I came, I saw, it conquered me. That about sums it up. It was an absolutely gorgeous weekend in Madison. My family and I drove up Saturday and had a suburbalicious dinner at Quaker Steak and Lube in Middleton (was so impressed by the restaurant in all it's Wisconsin glory that I have to give it a shout out here), turned in early and were up an at 'em to see the swimmers in the morning.
Our first vantage point was where the athletes run in and out of T1. We had several friends racing, including Spark athlete Lori B, so the time went by quickly as we tried to scope everyone out. We saw the first pros, the top age groupers and shortly after our friends started streaming out of the Monona Terrace building. It was great to have everyone accounted for and see them on their way.
Once everyone was off on the bike we met up with our friend, Kevin, for breakfast. He had come up to volunteer and register for the 2013 race. We spent a while chit chatting about this and that and as the conversation unfolded I realized how excited I was for him, yet how jealous I was that he would be racing next year. My race envy was back. It was back bad. And it was all I could think about the rest of the day.
After Alex took a nap we headed out the farthest most point on the run, miles 9 and 22 out on Lake Mendota Dr. The spectators are sparse here and you can always really see your athletes and exchange some words with them instead of fighting for their attention. We spent a couple of hours out here, saw the male and female pros head in for their last few miles, and most of our friends, as well. My head was still spinning on how I could pull off an Ironman race in 2013.
Around 5 pm we drove back into town where we headed to the bike in area. The bike cutoff time in this Ironman is 5:30 pm. If you have not crossed the timing pad at the entrance to T2 at this time, you will not be allowed to continue the race. It is always exciting to cheer those last few people who make it, and devastating to watch those who just miss it. It really captures the energy of the day.
Finally around 6 pm we wrapped up our day around the finish line. We actually met up with several friends here and just watched people cross the line. The energy was amazing with music pounding, family and friends yelling and the constant flow of the announcer yelling "You are an Ironman!" It was so inspiring to see our friends and strangers alike finish strong. At this point I really could not stop thinking about racing 2013.
You might wonder why I wouldn't go for it without a second thought- I am a triathlon coach and I have done an Ironman before. But now I have a family that I love to spend time with and am not willing to take weekends away from them. I also only have one child, who is turning 3 soon, and I get questions everyday about when I plan to have another. Time is a ticking, right?
After as much thought as I could put into it in 24 hours, I decided that if there was still space when I arrived home from Madison on Monday, I would register. Lo and behold, when I logged in at 1:30, the race was 80% full and I snagged my spot for IMWI 2013. If it was truly race envy I think I may have had a smidgen of regret since then, but instead I feel excitement and energy that cannot be contained. I am going to have to be very creative with my (mostly weekday) training but have already started piecing together my summer training and know I can pull it off.
So, thank you to all you racers who were out there on Sunday. You were tough, amazing and truly inspiring. I cannot wait to be out there next year among you. And as soon as I cross that finish line I'm fairly certain I will be ready to add to my favorite little family and put off my racing aspirations for a while. Looking forward to a great 2013!!!
-Coach A www.sparkmultisport.com
Around 5 pm we drove back into town where we headed to the bike in area. The bike cutoff time in this Ironman is 5:30 pm. If you have not crossed the timing pad at the entrance to T2 at this time, you will not be allowed to continue the race. It is always exciting to cheer those last few people who make it, and devastating to watch those who just miss it. It really captures the energy of the day.
Finally around 6 pm we wrapped up our day around the finish line. We actually met up with several friends here and just watched people cross the line. The energy was amazing with music pounding, family and friends yelling and the constant flow of the announcer yelling "You are an Ironman!" It was so inspiring to see our friends and strangers alike finish strong. At this point I really could not stop thinking about racing 2013.
You might wonder why I wouldn't go for it without a second thought- I am a triathlon coach and I have done an Ironman before. But now I have a family that I love to spend time with and am not willing to take weekends away from them. I also only have one child, who is turning 3 soon, and I get questions everyday about when I plan to have another. Time is a ticking, right?
After as much thought as I could put into it in 24 hours, I decided that if there was still space when I arrived home from Madison on Monday, I would register. Lo and behold, when I logged in at 1:30, the race was 80% full and I snagged my spot for IMWI 2013. If it was truly race envy I think I may have had a smidgen of regret since then, but instead I feel excitement and energy that cannot be contained. I am going to have to be very creative with my (mostly weekday) training but have already started piecing together my summer training and know I can pull it off.
So, thank you to all you racers who were out there on Sunday. You were tough, amazing and truly inspiring. I cannot wait to be out there next year among you. And as soon as I cross that finish line I'm fairly certain I will be ready to add to my favorite little family and put off my racing aspirations for a while. Looking forward to a great 2013!!!
-Coach A www.sparkmultisport.com
You are amazing. Can't wait to cheer you on!
ReplyDelete