It’s been a while, and I can’t really believe the 4th of July has already come and gone. My race in Wildflower in early May went pretty well, and I managed to come in at a somewhat respectable 4:54 on an incredibly challenging course – especially considering the spring weather we had here in WI. The training continued to progress in the right direction, and I made my way out to Ironman Coeur D’Alene at the end of June feeling fairly confident and with hopes of going sub-10.
Long story short…I didn’t. After an easy swim (in 58 degree water – yikes!) and an easy first loop on the bike, I started cramping in both legs. I slowed down a bit on the 2nd loop of the bike, trying to stretch out the legs and rehydrate, and felt decent coming into T2. I was able to keep it together for the first 5 miles – right at 7:40’s, which was the plan through 10 – when the wheels started to come off. Both of my quads cramped, and it unfortunately got kind of ugly after that.
Some days you have it, some days you don’t…I did manage to finish, and without a pulmonary embolisms or other health issues, so I was pretty happy about this! We couldn't find a way to make it work for Mary and the kids to come out, but it was also really great to see my Dad & Jewel, Nancy & Al, and the whole Weaver-Fisher clan. They all definitely made the trip very worthwhile. My father-in-law, Al Weaver, was also doing the race, and was the 2nd oldest competitor at 71 years young! He almost made it through the bike, but the winds conspired against him, and he was forced to stop just after 100 miles. If it weren’t so hot and windy, I think he definitely would have made it!
Now I just need to figure out what the rest of the year holds for me. I need something to put something on the calendar to motivate me to get up and out the door in the morning. For now, I am just enjoying some baby jogs, spending more (coherent and awake) time with Mary, and making chocolate chip pancakes with Oliver & Sadie each morning. It’s a little too early for the off-season, so I have to make sure to not get too used to the chocolate breakfasts (although it would be quite easy to do)…
Long story short…I didn’t. After an easy swim (in 58 degree water – yikes!) and an easy first loop on the bike, I started cramping in both legs. I slowed down a bit on the 2nd loop of the bike, trying to stretch out the legs and rehydrate, and felt decent coming into T2. I was able to keep it together for the first 5 miles – right at 7:40’s, which was the plan through 10 – when the wheels started to come off. Both of my quads cramped, and it unfortunately got kind of ugly after that.
Some days you have it, some days you don’t…I did manage to finish, and without a pulmonary embolisms or other health issues, so I was pretty happy about this! We couldn't find a way to make it work for Mary and the kids to come out, but it was also really great to see my Dad & Jewel, Nancy & Al, and the whole Weaver-Fisher clan. They all definitely made the trip very worthwhile. My father-in-law, Al Weaver, was also doing the race, and was the 2nd oldest competitor at 71 years young! He almost made it through the bike, but the winds conspired against him, and he was forced to stop just after 100 miles. If it weren’t so hot and windy, I think he definitely would have made it!
Now I just need to figure out what the rest of the year holds for me. I need something to put something on the calendar to motivate me to get up and out the door in the morning. For now, I am just enjoying some baby jogs, spending more (coherent and awake) time with Mary, and making chocolate chip pancakes with Oliver & Sadie each morning. It’s a little too early for the off-season, so I have to make sure to not get too used to the chocolate breakfasts (although it would be quite easy to do)…
