Triathlon medal for Father's Day

I love that feeling that i get deep in my chest when i think about my Carlos. It's not just "love", it is a profound sense of amazement at all his virtues. He takes my breath away, not by free-flowing rush of hormones, like it happens in the teenage years, but by his qualities and his abilities, and his sheer guts to go for it!
This weekend was another demonstration of his gutsy young soul.
 
On Wednesday our lovely athlete friends texted us a gentle reminder of a triathlon in Big Bear that we have previously spoken about. Since i have not been training, and was in no condition to attempt it, i was intending to accompany them just to cheer. I love Big Bear, and either way, i didn't want to miss the opportunity to camp there, to sit among the pine trees and smell the pine needles, to listen to the crackles of the campfire and the view of the mountains and the lake. But secretly i was hoping that Carlos would attempt it. I held my breath and waited for his reply. To my amazement, he said he just registered and we are going!!!

So, having only two days to procure a wet suit and tri shorts, after work we rushed out to Tri Lab, hoping to either rent or buy. We bought Men's Rocket Science -- it was light, Carlos found it comfy.
On Friday night we made it to the campground by bed time, having suffered a minor fender-bender on the way. Our wonderful energetic friends were waiting for us, helped us set up and we went to sleep in anticipation of 5:30 am wake up.

In the morning, while Carlos went to register, i made everyone their oatmeal, quickly packed up, and we headed to the start line. Carlos looked nervous and excited. I was feeling anxious, proud, worried, jealous, -- a whole array of emotions. Kenia was calm and excited at the same time -- which is a unique combination of emotions, at least from my perspective. I would be totally freaking out...
At the start, Carlos swam out strong. Kenia is a hell of an athlete, but new to swimming. Carlos is a good swimmer but he never trained, practiced or swam long distance. Nick and i watched, waited and agonized. I wanted them to finish, i wished them to not drop out, and to be safe, and with energy to continue. Finally, after a long while, and after pulling out mu binoculars, i saw them, and they were coming in at the same time. Looked like Carlos had grabbed on to a floaty for a bit, but finished on his own. They transitioned to the bike, awkwardly pulling off their wet suits, and putting on socks. Now i knew they would both finish the race -- they could do it -- 19 mile bike course around the lake is something they have done here before, and running is something they can both do in their sleep. Carlos came in, and within minutes so did Kenia. On this transition i could see the exhaustion in their faces. I couldn't even imagine going to run 5K in this elevation, after biking 19 miles and swimming half a mile... I imagined myself in their place - i imagined how their legs were feeling and how their heart was beating hard enough to jump out of their chest. I thought -- i would be quitting right now, i would be thinking that for my first attempt at a triathlon i already did enough. But they didn't give up, they were off to their run. I thought to myself - "they are stronger than me, they are better than me - i will learn from them!". Keeping all these feelings inside, i continued to wait. Nick and i settled int our chairs and waited. We chatted about kayaks, races, diet. We relaxed and waited for them to return, to take the final finish line photos, to hug and scream in excitement. And then i saw the teal shirt with fluffy hair in the distance. It was Carlos!!!! His smile was ear to ear, and he was running leisurely. At this moment, i felt that he was just the most magnificent man on Earth!!!! He fished his first triathlon!!! He didn't train, and yet he didn't drop out, he didn't hurt himself -- he did it!!!! I was so happy and so proud. He was overcome with emotions, tears were running down his face. He was happy. They placed a medal around his neck. It was shining with his accomplishment. I was shining with pride. What an unforgettable day!!! This is the way to celebrate Father's Day -- by being the kind of father any daughter would be proud.

We celebrated at a local pizza place, then came back to our camp site to relax. It was a beautiful day! The sun was shining warm enough to cuddle us, but gentle enough not to burn.  Our camp side (#8) was set much further away into the woods than others, and the surroundings were quiet, so that we were listening to the chippers of birds, with no human voices around. This could be the perfect place to camp for mountain biking weekends, with Summit lifts right at the entrance and one of the downhill trails right behind us. The trouble, of course, is that it would have be to reserved 3 months in advance, like everything else. But, such is life in California, -- it does not take any spontaneity...

We told Sara about the race when we returned home. She listened, she paid attention, she asked questions. She couldn't imagine what all is involved, but she was proud of him. We showed her photos. She asked if he won. I talked about practicing, and trying, and being better and better each time - i said that was winning within itself. To me, Carlos won - he won my admiration and admiration of his daughter.