After the third snow storm and the over-heating of our car, you'd think we would have taken the hint that we were not meant to compete in our triathlon. We were headed to Vegas for the Showdown and Sundown and apparently someone was telling us to turn back but we were two determined chicks on a mission and nothing was going to stop us...not even a smoking engine.
Allison drove the entire 7 1/2 hours there and through each snow storm we would chuckle and shake our heads at the ridiculous weather. We had several conversations about how "over" winter we were and how much we longed for Spring to arrive. And then, the car's engine temperature started to skyrocket. I think Allison noticed a difference in the way it was driving and immediately looked down and saw the temp in the RED...not good. Before we knew it, we were on the side of the road in the middle of nowhere with smoke pouring out of her VW van. Instead of panicking, we laughed our heads off...I mean REALLY laughed, you know, the belly kind. And after fixing the problem, instead of taking it as a sign we should turn back, we, again, pushed on.
Giving up because of a little bad weather and car problem wasn't an option....no, it would take 52 degree water temp to begin that ball rolling. That was the news we received when we walked into the race headquarters to pick up our packet. Hmmm, I like to think we are pretty damn tough but I know we aren't stupid. Nevertheless, we went to bed that night with a few fun butterflies in our stomachs. You know, the excited nervous kind. We dreamed of sunshine and warm weather.
We woke to cloudy, windy and cold weather. Allison and I laughed! It was becoming a comedy of errors. And we were soaking it up. I think there comes a time during any trip when you have to throw your arms up and say, "I give up. What are we REALLY supposed to do?" We went out to the race start at Lake Mead and quickly learned that the swim was cancelled. I guess it was then that we knew our triathlon was not meant to happen on this day.
But, we turned the moment into something great. We were in this beautiful spot, Lake Mead National Park and we were going to have an adventure. So we parked, changed into our running gear and asked this wonderful man, a park volunteer, where we should run. "No question. Run to Hoover Dam. It is 3.7 miles in and 3.7 miles out." And then he added, "You were the smart ones. That water is too cold!" We smiled. The run was gorgeous and while we ran, the sun came out and the sky cleared up.
Do you know how we turned this lemon of a situation in to pure sweet lemonade? We made the most of every second together. Allison and I are both moms to two toddlers. Both 5 and 3-ish years old. Whenever we are together, the kids are usually in tow. For a solid 35 hours, there wasn't anyone else to worry about. We talked, sang, told endless stories about our lives and got to know each other even better. Frankly, time is such a precious gift and we were so thankful for it.
We went on our run, hopped into the car and made a bee-line to In and Out Burger...can you believe she had never been...even after 7 years in LA. After 13 1/2 hours in the car over a 35 hour period, we arrived home, safe, sound and bit giddy at 8:30pm about 2 hours after we were supposed be done with our race. Life throws everyone curve balls...what do you make of yours?
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