I’m sure y’all are so tired of hearing about this race. I
have been posting pictures since we registered in November. I’ve wanted to do
a half Ironman since I got my first taste of triathlons in 2007. Fresh off a
brake-up, I thought “you can either dive head first into a pint of ice-cream or
do one of these races you’ve been thinking about doing forever”. I spent that whole summer training for my
first sprint. Since then I’ve been hooked. I’ve got no interest in doing a full
Ironman. That takes a special breed of crazy and someone willing to spend way
more time and money than me. Plus I honestly believe there are people genetically
predispositions to be better athletes and I’m definitely not one of them.
*ok so less than two months into our marriage, this is how the conversation goes*
Me: Kevin, Chattanooga has a half Ironman in May. You want to do it? We can buy an insurance policy…
Cash: Ummm let me think about it. Let’s talk tonight.
Me: What if it sells out. I’m just gonna go for it. That’s the only way I’ll actually do it.
Cash: Ok you go ahead. I’m gonna think about it.
Me: Ok I did it!
Me: (5 Minutes later on gchat) Keviiiiin oh my goodness what if it sells out before you sign up then I’ll have to train and do the whole thing by myself can you just go ahead and sign up what have I done?!
Cash: (“Kevin is typing…”it says for a long time and then) fine sign me up…
*ok so less than two months into our marriage, this is how the conversation goes*
Me: Kevin, Chattanooga has a half Ironman in May. You want to do it? We can buy an insurance policy…
Cash: Ummm let me think about it. Let’s talk tonight.
Me: What if it sells out. I’m just gonna go for it. That’s the only way I’ll actually do it.
Cash: Ok you go ahead. I’m gonna think about it.
Me: Ok I did it!
Me: (5 Minutes later on gchat) Keviiiiin oh my goodness what if it sells out before you sign up then I’ll have to train and do the whole thing by myself can you just go ahead and sign up what have I done?!
Cash: (“Kevin is typing…”it says for a long time and then) fine sign me up…
Aaaand poof there went $500. The only way to get it back is
to get pregnant or break a leg. Immediate regret ensues.
I’m pretty sure I gained 5 lbs. the second Kevin put the ring on my finger. Yea yea yea everyone says they can’t tell. Whatever. For real he had to disable the scale cause I would get on it and then have these moments of black out rage. “HOW IS THAT EVEN POSSIBLE TO GAIN SO QUICKLY” I’d be lying if I said that wasn’t a little of the motivating factor behind this race. Is that so bad?
I’m pretty sure I gained 5 lbs. the second Kevin put the ring on my finger. Yea yea yea everyone says they can’t tell. Whatever. For real he had to disable the scale cause I would get on it and then have these moments of black out rage. “HOW IS THAT EVEN POSSIBLE TO GAIN SO QUICKLY” I’d be lying if I said that wasn’t a little of the motivating factor behind this race. Is that so bad?
January 1st we started our real training. It was
slow going but we eventually found a groove. 5 ½ months later I can say this
journey has been so much more than I ever imagined.
When I was single and raced, training got very isolating. I was always by myself because no one else I knew had to or wanted to train the ways I needed to. I could convince my roommates to go for runs with me sometimes but most of the time I was by myself. You know just hoping some guy would run past me and ask me for a date. It could happen right? Well it didn’t.
When I was single and raced, training got very isolating. I was always by myself because no one else I knew had to or wanted to train the ways I needed to. I could convince my roommates to go for runs with me sometimes but most of the time I was by myself. You know just hoping some guy would run past me and ask me for a date. It could happen right? Well it didn’t.
Anyway, being married and training with my husband has been
a whole new ball game. He’s my biggest supporter and he knows how much it sucks
sometimes cause he’s doing it right there beside me. We pick each other up,
hold each other accountable and get Tylenol for each other. When I don’t want
to swim, he tells me we have to. When he makes excuses to finish a run early, I
say “let’s finish together.” Plus it’s just nice to have someone to talk to on
mile 47 on a long ride when I’m so bored I want to poke my eyeballs out. Did I mention,
you aren’t allowed to listen to music in these races?! 8.5 hrs killing yourself physically with JUST
THE THOUGHTS IN YOUR HEAD!!! It’s enough to make ya crazy.
So the big race is in two days. And what if I fail…
So the big race is in two days. And what if I fail…
First of all, let me make it clear, I do not plan to/think
we will fail. We are ready for this. I may be the last person to cross the
finish line, but I truly believe we will. If however, on the swim I get swallered up by a catfish the size ofa Vdubya Bug(says Trav), or blowout a tire on mile 27 of
the bike, or a thunderstorm pulls me off
at mile 9 of the run(there’s a 60% chance of scattered t-storms right now), I
will know and hold on to these truths…
- Kevin & I see what’s possible when we dedicate ourselves
to doing something really freakin hard TOGETHER.
-We’ve sacrificed a lot to train so much but as someone who habitually over schedules myself, we’ve had great quality time together.
-Training has been incorporated into all of the trips we’ve collectively been on since Jan 1st. As a result we’ve seen parts of San Antonio, Nashville, Birmingham, Germany, Montreal, Chicago, & DC that we would never have otherwise.
-I may not have lost one single pound *and no I didn’t gain muscle cause my clothes still feel the same * but I also didn’t gain any more weight.
-I’ve fallen even more in love with Kevin at the amount of encouragement he’s given me.
-As bleak a picture of training as I may paint, it really is amazing. I feel like an absolute rockstar when I get back from our long days. I'm still holding down a solid 12.5 minute mile but I know I could have just as easily laid on the couch and binged on Rehab Addict. (Nicole Curtis is my girl crush) But we didn't. We got outside and made.it.happen.
-We’ve sacrificed a lot to train so much but as someone who habitually over schedules myself, we’ve had great quality time together.
-Training has been incorporated into all of the trips we’ve collectively been on since Jan 1st. As a result we’ve seen parts of San Antonio, Nashville, Birmingham, Germany, Montreal, Chicago, & DC that we would never have otherwise.
-I may not have lost one single pound *and no I didn’t gain muscle cause my clothes still feel the same * but I also didn’t gain any more weight.
-I’ve fallen even more in love with Kevin at the amount of encouragement he’s given me.
-As bleak a picture of training as I may paint, it really is amazing. I feel like an absolute rockstar when I get back from our long days. I'm still holding down a solid 12.5 minute mile but I know I could have just as easily laid on the couch and binged on Rehab Addict. (Nicole Curtis is my girl crush) But we didn't. We got outside and made.it.happen.
Basically, thanks for walking alongside of us through this. It really does mean so much to feel loved and supported especially for something we inflicted on ourselves. If you follow me on Instagram, I guess you really didn't have a choice #CashsCrackAttaHalfIronman. Plenty of people have done these races. I'm sure it's not really as big of a deal as I'm making it but I just wanted to share my thoughts. It's a big deal to us.
Update:
We did it! We did the race and we both live to tell about it. It was everything we could have hoped for and more. I am writing this update a year later so some of the details are foggy but i can tell you that it was worth every drop of sweat we ever put into it. Enjoy some pictures below.
And of course a selfie with all the swag!
Update:
We did it! We did the race and we both live to tell about it. It was everything we could have hoped for and more. I am writing this update a year later so some of the details are foggy but i can tell you that it was worth every drop of sweat we ever put into it. Enjoy some pictures below.
Our Cheerleaders :)
We felt so loved and supported. When I got my phone back after the race, there were tons of encouragement and well wishes waiting. I am not one to let notifications pile up, All these are new messages. My heart was full!
You done already succeeded :D
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