Lake Hickory Y Triathlon

This past weekend was spent in Hickory working on Mommy’s bucket list. In early spring, Erin Sipe posted on facebook that she had signed up for a couple triathlons. Doing a triathlon had been in the back of my mind for quite some time, so I emailed Erin and after talking and a couple months of training we decided to tackle some of our fears and the Lake Hickory Y Triathlon together.

For those of you who don’t know Erin, well to put it mildly you’re missing out. She is one amazing woman, mother, wife, friend and above all a strong Christian. She’s the type of person that makes you feel right at home, and I’m honestly not sure that she’s ever met a stranger.  Erin was diagnosed with breast cancer at the age of 34. She fought a very public battle sharing her stories, experiences and faith in God every step of the way. Erin Sipe beat cancer and  inspired so many people along the way. So let me just say that being on “Team Erin” for the triathlon this weekend was an absolute honor!

Erin and I were up bright and early on Saturday for the race.

Just seconds before the start. I can honestly say that my nerves were in full swing here.

Finishing up the bike ride.

The big finish.

My goal for my first triathlon was to finish. That I did. It wasn’t pretty, my time wasn’t great, but I can’t begin to tell you how great it felt to cross that finish line knowing that I pushed myself to my absolute limits and past the “this hurts so bad, I’m going to throw my bike in the woods and quit”…I swam 400 yds, biked 16 miles, and ran/walked 3.1 miles and officially marked triathlon off of my bucket list.

And I couldn’t ask for a better team mate!

Thanks Erin for a great day and a wonderful experience. I look forward to teaming up for another one in the future!!

I dedicated my first finish to another inspirational young lady, Miranda Eckard. She was the flower girl in my wedding almost 10 years ago and now at age 15 she is waging her own battle against a rare form of cancer. You can read about her story here. Not a day goes by that I don’t think of Miranda and her family. Her fight and her courage has changed my life in so many ways. So this one’s for you Miranda…I only wish I could do more. Keep up the good fight. My thoughts and prayers are always with you!