I did get the honor of racing Ironman Couer d'Alene in June. Going into the race I knew I was under trained but had no idea how much. I hoped to get to the start line at 65% of where I thought I should be on race morning. Not sure I got there. Swimming is the discipline that really fires up my back and as a result the bike was a struggle and the run was out right hard. This was by far the hardest race I have ever had the privilage of doing. But when racing IMCDA there is so much race day support. There are friendly faces at every turn.
 |
| Getting me some high fives! Photo by Rene Guerrero |
I learned a lot from this years race and I take away a huge respect for the level of fitness I have brought to the start line at other IM races. I can only hope that this will never happen again and I will be able to arrive on race day with a high level of fitness.
Taking some time off after IMCDA I have been afforded the opportunity to be a race fan or pursue my "F Dot". Bootsy is having another great season and was first in her age group at IMCDA. She will be returning to Kona.
Taking some time off after IMCDA I have been afforded the opportunity to be a race fan or pursue my "F Dot". Bootsy is having another great season and was first in her age group at IMCDA. She will be returning to Kona.
 |
| Always a proud moment for me to see her on stage. Headed back to Kona! |
Lake Stevens was next on the race schedule. A great group of friend were racing and I was on the start list. My doctors had said if I was feeling good on race morning I could race. Great, a race day discussion. Or, I was listed as day to day. But aren't we all. I went through all the motions with hopes of racing. I checked in, did my pre race workouts and checked my bike. But earlier in the day while out on my light pre race spin, I knew the answer to the question. Ironman Arizona is my "A race" this year and I couldn't put myself in a situation where Lake Stevens left me months behind for Arizona. So a call to my Doc to be absolutely sure I was doing the right thing and he confirmed it in no uncertain terms: You cannot race! DNS!
A quick change to the mind set and I threw on my IronFan face. Not easy to do but with so many friends racing it made it O.K. to be just a fan. And it kept me busy. As a fan it's easy for the racers to look to you and say thanks for giving your support. Reality was, they were giving to me.
Bootsy raced well, having a strong day. She wasn't interested in a 70.3 Worlds slot. "Not interested" sounds a little strange especially to a middle of the pack age grouper like myself, but she will be racing Ironman Canada and then Kona, so this was a race that was used as a long training day for her. We have family in the area so the trip to Lake Stevens is more then just the race. We were also in route to a "real" vacation where a week of recovery on the beach was perfectly timed.
 |
| Boosty on the run. |
Monday after Lake Stevens Bootsy and I flew to Cabo to meet up with some family. My niece graduated from high school and invited us to go. A true vacation! Wow, what is that? Bootsy and I travel quite a bit but it's always race based. Don't get me wrong we love it and get the opportunity to travel to some phenomenal places. I just wasn't sure we would know how to act on a vacation that was not centered around a race. We figured it out!
 |
| Doing nothing can be exhausting! |
 |
| Headed out for a little deep sea fishing! |
Now it's time to try to get back to a level of fitness that will allow me to get back to my regular training schedule. Of course the Doc is saying take it slow. As an endurance athlete, that's a challenge. The weather is great right now and the calendar is starting to weigh on me a bit but in an effort to get to Ironman Arizona with a proper level of fitness I'm "taking it slow". Lots of recovery workouts. These workouts allow for some quality time with Bootsy as she tapers for Canada. So absolutely no complains!
 |
| Hanging with Bootsy. |
 |
| We live in a great place for recovery! |
