Tri for Fun until somebody gets hurt

It was a beautiful morning yesterday when Dave completed the Tri for Fun triathlon. My Man is awesome! As is usually the case, he didn't get enough time to train this summer with the demands of his business and family. I thought he did a wonderful job though! One of the main reasons I hesitate to do a triathlon is the swim. I'm just not a good lap swimmer and haven't had the desire to improve. That is not the case with the Mister though. He had an awesome swim, coming out of the water in the top 10-15 of his age bracket. Whenever he has time at work, he heads to the YMCA to swim, which has improved his speed and endurance in the pool. It showed yesterday. The bike leg went well and Dave said he felt great going into the last leg of the race. We timed when Dave would finish and waited anxiously at the finish line less than 10 minutes when he came around the corner. The kids gave him high fives and he looked great- not too tired. He finished in just over an hour and a half, I think. My mind wasn't very clear at that point.

So that's the overview. What happened in between all that swimming, biking and running laid me up indefinitely. The three older kids and I left at 6:15 AM to make it in time to see Dave start at 7 AM. We had just parked and walked into the venue when I noticed a lot of swimmers were still waiting on the beach. It turned out they started the race late because there was so much traffic getting into the park, which is what made us late as well. I did a quick lap around the beach area and found Dave just as the announcer explained the racing heats. The kids were playing on another part of the beach, so I raced back to get them to take a quick picture and give smooches before Dave started. I leaned sideways and bent down to help Logan up from his sand castle when something in my lower back froze up and cracked. The light got dim, my legs felt like Jello, all my muscles around my abdomen seized up and I could barely breath. It was pretty darn scary. All I could think was, 'just get back to Dave.' Really though, what was he going to be able to do for me? He was in his wetsuit minutes before the race and I just did major damage to my back. He couldn't just adjust me, do some ART and fix everything quick like usual. I wanted to hobble straight back to the car, drive home, lay down and ice my back immediately. How could we leave before the race had even begun?! We had got up and out the door at the crack of dawn to get there on time, and I knew Dave would be disappointed if we missed seeing him race. I put my game face on for the next 2 hours while we waited for Dave to complete each leg of the race. Thankfully, the kids were content to play in the water while we waited, and I didn't care much that they got their only clothes and shoes soaked and sandy. I tried to sit (it really hurt!) with a friend whose hubby also completed the race, and was lucky to catch Dave during both transitions and the finish to cheer my hardest with camera in hand.

I know I made things worse by moving around and walking so much because the pain was increasing. After Dave collected his things we headed to the cars to see if I could drive home. I shuffled back to the car using Dave's bike as a crutch and slid gingerly into the drivers seat. My back was burning, aching and sending shots of pain down the nerves in my legs and I couldn't help but burst into tears. I think I freaked everyone out a little. It was the only thing I could do to show my frustration, disbelief, and disappointment with my situation. Dave came over to make sure I wanted to drive home and, after I assured him I could do it, he shut the door. The kids were silent until Toby said, "Mom, I think you're getting pregnant." Where do they come up with these things?!!

What the kids didn't realize was that I sprained my back pretty badly while we were camping 3 weeks ago by falling down a hill with a heavy box in my hands. Dave got mad at me for not resting it properly which led to this final straw injury. I don't think he realizes just how much I have to lift and carry to keep up with the kids and housework. Well, now I'm forced to lay in bed and take it easy until my back is better because I can't even walk. I guess I should have taken a day or two in bed 3 weeks ago when I first injured it.

Life right now consists of ice packs every two hours, left over Vicodin from Logan's birth (still works just fine even after the 'expiration date'), lots of visits from the kids while I'm in bed and wishing I could just get up and help out. Thankfully, I am writing this from my parents house who have helped us so much while I am laid up. We had already arranged to stay at their house this weekend because our place is being fumigated. Dave and my parents have been so gracious and understanding while the kids tear up the house and run crazy while I'm stuck in bed. Mom even did my laundry for me (Thanks so much!) and took care of countless meals, diapers, chores, etc. with Dave. I'm trying to make the most of my forced vacation. The kids think it's hilarious that I walk like an old lady with a makeshift cane- I'll never look at a Swiffer mop the same again. The only time I do walk is to get to the bathroom and that takes about 15 minutes round trip. All the kids have been so understanding and great helpers to bring me food, books, the laptop charger and anything I need to pass the time while they bug Grammy and Grampy. ;)

I can't wait to be mobile again.