Irongirl
July 22, 2007 10:06 pm(placeholder. Beth raced in the Ryka Irongirl Sprint Triathlon this weekend. Here’s some pics and her race report.)
Grand Cayman
July 19, 2007 9:59 pmDisco Duathlon
July 8, 2007 9:40 pmYes, another race entry. Back in January, this was going to be the target race for David’s big, first, Half-Ironman race. But if you’ve been keeping up, you’ll know that distance event was canceled earlier in the year. Nonetheless, David was still planning to race the Olympic distance at Disco.
But nature hasn’t been kind to North Texas recently, with record rainfall and flooding. Most of the lakes, including the one for this race have been closed to boat traffic due to ramps underwater, submerged hazards (oh, like the picnic pavilions), and unsanitary conditions. So what was to be Disco Triathlon was changed into the Disco Duathlon. The new Olympic-length race was going to be — 2mi run - 26 mile bike - 6.2mi run.
Though Beth stayed home with the kids this particular weekend, but neighbor Teri was also racing at Disco (the Sprint race). David finished 6th in his age group, and 16th overall. A great finish, considering the brutal, oppressive humidity that had even some of the area’s elite competitors walking today. In addition to race photos of David, you’ll find her race photos in the album, also. Here’s David’s race report, too.
Tri-Historic McKinney
May 20, 2007 8:05 amAnother triathlon — this time, a convenient local Sprint race. David was racing, but Beth brought the kids out to cheer along. The bike course was a somewhat technical, including quite a bit of two-lane coutry roads with rolling hills and turns. David turned in a fanstatic performance, and we cheered him on to a 3rd place win in his age group! (8th overall!) For the first time, he even squeeked in under 20min for his 5k run (3.1 miles)!
Crawling Baby and other Good Times
April 28, 2007 10:04 pmWatch Out! Ryan is crawling now, and he is at that ultimate cute-baby phase. His laughs and antics are adorable, and he is learning so much about the world around him now. Alexa is learning new skills about keeping her toys away from him, but she is also enjoying how much more interactive he is now. We are starting to get those “He’s touching my carseat!!” comments now, though! As always, click on the thumbnail to check out the gallery for other fun times.
Playtri — a big one! (Half-Ironman!)
April 21, 2007 10:05 pmOur second race weekend was locally in Irving with the Playtri Festival. It was a two-day event, and Beth started off the weekend with the Sprint race on Saturday, and she was mostly pleased with the results. The excitement of the weekend centered around David’s accomplishements, however.
David was originally signed up for the Olympic-distance race on Sunday. However, after Beth’s race on Saturday, we were browsing the expo where we happened to learn that the July race that David has been targeting for his first Half-Ironman triathlon (and training for since January) was being canceled! Now what makes this interesting is that, as part of the Playtri festival, in addition to the Olympic race on Sunday, there was a Half-Ironman happening at the same time. In fact, with the July race being canceled, the Playtri race the next day was on the only Half-Ironman until later in the fall.
David wasn’t sure he was ready, as his training plan was only 3/4 completed. After much debate and encouragement from friends, David swapped his entry for the next day to the Half. He was nervous about how hard to push the event to save enough energy for the end, but he came in with an amazing 5 hours 28 minute finish.
Congratulations David, you’re a HALF-IRONMAN!!
Quite remarkable for a first-timer! Way to Go! You can even read the race reports if you want:
(oh, and one thumbnail takes you to pictures of Beth’s race; the other takes you to David’s race)
Easter
April 15, 2007 10:02 pmEaster was celebrated at the Hester house with a large gathering of family. Julie made a wonderful Easter lunch, and then the gaggle of girls including Alexa, Emily, Katie, and their cousin Laura hunted up baskets-full of eggs. Ryan dozed through the egghunt! Alexa also got two “practice” egg hunts at a playdate and the church’s Easter celebration.
Lonestar Triathlon / Houston trip
April 2, 2007 10:00 pmOur first race of the season was in Galveston at the new Lonestar Triathlon Festival. The kids had a ball playing with Nana and Frampa in Houston while we raced in Galveston.
Beth raced on Saturday in the Sprint event. It was her first race back since the birth of Ryan, and she had a great start to the season. It even poured buckets of rain during her run, and she still finished smiling. In fact, she came close to a personal best on the run!
Beth’s Lone Star race report
David had a phenominal race on Sunday during the Quarter Iron event. He came very close to earning a medal, a first at this distance for David. We also had a nice gathering with family in Houston after the event where we celebrated Alexa’s birthday a second time and saw Ali’s finished remodeling.
David’s Lone Star race report
(note: The three thumbnail pictures each take you to a different photo gallery.)
Alexa’s Birthday
March 24, 2007 9:57 pmAlexa had a great birthday party with family. The Hesters and McCorkle grandparents came over to help celebrate. The biggest attraction at the Pink Poodle-themed party was the new bicycle. Alexa had been wanting one for quite a while, as she is a regular at the local bike shops with Mommy and Daddy.
She had become so proficient at “testing” all the children’s bikes that we decided it was time she had one of her own. She is now the youngest cyclist of the family on a purple puppy bike with training wheels. We got her the 16-inch size to last her a long time.
Spring Portraits
March 22, 2007 9:53 pmWe took the kids for their Spring portraits, as Ryan had changed so much since the last ones and Alexa’s birthday was around the corner. We also took their Easter outfits and got some priceless photos.
Springtime Fun
March 13, 2007 9:54 pmI splurged for David’s birthday and bought him a new triathlon bike. He deserved it with his training discipline and promising race results in the past. He is delighted to give it a try at his next race.
{David’s note: And what a bike!! A 2007 Cervelo P2C. I see personal records falling like dominos… if only I can get this ‘engine’ up to the task. :-) }
Then there are a some pics of the kids around the house or at play events.
Late Winter Fun
February 15, 2007 9:51 pmWe had a short spell of February snow that Alexa enjoyed making the World’s Smallest Snowman in. Fortunately, the snow did pack well, so she also got to learn about snowball fights!!! She is also enjoying the Brio trains Aunt Karen sent her for Christmas. She changes the track a couple times a week. Ryan also started sitting up, and he became quite accomplished at it quickly. What a cutie!!!
RunBiTri (January)
January 28, 2007 1:37 pmIt was a chilly morning for my first race of the ‘07 season. Fortunately, it was another in the ‘reverse Sprint’ series, so jumping in the pool was the last thing we did, instead of the first. I placed 2nd of 9 in my age group, and missed a top 10 overall finish by seconds (probably because of a missed turn on the bike). But it was a fun day. Race report is here.
Odds and Ends
December 31, 2006 11:18 amHere are just a few random pics that we snapped around the end of the year. There’s an especially adorable one of Ryan. (Yes, yes, I’m biased.)
