Beth's Black Bear Big Breakthrough

Well, I tried to think about how many "B" words I could put in the title. Beth is competing in the Black Bear triathlon which is in Lehighton, PA which is near Hazleton, Wilkes-Barre, and Allentown if you know the northeaster PA landscape.

We had a good trip out on Friday night and ate at a Hoss's in DuBois. Before we moved to our house, the apartment we stayed in was walking distance from a Hoss's. We haven't been to one in a while, so I was loving life. I got the sliced steak sandwich, but the real reason we go is the "salad" bar. There's a whole lot more than just salad. Great bread (garlic, while, cinnamon w/ icing), jello, fruit (strawberries, peaches, and melons), nacho chips, and then MANY desserts.

For dessert, I had a mug with a cookie at the bottom, vanilla ice cream, a brownie on top, peanut butter and chocolate toppings, crushed oreo toppings, sprinkles and chocolate chip toppings, and whipped cream. It was amazing!!!

Fortunately today I had a chance to do some exercising. Today we went over and scoped out the course. While Beth was doing a 45 minute ride, I ran the run course. It's 3.5 miles and looks like a fair course. Beth likened it back to her cross country days with the dirt/stone paths, a grass hill, and trip through the woods.

Then, Beth had to do a swim. Since I'm doing my first triathlon on July 12th, I figured it would probably be a good thing to experience open water swimming. My first chance was GOING to be in the Tampa Bay with Beth while we were down at St. Petersburg for her race at St. Anthony's, but SOMEONE forgot both swimsuit AND goggles back at the hotel. This wasn't chicken-ing out or anything--I was kicking myself the rest of the day for being so dumb. I even remembered to take a towel, how do I forget the goggles and swim trunks?!?!?!

Anyway, today was the day. It was a little chilly in the water and I don't own a wetsuit. Beth estimated the water to be in the mid to upper 60's. Once I got in, though, it wasn't too bad. I stayed in the roped in area and swam back and forth in about 4-5 ft water. It was a good experience with sighting and going straight.

Well, Beth's big race is in the morning. She's hoping to be the top PA finisher so she can compete in the Best of the US race in Phoenix in October. My aunt lives in Phoenix, so it would make for a fun trip as my mom & dad may go, too.

Time to get back to the Pens who are tied 1-1 in the 2nd period and the Buccos who (amazingly) lead St. Louis 13-1!!! This (hopefully if they win) will put them back to 3 games under. If they could only get on a hot streak. Unfortunately, their starting pitching isn't consistent enough to do that.