Kailua Canoe Club Dash and Splash Biathlon Race Report- Family Relay Style!

Super Awesome Wife Leg

As with the last biathlon I did with Dirtbag, I was responsible for the Dash portion of the Dash and Splash.  And just like last time, my ‘Dash’ was more of a walk-so-fast-it-hurts shuffle more than it was a real dash.

This time was different though, since Baby Dirtbag was there to participate with us.  To keep things easy in the morning prep, we decided to leave him in his sleeper rather than change him into fresh clothes for the day.  When I was getting Baby Dirtbag ready Daddy Dirtbag found the tape and wrote our race number on it, and then put the tape onto Baby’s arm.  All three of us had the number 73 on our left arms.

The lady who marked me drew the skull, I swear!

We got to the start with half an hour to spare, perfect for me to sit off to the side and get some milk into the baby before strapping him in his stroller for our 2.8 mile walk.  When everyone starting filling the street to get started I tried to stay to the back of the pack, since I knew we’d be the slowest of the group.  Before we got started I mentally calculated my speed.  I figured since I haven’t been out walking like I used to, I could expect about a 17-minute mile.  That’s right around where I was when I stopped doing 2-3 mile walks when I was pregnant.

 One thing I didn’t anticipate was the rolling of the course.  I was expecting a flat course. (Dirtbag Edit- Totally my fault. I just did a race on this course the weekend before and should have warned her.)  Right away I saw there would be a little climb, but figured it was the only one, and it would be flat walking until the end of the loop when I had to make the climb again to finish.  I was wrong, but pushed as hard as I could.  And I could feel it.  It burned in my shins and my feet felt super cramped in my shoes.  Every event I’ve speed walked in the past my toes feel like they are cramping for the first couple of miles, and this was no different.  Well, maybe a little different.  I felt more cramped than normal.  Hard to say if it’s because pregnancy changed my feet or if it’s because I’ve only worn shoes a handful of times in the last year.

The rolling course didn’t slow me down too much though.  Baby Dirtbag was so content in his stroller that he even napped for a bit.  The course was a loop through a residential area.  When we got to the curve that meant half way through, I heard Baby Dirtbag fill his diaper.  Around the 2-mile mark I passed the only two people I managed to keep in my line of sight since the start of the race.  Throughout the walk I kept checking my watch for speed, and managed to stay between a 15:30 and 16:30 pace.  One funny thing that kept happening was the watch kept yelling at me.  Back when I was pregnant the midwife suggested I keep my heart rate under 160 while exercising.  I set the watch to let me know when I got that high.  Fast-forward to 5 months post-partum and the max heart rate doesn’t matter anymore.  But no one told my watch.  So at every little climb it would start beeping obnoxiously until I was back on the level and my heart rate was back in the ‘safe’ range.

At the finish line Daddy Dirtbag was waiting for us.  We posed for a quick family shot before Daddy was into the water and we continued walking to the finish line.  The volunteer nurse of the event walked with me, and we were slower than Daddy to the finish line.  To be fair though, she did make me drink a ton of water before we continued walking.  I was initially offered one cup, but when she found out I was nursing Baby Dirtbag she insisted I drink 5.

Family transition

Dirtbag Leg

The race was very informal, so there wasn’t really a transition area per say. There was a mat for the runners to cross on their way into the water, and everyone doing a relay milled around there.

I knew I would have a while to wait. Super Awesome Wife doesn’t run and I don’t expect her to. That isn’t why we do these events. I figured, after watching her take off, that she’d be last in the group and I had a while to hang out. I didn’t even prep my cap until she came into sight coming down the hill. Hell, I didn’t even take off my board shorts until then. I still had my earphones in rocking out to some Quicksand.

The race was put on by the Kailua Canoe Club and it was their first time, so nothing was very serious about it. I met some very nice women who love to talk to the dad doing a relay with his wife and son. It wasn't super organized, but it didn't have to be. It was fine, low key, and plenty fun. If I had one complaint it would be that they rolled up the timing mat for the run-to-swim transition before everyone (not just me) was across. There was no reason not to wait the extra fifteen minutes so everyone who paid got to *beep* on their way into the water. Kinda not cool, guys. But that's a small gripe overall.

At around the 40 minute mark they started asking me if I should be concerned she wasn’t back yet. Nope, I expected 45 minutes before I got in the water. I was hoping she’d come in close enough to the next person that I might have a chance to catch and pass but it was not to be. At around 42 minutes one of the cops working the course came over and told me the woman pushing the stroller had just passed two people and was on her way to the final hill. That’s when I started getting ready.

She came into transition, the little boy was asleep, I kissed them both and posed for a picture, then ran down the beach. Literally the last person in the water, since I think the people she passed didn’t really swim it. Special needs team. Also very cool. So I pumped hard, but not too hard. I’ve barely swum in a while, training is so scattered and terrible. But home is better so I’m putting priorities in the right place. There’s almost no way I’m not going to walk during the Honolulu Olympic’s 10k run, but whatever. My swim was fine. Lanikai is a pretty beach and going straight along the coast couldn’t be easier. Up, out of the water, and across the line at 1:00.11. Decent swim time.

We hung out for a while, talked to some people, and the little cannonball worked his adorable baby magic on the ladies, earning him a leftover race shirt, XL, that his mommy plans on turning into some kind of wrap through sewing magic. 

Sing for a prize!

He got a hat!

Baby stylin' in the new hat

 The best part of the day was taking him into the ocean. We hadn’t been to the beach with him yet because the sun isn’t good for young skin. But we were there, he was happy, and it was warm, so why not. I’ve been looking forward to getting in the ocean with him since before he was born. Good things love water and he needs to be exposed often. We stripped his diaper, because it’s not a trip to the beach without a naked baby, and did some wet sand first, slowly walking him into the waves. The first time a little wave went over his feet he didn’t know what to make of it. So cute. I picked him up and we waded in until I could get on my knees so he was chest deep. It was a little colder than I thought, so we didn’t stay in too long. I didn’t notice the temperature when it was just me swimming, but I’m more sensitive to things like light and sound and temperature and everything when he’s with me. I don’t think he has an opinion yet, but he didn’t scream. That’s good.
I'd be posting pictures but blogger has decided not to load any more today. So no baby beach pictures for you!

So happy we were able to do our first family biathlon! I think there are many more races in our future.

Looney Lagoon 5mi Fun Run Race Report

Ready to race

 The Looney Lagoon 5mi is a special race. There were a ton of first going on Easter morning. The group that put on the event, Stamina Race Event Management, had never done an event before. First! We, Super Awesome Wife and I, convinced my dad and Bev to do the race because they were on the island, and I don't think either of them have ever done something like this before. First! I decided to walk it with them instead of run it, which I never do. First! And the biggest, most important first, it was Dirtbag Baby's first race! We popped him in the stroller and went out on the course.
The Looney Lagoon was as low-key an event as I've ever done. Maybe the lowest key event I've ever done. When the plan is to walk it with people who don't walk regularly you don't set goals. You just go out there and do it. The race organizers, to emphasize the Fun element, decided that instead of doing age group awards they were only giving an award to the person who came in first, the person who came in dead in the middle, and the person who finished dead last, which they called the Stamina Award. You're out there longer than anyone else, therefor you have the most stamina.
Dad and Bev picked us up in the morning, little boy was being fine. He's pretty good in the morning, no fusses even that early. He slept in the car on the way in and got a good feeding in before the race started. We chilled out at the start, no hurry no pressure, no warm-up. Why warm up? We're walking. The Grey was doing the race too so we met him. He was going to run it though. Have fun.
I initially got Dad and Bev to sign up with us because I read 5k instead of 5mi. Who has a 5mi race? What a strange distance. Whoops. Oh well, what's two more miles?
We positioned ourselves in the back of the group so as not to be in the way of people who cared and waited for the start. There's the air horn and off we go...kind of. How intense were we at the start? Here, dig this photo.

We're talking Hands In the Pocket Intensity here!

 Yeah, pretty much. We were out for a nice stroll on a nice day. That's it. We immediately fell to the back of the pack. Never been here before. Oh well, I'm not going to run. I'm going to enjoy a walk with family. Which is exactly what we did. We passed two people somehow in the first mile and they never caught up to us. One of them was wearing a knee brace and I found out later the other was recovering from a catastrophic back injury. We were, I think, the only other walkers. Everyone else ran most of the course.

It was a simple out and back so everyone passed us on their way to the finish line. The guys in the lead went by before we hit a mile and a half. Crazy fast. We strolled along. Watching everyone go by is an interesting perspective on races like this. You get to see the faces, the determination. It was like being divorced from the actual event. We were barely a part of it we were so far behind. But we had numbers and we were chugging along.
Dirtbag Baby was great the whole time. He barely fussed. He just sat and watched all the crazy people sweat by him. There were other strollers, but they were being run with. Someday, buddy, someday Daddy will take you on a race and run. That'll be fun.
It was funny to be almost The People the course guy was waiting for to clean up. Just us and the two behind us. Hi, how ya doing? Oh, we're at 47 minutes at the turn around? We don't care, thanks though.
The weather was great and it was a fun walk. There isn't much else to say about it. It didn't hurt, we didn't race. At the end as a fun thing the race organizers had put out Easter eggs for people to pick up. Super Awesome Wife picked one up with a prize ticket in it. Yay, basket of cookies!And The Grey ran back to walk the last mile with us after he finished. That was nice of him.
In all a fun time. I hope Stamina Races puts on more things, I liked how they did it. For their first event it went surprisingly well. Glad we all did it together. I'm so very looking forward to doing more and more events with the tiny human. We'll make it something he does, so that hopefully as he gets older being fit continues to be something that happens. It'll be a habit from before he knew we were training him.
Many thanks to my sponsor Background Profiles for helping me do fun events like this. Getting to share them with the family makes them even better. 

Happy Finisher Family

Walk It Out

Vroom!

Never taken pictures during a race before

Nice day

Baby Finisher Medal!

Stealing Mom's Cookies

Winner!

I got a medal too!

Of course I rocked the kilt.

Baby's first finish!

Ask the Super Awesome Wife

*Full Disclosure: I am completely ripping off the Maple Grove Barefoot Guy with this, but I really like the idea and I give him full credit. Wouldn't want to anger a local barefoot superhero.*

Ladies and gentlemen, Dirtbag friends and followers, have I got a treat for you! Now is your chance to ask the Super Awesome Wife of your favorite Dirtbag any questions you like, and she has promised to answer all of them*. You can ask her anything you want about herself and about the care and feeding of the Dirtbag triathlete himself.
Some background about Super Awesome Wife to help you get started. She spent 2 1/2 years in the Army before getting a medical discharge. She just finished school and got a job teaching Pre-K (read: 3-4 year olds) Special Education. She thinks that squished pennies are the best souvenir a person could possibly get for themselves somewhere and has developed a system and rules to govern the selection and creation of said squished pennies. While not as active as myself she has completed the Great Aloha run and the Dash portion of a Splash and Dash biathlon relay as a walker. She is also signed up for a 5k this weekend, and another next weekend. The latter is part of a Women's Fitness Series which will include a 10k and half marathon. Most importantly in the Team Dirtbag context, she is the Official Dirtbag Fitness Nutritionist, Photographer, and Cheer Leader. I would totally ask her about food, she is an awesome cook. And I don't just say that because I would starve and die without her at this point.

Please post the questions in the comments section of this post and in a week or so I'll turn it over to her and let her make fun of me for 500+ words. Have fun and be creative. I'm as interested to find out what I'm going to learn as you are.
**Edit: Here is the post with her answers**

*or as many as she feels like before she gets tired of it