Saturday, October 29, 2011

Thank You

Being an age group triathlete there are a lot of things that must fall in place in order to have a successful race.  For example, training must come together at the right time, gear prepped, nutrition tested, registrations purchased, transition bag packed, etc.

This can often be a solitary experience when you are running down a sidewalk at 5:00am on a Saturday morning or concentrating on your swim stroke on the 72nd round trip down the lap lane or nailing that 5th hill repeat on the bike before the sun disappears.  It can be easy to focus on what we need to do as athletes to reach that personal best time or hopefully a podium finish, which inevitably leads to more time in the swim, saddle, or street.

While the human brain does allow for multitasking capabilities, we can truly only focus our whole body on one task at a time.  Other responsibilities are put on hold.  The grass will get mowed later, finances will be reviewed tomorrow, the house will get cleaned... well, never.  Many of us are fortunate enough to have a support network in place that help out with that.

It's that support network that I want to shift the focus of this blog post.  I always talk about my accomplishments, or lack there of, but never really have taken the time to talk about the person that is there for me every day.  Sometimes even waiting for me on the porch to come home from a 40 mile bike ride or a long run.  This post is dedicated to that person, my wife Tricia.


At the very moment this post was published (through the magic of blogger), I should be somewhere around mile 10 on the bike portion of my first half-ironman distance race, Beach2Battleship 70.3.  Getting to this point has been nearly a year long experience.  Purchasing a bike, getting up early to go to the pool before work, spending 3 hours on a bike ride with Joe VI which may be followed by an hour long run.  She has always been there supporting me and encouraging me to push forward.  I greatly appreciate this especially during the time of nursing my broken rib.  She helped me get out the door for a run, even if it was 2 miles, just to keep my fitness and motivation going.

Tricia waits for me to turn the corner running to the finish chute or lumbering out of the swim exit or flying by on my bike.  She is waiting there poised with the camera for that perfect photo to add to my race report.  It's actually a lot of stress on a person!  She has done this all year when I know she would rather set the camera down and enjoy the event for what it is.  Not a photo op but watching me complete a 1 or 2 or 3 hour race that she helped me through by allowing me to get in 10 - 12 hours of training each week.

Our support networks should get a chance to enjoy the experience too as it is just an endurance event for them as it is for us athletes.  So Tricia, if you get a chance to read this while I'm spending 4 - 5 hours riding a bike and running, please put the camera down.  I will be looking for you, waiting to blow that kiss to you whenever I can.  Enjoy this race too.  You deserve it.

5 comments:

  1. Thank you, bun. I'm so incredibly proud to be your wife, and to have had the opportunity to watch you become this new, confident athlete. You are amazing, and I can't wait to see you run through finish chutes again and again so I can tell the strangers around me "that's my husband!"

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  2. You have a great support system! So from a fellow triathlete who understands the sacrifices Tricia is making, Thanks Tricia!

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  3. Awwwww - that is so nice! The support system in our lives definitely deserve praise and admiration!

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  4. Nice post. You're right, it would be tough to do everything we do without a solid support system. Congrats again on the race! I trust we'll see a full report soon...

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