This triathlon lifestyle.......its a family thing for sure, it has to be. I love that my girls talk about doing IRONMAN. Whether or not IRONMAN is in their future, I hope that they pick big dreams and chase them wholeheartedly. When Bob and I asked Lily if she wanted to tackle her first triathlon, she nearly leaped with joy. So we signed her up for the Dueces Wild youth triathlon and immediately went to work getting her ready.
50 yard swim, 1.2 mile bike and .5 mile run.
We removed her training wheels and worked for 4 weeks on riding her bike around our neighborhood. She worked through a lot of fear and uncertainty, but last week....she had it. The running thing was a no brainer. My kids run. The open water swim was the other event that I knew might need some work, so the Thursday before we left I took her out with the other kids racing for a practice in Lake Saguaro. It was scary. The boats on the lake were creating a wavy wake and between the other kids swimming, the terror of open water swimming and the overwhelming feeling of not being able to see Lily was battling an intense amount of fear. She really wanted to stop. So I got in and worked with her. She jumped from the dock, swam to me and back. I made her fight through it.......handle her fear, wrestle with that voice telling her she can't. I pushed her to understand her limits without being immobilized by fear. After all, courage is knowing you can do something even in the face of fear. And.....she got it....she did it. I kept asking her, "Lily, what do you know about yourself, Say it!" She would say "I am strong, I am Brave, I am Confident, I can do this!" Over and over again she jumped off that dock and swam. By the time we left I could see it. She had found her brave.
So 2 mornings later we packed up our Prius and headed up the mountain, Lady Dash and The Pink Princess in tow.
When the time came for Lily to start getting geared and numbered up for the race she was so ready! I pinned up my number belt to fit her little waste and we got her 402 numbers where they should be.
We walked down to transition while teaching her all about what that meant, racked her bike and let her get body marked.
Little Evie wanted so desperately to do everything Lily was doing and the volunteer was kind enough to give Evie a little body marking of her own. Evie was so excited about her chance to be even a small part!
This picture below is simply the best. Look at that brave, bold, strong little girl standing on the bank of the lake. She was so ready to go out there and get that buoy.
As a member of the AZ TRI Club we had the awesome chance to volunteer for the kids race and I jumped at the chance to be one of the safety swimmers. I watched with so much excitement as Lily stood there amidst 20 other kids...all bigger than her...ready to go. She amazed me. She stood at the front of the pack...right next to the boys ready to go. I yelled at her again, "Lily, what do you know about yourself?!" To which she yelled out, "Mommy, I am Brave, I am Strong, I am Confident, I can do this!!"
The countdown happened and my Lily BLEW ME AWAY. She didn't falter, or hesitate or once let fear impact her. My girly swam right past me, out to that buoy, around it, past me again and to the shore. She was the 2nd little girl out of the water.
She ran up to transition where her Daddy helped her get her shoes and helmet on. She got on her bike and pedaled hard.
Unfortunately, Bob's phone died and I was still swimming safety so we didn't get picks to the finish, but Lily did amazing! Even when she got stuck on a hill during the bike course she got some help and finished strong. She took off running like a champion.
I think the best story is one Bob relayed to me about Lily Grace. As they were on the final running leg of the event Bob was encouraging Lily to pass one of the little girls ahead of her. Lily took up the challenge, but upon passing her noticed that the little girl was complaining of her tummy hurting. Lily and Bob instantly stopped everything and discovered that her number belt had been put on too tight. They stopped, helped her and then Lily and her sprinted together across the finish (Lily took her across the line:). Not only did Lily keep what truly matters in her mind, but she made a best friend in the process (no kidding...Lily insisted I get her parent's number........Lauren be ready for my call :)
Lily has a heart of gold. She is strong and driven......but also has compassion and beauty. I am so proud of her. Her Gma and Gpa Longmire sent her a bunch of athletic attire and this card. I am so grateful for the people that see the potential inside of her and who foster her spirit of adventure.
Lily Grace, you make me proud. I would never have done what you did this past weekend at your age. There is simply no stopping you my dear. Your trophy was well deserved. You are strong, you are confident, you are brave and you baby girl are
A TRIATHLETE!
