2019 - May 17 - Check in

So I did a thing.

Checkin' IN!!!

First off.  Mother's Day happened.  I posted this about Liz:

My wife is represented well by the cups that bring her joy. Each cup is a glimpse of the many attributes she has. Like many mothers, she under appreciates her strengths and at times is a prisoner of her weaknesses. Oft times these insecurities outweigh the joys she amplifies in herself and others. So Happy Mother's day to Liz Livingston. May you have a great day! May the weight of senseless others no longer burden your kindness, geniuiness and compassion you offer to any who cross your way (to be frank many deserve less in the way they treat you), but nevertheless, you persist ; !!! One hot momma!

In July we will celebrate 15 years married.  I am still grateful that we made the decision together to move forward together.  It hasn't been perfect, and I am not perfect, but I am grateful she chooses to swim the 'deep waters' with me.  Without a wetsuit, and often without knowing or understanding where we may or may not be going.  I am grateful.

Liz is a ROCKSTAR!  I wish she would feel more comfortable in her skin and be able to find friends that stick around.

Well, I think I am recovered from the 70.3 IM St George.  How do I know?  Well, I check my pants zipper before going out in public, something I forget to do after a big event.  I mean really, as long as things aren't flashing and my underwear of choice doesn't much offer the opportunity to wound others eyes.  That being said. I travelled this week to Dover Delaware and I was able to string together runs Monday - Thursday.  17 miles overall.  The runs felt good, and I was only on the 'struggle bus' on Thursday before leaving to catch up with Liz's parents in the Greater Philadelphia area.

During my runs, the first night I just decided to let go and ran 4 1 minute miles.  90 + percent effort.  It was solid.  It was HARD.  IT felt good.  It was what I needed after a long controlled training cycle with a few unexpected disruptions.  Thinking back to the event and Race Reflections post.  I really did accomplish what I wanted in St. George this go around.  The truly compelling and notable comment was when Liz looked at me post-event as we were going from the finish area to the water features in St George.  She looked at me and said, "You don't look destroyed like you have in the past".  That was a HUGE remark, meaning I really did achieve my only FOCUS goal.  I wanted to return tot he 70.3 distance strong.  I wanted to be in control, knowing that I was ready to PR my swim, but not really where I wanted to be for the bike and the run!.  Despite the slight bit of under-training, I executed on point and proved to myself I can do it and in control.  The other thing with this is, I felt it was my most consistent effort across all disciplines, and this includes the unspoken discipline of nutrition.  Sure, the 99-degree heat jumped up and destroyed my run, but I knew that either the bike or the run was going to be tough, and I didn't want it to be both and wreck things COMPLETELY.  Circling back, the run had no limits.  I just did it.  Wanted to see where I was currently at.  I wanted to see how my Heart rate (HR) responded.  The data returned good things and answered my questions.

I am not sure what I will completely do with events etc as I did a thing.   As I mentioned, the Full Ironman is returning back to St. George in 2020.  Well, I signed up.  It hasn't been perfect, this is one of my - Shane jumped the gun a bit on Liz moments, but I had access to tier 1 pricing and where this one may sell out, I didn't want to chance that.  I'm still working through her grumblings and I understand to a LARGE degree why she is not in happy-peachy land with me.

This is a HUGE commitment.  I have to find a way to manage a build up to 32-36 weeks out from the event on May 2, 2020.  Right now I want to maintain my 70.3 level fitness with 4-6 hours of training a week - minimum until the 32-week point.  THen I get to work.  Long dedicated work.  I have to be creative.  I have to run early, earlier than I like to function to ensure I have adequate space for her first and also the kids and our family needs.  She has her hands full with two girls under 4 years old and being the Mom-Boss.  She is great, she has her hands full, and plus she has me complicating things for a long time.

Beyond that, I am excited.  I am grateful to see a few friends committed to it already as well, so hopefully, the build-up is not a lonely island.  My C26 group was curiously supportive first to her in her plights to the group of how is this going to happen.  Sure many of them suggested coaching from Robbie, but that just may not at all be in the finances, heck the buy-in for the sign up was significant already, and I am doing this on a simple budget.  The only other cost I am looking to incur is shoes - it will be 2 - 3 pairs to keep up with the mileage required.  But what wonderful respect and compliments were given about Coach Robbie.  Not only is he a good coach, but he also gets the human part of things and the psychology associated with the work, too.  I hope he knows that! 

What I am most excited about tho, all stems to our ride down to St George.  Even if she was joking and when the primary announcement came forward, and she turned to me and said 'Well looks like you are doing a full in St George'.  SHe's in my corner, and although I know this is a big 'stretch' - she loves me enough to work through all the stuff.  I'm still in the proverbial doghouse and I am trying my best to get her back to 'it's all good'.

Anyway,  I am creatively trying to find ways to pay off the sign-up fees.  I have an idea or three different from what Liz is thinking, and its the time of year where I just might be able to swing something to cover it.  That being said, it's a crapshoot, so who knows.

Now, let's be honest.  I am excited, but I am also nervous.  I understand the respect required for this distance.  I have space in front of me to tackle the required training.  I can only hope to stay within myself and accomplish this injury free and find joy in the process and journey.  I don't want to just finish, I want to be strong and quick for me.  I don't know that it will be a race, but I want it to be something significant for Dennis and Juniper to see me accomplish too.  Sure, Liz will see it, but she has seen this before in other areas of life, sure it is for her to see too tho.  I mean Wonderwoman will have Ironman.  How can that not just be COOL?

SO, I have a lot of significant work in front of me to complete and manage and be smart about.  I can't get in front of myself.  I will probably have to do it alone and sans true coaching.  I will get to rely on Liz and hope we can make it through together.  I know she wants to be more active and the struggles she faces with her pain management challenges.  She doesn't give herself enough credit, like MOST women.  She is strong and beautiful and persistent.  She is hard on herself when she should be a bit more kind.  I know she wants to run Drop 13 or another half.  I think she has enough space and time to prepare for the Logan Marathon half on Sept 21.  Hopefully, we can get her ready for that.

The kids are really good too.  They try so hard.  Dennis just ranked up in Civil Air Patrol while I was on this business trip, and in his pictures, he is just beaming.  I hope I can find a way to demonstrate to him better just how cool and special we as parents and me as Dad thinks he is.  Parenting has no manual as it were and no training plan to follow, but I do have a Liz that tries to get through to me.

So the new journey is underway.  I will try to keep up at least a weekly check-in during the experience.  I will be able to speak better to my constraints and limiters better in a few weeks.  For now, I signed up.  I am in, I am hoping Liz forgives my short-sightedness and that things go well. 

And away we go!

Activities - 

I use the following trackers:

• Garmin Connect (which pushes the files to the following services):
• Training Peaks
• Strava
• and the ones I don't remember (Map my stuff via Under Armour and things like the Great Bicycle ride initiative stuff)

Honestly, I mainly use Training Peaks as I pay for an annual subscription on it now, and it is the most detailed in data and other helpful information to keep me where I want to go. Use the 'Links', then 'Track me' section to find and stalk me if that's your thing.

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