The good folks at Natural High Fitness have come up with a way to combine two of my favourite activities this Family Day.
They are organizing the first Winter Triathlon on Feb. 20 and the proceeds will go towards a worthwhile cause, the Okotoks Healthy Family Resource Centre.
I hope to participate, afterall how often do you get to combine the joy of running in the fresh winter air and then hop on cross-country skis and take in the scenic trials at the Crystal Ridge Nordic Ski Club (the Crystal Ridge golf course)?
Unfortunately, for me, it’s a triathlon. Turns out swimming is part of the deal. Somebody put out an APB for Stingrays coach Todd Melton — I need some lessons fast.
Sure, he was a coach of the year, but I’m afraid he is not up to the task.
It’s not that I can’t swim, I just need some confidence. When I go swimming the first thing I do is tap the lifeguard on the shoulder and let him or her know that I am going in. And that’s for the hot tub.
Let’s get this straight. I can swim 500m. I have swum 20 lengths of a 25-metre pool before. My fear is the last cross-country skier in the triathlon will have been off the course and enjoying his or her refreshments about the same time I drag myself out of the pool to ask: “Okay, now where do I run?” and “Do you guys remember where I put my left shoe?”
I’m sure when I go swimming lifeguards want to poke me with a stick to make sure I’m alive.
“It’s okay. He twitched. Cancel the ambulance.”
I know I can do the run and while I won’t be mistaken for Beckie Scott when it comes to cross-country skiing I can get the job done. Somehow, I have to handle the swim.
Wait a minute.
It’s on Family Day it’s for the family resource centre, so why don’t I recruit a family. How about Finlay Knox’s family?
Finlay is the 10-year-old swimming phenom with the Stingrays who collects swimming records like most boys collect hockey cards. Hey Finlay, how would you like to be the brother I never had? (If my two real brothers, in Seattle and Edmonton respectively, are actually reading this, sorry. Feel free to join in if you want. I know you can swim).
First, I’m going to have to do some genealogical research because Knox sounds like a Scottish name.
Not good for Campbells on Family Day.
I have had this happen to me before. The Campbells did something really bad about 300 years ago that infuriated McGregors, the Frasers, McDonalds and virtually anyone who has ever heard a bagpipe or considered playing golf. (I’ve read the story. I admit, we were the bad guys, but it’s been three centuries…)
I don’t want to risk getting Finlay in trouble with his family, so I will turn to my second family.
My close, bosom buddies at the Western Wheel.
I’m sure one of us can swim, and hey, I’ll give up one of the other two disciplines so we can get a full team in.
Besides, it’s a fun event, if we come in dead last, who cares? And it’s for a worthy cause. Hopefully, we will be joined by a whack of others in the foothills. All they got to do is go to www.naturaltri.ca to register.
So my close friends at the Wheel — dare I say brothers and sisters? — let me know. I’ll get a team in for the Jan. 20 early deadline.
That way we can save pa Rockley some money.
