At the end of September Dave and I competed in the Kinetic Multisport Rock Hall Triathlon again – on Saturday doing the Olympic distance and for the first time on Sunday doing the relay with Lauren! It was an amazing weekend! Dave and I both took FIRST in our age group!! And our relay team took SECOND in the mixed category! For that one, I did the swim, Dave did the bike ride, and Lauren did the run. And girl was a hauling!
So much fun! Looking forward to doing it again in the spring!
It’s been a busy spring, as always! But a lot of fun stuff. First up was the Gift of Life 5K that a combination of Dave, Lauren and I have done for the last several years. This year it was just Lauren and me because Dave was out of town. She killed it – placing 2nd in the 15 and under division!
Next up was the Rock Hall sprint tri – which was the same weekend as our wedding anniversary (21 years!). This time Dave got a podium finish!! We both placed 2nd in our age group and got to stand up on the podium together – awwww 😉
We also ran the Broad Street Run, meeting up with Justin at the end. This was the first year in a while the weather actually cooperated. It threatened the rain, but never did, thank goodness. A personal fave for both of us.
The girls both had their end of year concerts – Sophie for the Philadelphia Girls Choir, at Temple Performing Arts. Emma Devine is in the choir this year, so it was fun to see her up on stage as well.
And Lauren had her spring band concert. Sadly (for me, not her) her last because she is not doing band in 7th grade. They were impressive, as always. Next year she’ll be in the middle school choir.
Two other happenings worth mentioning – the family came up for a quick visit and to see Sophie’s choir concert – and this pic of Lauren and Ari is just too cute not to post.
And shortly after the Gift of Life 5K, Lauren broke her toe, and had to wear a boot for 4 weeks. She took it in stride, blinging up the boot – and was a very happy camper when it finally came off!
It’s been a lovely fall. It hasn’t rained here in about 6 weeks, which has been terrible for the grass and plants, but with low humidity and the perfect temperature, it’s been amazing to just be outside.
Dave and I competed in the Waterman’s Olympic Distance triathlon in Rock Hall at the end of September. I was still in great condition from training for Nationals and ended up taking 2nd overall in the Masters Category (anyone 45+). I was a little offended to be considered a Master, but what can you do? It was my fasted Olympic Distance so this Master killed it.
Lauren ran on the cross country team again this year and did really well. She ended up in the Top 5 of her team of about 30 5-8th graders. She really enjoys it and is also very much looking forward to joining the track team when she’s in 7th grade (track is only 7th and 8th).
And Sophia had a cool experience with the Philadelphia Girls Choir. She was one of just a few singers invited to sing with The Philadelphia Orchestra in their performance of G. Mahler Symphony No. 3. They performed twice at the Kimmel Center in Philadelphia and once at Carnegie Hall in NY! The most exciting part of the NY performance for her was running into Alec Baldwin in the hallway, who then took her phone to take a group selfie (“he touched my phone!!”).
The Maryland State Championship triathlon is always held in Rock Hall, which is super convenient for us. Last year I placed 3rd in my age group in the State Championships, which qualified me for the short-course Nationals this year, which were here in Atlantic City in the middle of September. When I decided that I was going to compete in the Olympic Distance (I could pick Sprint or Olympic) I also hired a coach because I was super nervous about competing against all of the other state champions. Honestly, I was having nightmares about coming in last! I started training with her April, and was ready when September rolled around. It was a pretty amazing experience. There were thousands of competitors in 35 heats. The first wave started at 6:30AM and mine didn’t go off until slightly after 9AM, so there was a lot of time to stand around feeling my nerves. The swim was in the back bay, which was not the cleanest water and was also salty, which I was not used to. Per usual, it was my weakest leg, but my whole goal was to just get it done without freaking out, which I accomplished! The bike, my strongest leg, was along the New Jersey Expressway. They closed two lanes of traffic for the bikes, which was nice. Going through the toll booths was a challenge because of the rumble strips, but otherwise, it was flat and smooth sailing. Finally, the run was along the boardwalk. By the time I was running, it was almost noon and hot. While it was cool to run along the water, unfortunately, the boardwalk was pretty crowded and thick with weed smoke. I know I wasn’t the only runner wishing for some cleaner air. All that said, I did well, top 1/3 of women, which I’m really happy with. It wasn’t my fastest Olympic distance, but all things considered, it was just perfect!
Here is USA Triathlon’s coverage of the event.
It’s been a packed spring with races, performances and various end of year activities.
Lauren and I did a 5K race for Gift of Life, called the Donor Dash. And Lauren killed it. She came in 3rd in her age group of 15 and under. We’ve got a star runner in the making!
The next weekend Dave and I, along with Justin, Don, and Rebecca did the Broad St. Run. The weather wasn’t great, but it wasn’t the worst we’ve run in either. First weekend in May, you never know.
I also did a sprint distance triathlon in Rock Hall. Dave unfortunately couldn’t come down to do it because of a crazy schedule, but Don joined me. This year I’ve moved up in age groups to 45-49 (ugh). But it went well and I ended up taking first in the group – first our of 18 in the age group and 61 out of 380 overall!
There were also spring concerts – Lauren’s 5th grade band concert and Sophie’s Philadelphia Girls Choir concert. Both were excellent and both girls did a great job.
Lauren had her 5th grade dance, which she went to with her “crew” of friends.
After two years Sophie finally got her braces off! We finally get to see the full smile again – teeth and all!
And finally, in exciting family news, Shannon Boyle is getting married! Lauren and Kathy represented the Sharp contingent at her shower. We’re looking forward to the wedding in September!
This fall, both girls played a sport for the first time. Sophie tried out and made the volleyball team. She had never played volleyball before and she really loved it. She floated back and forth between the A and B teams, and even though BC didn’t win many games, she played really well and got better throughout the season.
Lauren ran cross country, which is one of the few sports that 5th graders are able to play in middle school. She did really well, placing in the top 5 for her school in most of the races, but I think the amount of work was a wake up call for her. She likes to get out and run, and she’s fast, but I’m not sure she was ready for all the training. She also was part of the stage crew for the school play, and really enjoyed that a lot. She bounced back and forth between practices after school for both.
Dave, Don and I did the Olympic distance triathlon in Rock Hall in October. We all did really well. Don’s PR’d and this was Dave’s first Olympic distance in about 25 years. I placed 3rd in my age group, and since it was also the MD State Championship that means I qualified for the Nationals next year in September in Atlantic City!
This spring we were competitive. Lauren participated in her school’s filed day and took 2nd in the 50 yard dash. Dave and I ran Broad Street with our neighbor, Mark. Lauren and Dave ran in the Gift of Life 5K, where Lauren took 3rd in her age group (15 and under), and Don and I did the French Creek Triathlon, where I took 3rd overall in the women’s sprint. I’m proud of all of us!
Over Mother’s Day weekend we volunteered at the Gift of Life Family House where we cooked a meal for 40 guests staying in the house that night. It was just the 4 of us cooking and we got it done! If only we could convince the girls to help in the kitchen on holidays.
Sophie had her spring Philadelphia Girls Choir concert at Temple Performing Arts Center. The girls were fabulous, per usual. This coming year will be Sophie’s last year in the Cantata group, and then she’ll audition for the Concerto group, which is the most senior group.
And I met Aleen and Sallie in DC for a girls weekend. We went to the National Portrait Gallery, which none of us had ever been to before, and we ate several very good meals. As always, it was a lovely weekend with my besties.
After a summer of training, I finally competed in my first Olympic distance triathlon the first weekend in October in Rock Hall. The weekend also coincided with Hurricane Ian, which made conditions pretty miserable. But I did it and ended up taking first in my age group – which was a total surprise. It was definitely one of the hardest physical challenges I’ve done and on the last 1/2 mile of the run I knew what it felt like to be completely depleted. But it was also really fun and the training paid off!
On November 19th, Dave, Don and I did the Philly 1/2 marathon. This was my first half since 2019 and longest distance I’ve run since my leg surgery. It was a very cold, but clear day and the run was really fun. The course takes runners throughout the city and hundreds of people come out to cheer you on, which is really fun to experience.
Amazingly, another school year has come to an end! The girls wrapped with some final activities before the summer break.
Sophie had her Philadelphia Girls Choir spring concert at Temple Performing Arts Center in June. It was their first concert without masks. It was great to see their smiling faces and really hear their singing voices again!
Sophie also went to her first school dance!! I can’t believe it either. She had a good time, but we heard about some girls drama too – I guess it wouldn’t be a middle school dance without it.
Sophie also did band again this year, continuing with percussion. This was the first in-person concert we got to see since they were either recorded and shared with families, or submitted via zoom over the last two years.
Lauren did Girls on the Run again this spring and their 5K was held at Montgomery County Community College. There were a ton of schools participating this time and many runners. We’re not sure how many, but one of the coaches told us it was over 1,000 girls. Dave was her running buddy again and they killed it. Lauren came in 10th out of the girls running! She loves it and we’re so happy about it.
We also attended our first Bat Mitzvah for Sophie’s preschool friend Rachel. The party was held at Germantown Cricket Club and there was a special candle lighting ceremony for all of her preschool friends, which was really sweet.
Dave and I got away one night for a night out with the college crew, most of whom we haven’t seen in a long time. It was a really great night!
And finally, at the end of June, Dave, Don and I did the Rock Hall sprint triathlon – my first since my leg injury. I hadn’t planned on doing it, but decided to just give it a go – I’ve been feeling good – and ended up taking 2nd in my age group! Booyah! Actually, I was totally suprised and super excited about it. I’ve spend the last 11 months doing so much PT, strength training and mobility – I felt like it really paid off. I’m really looking to training throughout the summer to compete in an Olympic Distance in the fall.
The girls both had a great year, we all had a great spring, and we’re looking forward to this summer!
The first weekend in October was the annual fall triathlon in Rock Hall. The event was cancelled last year, so this was the first year back since 2019. Sadly I’m still on the long road to recovery so was cheering on the sidelines this time, which was also a lot of fun.
The Morris’ came down for the weekend and Don did the race with Dave.
The start was a little different this year, with everyone lining up and jumping in one at a time. This was the first year that Dave wore a wetsuit and it was pretty terrible for him. The suit was too tight and he had trouble breathing. He didn’t swim nearly as fast as he has in past years, but fortunately made it up on the bike ride.
He ended up doing pretty well, coming in 4th in his age group. And Don did really well, placing third in the Clydesdales category.
Petunia also felt she deserved recognition, although we all know she can’t swim, and really is pretty terrible on a bike too.
It was a quick weekend, but we did manage to get in some good Rock Hall time with a walk to the beach for sunset and a sail on Sunday after the race. October is beautiful down there, and the weekend did not disappoint.
