FOLLOW THIS MOM OF SIX ON HER QUEST TO CONQUER A TRIATHLON

In the spring of 2006, New Braunfels' Kaarina Owens, mom of 6 and co-author of the Put a Lid on It! cookbook series, decided to train for the Danskin Triathlon.  Follow her training trials and tribulations,  from her first workout to the big day.

JUNE 10, 2007

Well, it’s pre-race day and I am not sure if I am ready to do this after all.  The mind can play amazing tricks and mine is trying to convince me not to go.  My heart is still in it but the rest of me wants to fake an illness and stay home in bed. Maybe, just maybe this isn’t such a bright idea.  Maybe, just maybe no one would care if I didn’t go.  Who do I have to impress?  What am I trying to prove?  These are all questions that I am trying to answer.  Ultimately, what is driving me to actually make the trip is the fact that I don’t want to live with regret.  I want to make sure that when I look back at this weekend, I will be able to say that I too can be counted among the brave, ambitious and strong women who completed the race. 

So, now I am making the final preparations for the trip to Austin for the race.  Sneakers…check…shorts…check…goggles…check…bathing suit…OK, well here’s the deal with the bathing suit.  I went ahead and bought this fancy little “triathlon” outfit.  It resembles a bikini but is supposed to hold you in a little bit better and be more comfy in the “right” places.  Well, after 6 kids and some remaining unwanted weight, I feel more like a marshmallow stuffed into a thimble in the outfit, with plenty of “fluff” hanging over the edges.  I really have no choice, so I guess it’s check on the bathing suit as well.  Comfort over beauty, right?   To be completely honest, I know I won’t be the only one out there worried about what I look like, and I know it shouldn’t matter anyway, but I still have complete fear and trepidation about the outfit, almost as much as I do the race itself.   Once again I must admit that this whole experience has turned out to be more stressful on my psyche than on my body.

Well, all of my stuff is packed up and I am now off to the races, literally.  No turning back now unless I sprain my ankle on the way.  Hmmm…maybe I’ll come up with something yet.

JUNE 11, 2007 - RACE DAY!!!

Well, I am writing to you after having successfully completed my first…and hopefully NOT last, triathlon. (SURPRISE!!!)  I am so proud to have been a part of something so wonderful and I sincerely hope to be able to do it again someday.  There are no words to describe the feelings and emotions that I experienced today.  It was by far, one of the most amazing and challenging days of my life.  And yes, I’ve been married for 8 years and given birth to 6 children…you do the math.

We (4 fellow racers and I) woke at approximately 4:45 AM and I don’t think any of us were prepared for how terrible it would feel to get up and get going.  The hardest part was knowing that we weren’t getting up early to go somewhere fun.  We were dragging ourselves out of our comfort zone for a grueling day ahead.  I just have to throw in here the fact that I had a powerbar for breakfast, which I have never eaten before in my life.  I now know the reason why I don’t eat them, and can say for certain that I’ll never eat one again without just cause.  (Perhaps at my next triathlon)

By 5:30 we were all loaded in the car and headed out for parking area where we were to meet to ride the shuttle to the race site.  They had ropes set up to corral the 3500 racers into lines to board the buses.  As we stood there, the only image I had in my mind was of cattle lined up to board those huge trucks that cart them off to the slaughter.  There we were, thousands of women, waiting in line for a bus that was going to cart us off to our own type of torture.  And I couldn’t help but think that we, being the intelligent species, were all still standing there, knowing what we were about to get ourselves into.  I didn’t see anyone turn and run, so I concluded that the thrill of a potential victory was enough to keep all of us in line.  With my stomach churning and my heart pounding, I boarded the bus to the race site.


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