While still on track for IM, my free time and weekends were dedicated to training. And that was the choice I, and many other athletes, made. That choice is what makes you an Ironman.
I mean, when one of my best friends from college was flying in from New York to spend the weekend with me, which is not a luxury we have very often, I seriously considered telling her not to come. Because I needed to train. I couldn't lose a whole weekend to catching up and spending time with a girl that I adore. I can't believe I actually had that thought. Of course I could skip a weekend of training to spend time with an important person in my life. And of course I had pangs of guilt.
And then I got hurt and didn't know what to do with myself. Or all the free time I had.
But let me tell you about one of the best weekends I've had in a long long time.
Saturday morning we headed out to the Mama Goose Memorial Run Walk benefiting the C. Carbonne Comprehensive Cancer Center. Seeing as I am still on the no activity list, Wyatt was going to have to run it alone and represent!
Doesn't he look thrilled?!?
(Yes Robert, if I can't run it myself he is going to do it for me and like it!!)
Also out was one of my coworkers, Andy, and his wife.
Look at them playing so nicely. :)
These kids made me proud!
Andy (former runner McRunner pants) smoked the 5k in 19mins and change.
Wyatt's goal was a 9min pace, and if you factoring in the time he wasted stopping to puke, he nailed that with a time just over 28min.
After the 5k I went home to nap. Really it was more like I went back to bed. For 3 1/2 hours. I don't know why I was so tired, I certainly hadn't done anything that morning. Meanwhile Wyatt went to a tiling clinic at HomeDepot. He's convinced somewhere inside of him is a Mr. FixIt....eh, right. We'll see. Post clinic we had lunch...and another nap.
A group of longtime friends, who I don't see nearly enough, were up at Devil's Lake camping and hanging out. Michele and Justin, Shain and Heather, Kari and Mark....such fantastic people! They had been up there since Friday night and survived some epic weather. We on the other hand, rolled in just in time for dinner Saturday night. Kari is one heck of a campfire gourmet! First there was steak and potatoes (I had potatoes sans steak). Then there were pudgie pies.
Oh the pudgy pie. Wyatt had never heard or seen a pudgie pie maker before. I think he fell a little in love with Kari for introducing him to the glory of the pudgie pie maker. First, like she had made the kids earlier for lunch, she made Wyatt a cheese and hotdog pudgie pie (I had mine without the hotdog) then he and I split a pudgie applie pie. Oh the deliciousness. And it all goes so incredibly well with a case of PBR and a group of friends.
Next morning, after a delightful night of tent sleep, we got up to enjoy more of Kari's campfire deliciousness. This time it was egg sandwich's. Yum. Then sadly, we had to pack up of gear and head home.
But don't worry. The fun did not stop there.
We got home in time to shower and Ride the Drive. That's right, trying to be hi plike Chicago, Madison opted to shut down a handful of the downtown roads for part of Sunday to let people run, walk or bike them. And it was awesome! Seeing as I am still suppose to be resting and recovering, we took a leisurely roll downtown "rode the drive," stopped at a new bike shop, and then decided to have our own Irresponsible Sunday.
Now as a Ironman athlete in training, you are not allowed to have Irresponsible Sunday, or any other day of the week. But oh the glory!
It all started with wings for lunch at Buffalo Wild Wings...and a beer. After lunch, we decided to split some ice cream, and another beer.
Notice I was hydrating in addition to my beer and ice cream. Very responisble of me.
We also wandered into the coolest shoe shop on State St and the Gap. But also being "responsible" on Irresponisble Sunday I restrained the urge to purcahse all the fantastic shoes I saw and a new pair of jeans or two...
Then we rolled our way over to the Essen Haus, for another beer.
Then Ryan joined us, and how could we not have another beer?!
It all ended with some pizza and beer at the Glass Nickle before a chilly roll home.
Oh, and let's not forget Wyatt's first adventure in giving Burton a bath...
All in all a perfect weekend.
Sure, I know that IM day I be beside myself. It's going to be rough, but I'll be ok.
1 comment:
It's going to really hard, that's for sure. I don't think I've mentioned that I wound up injured before what was supposed to be my first marathon. (Granted, JUST a marathon- definitely doesn't compare to IM) I was flying to CA on Friday afternoon and wound up at the doc Thursday morning getting a bonescan. They finally decided my pain wasn't imaginary even though nothing showed on x-rays or Ultrasound... Turns out I had some big ole strss fractures in my tibia.
I cried at the finish of the marathon. That was 2006- I've run four since!
You'll have a great time cheering at IM, especially if you know others racing. :)
And at least next year you know what the training will be like and how many workouts you can really skip and still feel like you're on track!
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