Balance - Jeannie Samson's Triathlon Blog
David's First Tri......  Last year my 10 year old son David began riding his bike along side me while I did several of my long run sessions. He was a little man on a mission - uncharacteristically quiet and focused for every mile of my run. We both knew we had found that magical something that words cannot describe. Here was something we both loved doing. There was no need for the typical parental nagging, and the occassional struggle to comminicate. Just quiet, trust, and love. Our favorite route was the 7 mile loop from the Mopac bridge on the Town Lake Hike and Bike Trail! After his bike broke in the fall, he did not go with me for several months. In March of this year his Dad bought him a new bike. It was then that David had a renewed interest in riding with me, and a strong desire to compete in a triathlon. For five weeks he did several swimming, biking, and running sessions to prepare for the Cedar Park Kids Triathlon. His goal was to finish, and to do his best! From the moment I saw the start of his swim, I was so touched I had to keep myself from bursting out with loud emotion. I let out many tears as he exited the water, but tried to focus enough to snap a few great pictures of this momentus occassion. He looked as if he was having a BLAST the whole time, and asked "When's the next one?" at least ten times that day. My husband Jude drove up from San Antonio with our daugher Shanti early that morning (Jude was in a soccer tournament the previous day) so they could be there also - that made the event even more meaningful for David. He is so proud of his accomplishment - my son is now a triathlete!! |