul was pacing the shuttle drop-off zone so he was there to greet me. Paul helped gather the children off the bus, led us to some shade, sent the kids off to play on the playground, and gave me a big hug. "What time did your QUADathlon start today?" he asked me as I began to cry.

Paul did great on his Sprint Triathlon, but I'm sad we weren't there to see more of his race, and to see him cross the finish line. It was a challenging course with lots and lots and LOTS of hills. We're not sure of the overall results yet, but of the 119 men in his age group, he placed 41. WAHOO! GO PAUL! He would like to do this triathlon again next year, and I'll let him . . . but we'll do things differently so that I can see more of his race next time, and deal less with moving kids from one destination to another. There were some fun experiences on this trip, which made it worth it, but I'll do all I can next year to avoid the "unfortunate" experiences from this year.

We all arrived home safely, though sunburned and smelling like throw-up and sweat. We hope the kids remember the happy memories of our trip, and those I will share with you via pictures. Enjoy!

p.s. Paul makes hot pink look HOT! ;-)


Day Before Galina Triathlon (Who needs a swimsuit?)


Galina, IL Triathlon