I can't begin to convey how awesome it was to have so many people come out and cheer during the race. Having Linda's support and love is always the most important thing, and probably goes without saying. Just to be clear, though, I would literally not be able to do this without her being on board. I suppose that speaks to the strength of our relationship and our caring about each other. The training wouldn't happen. Nor would my being in condition to race if I knew she was home or whatever and was unhappy with me. It's actually hard enough being gone on those long rides and bricks. They start to get hard mentally as much as physically.
Having my son and my mom there means the world to me as well. Mom's enthusiasm and support is beyond compare. I won't get into a "my mom is better than your mom" argument here... but she is! And then having people there who we've coached and have been a part of Team Challenge is such a bonus! I was hoping they would at least get some enjoyment out of the day and perhaps be inspired. It honestly never ocurred to me that they might have signs or that I would experience such energy from their presence. To Chris, Natalie, John, Randy, and Rebecca (and to Lee and Pia) all I can say is thank you for sharing in this crazy little adventure. Sweaty hugs to you all!
During the race I carried a GPS tracker that could give the Get Sladed Nation live data on where I was at any given point during the race. This would allow people away from the venue see how I was doing and where I was on the course and allow Linda and the awesome crew that came to cheer to know where to be to see me ride or run by. At somewhere near mile 10 of the run I managed to lose the tracker. It fell out of it's pouch on my belt but I had no idea. People became concerned that something had happened to me. My brother, for one, was concerned and texted Linda. Here is how the exchange went:
Scott: What Happened?
Linda: The tracker went down. He is actually at the 20 mile mark.
Scott: Dang, I’m trying to drink a beer every mile he runs and I stopped at 11, now I need to guzzle nine to catch up!
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This past week was a week of recovery. Actually my intent is to take about 3 weeks off before doing some stuff that's structured. That doesn't mean just sit on the couch. It can include a swim or a bike or a walk or a run, or anything else I happen to want to do. But the season is done and I want my body to recover and to be ready to train both mentally and physically. I still wanted to post so you see what recovery might be after an Ironman and what some of my thinking is.
Ironman Chattanooga is over 10 months away. I've been training, mostly for Iron distance races, for nearly 5 years. Put another way, I have a pretty big endurance base built up. I can afford to take some time off. In fact, even if I didn't have that much training, my body would still need a break. So it's time to let go of some of that fitness, some of that sharpness, some of that strength, and recover.
Not only am I not training but I've also stopped taking supplements for the next month, with the exception of some vitamin C in tandem with iron. I might slip in a little B-12 once every few days too. Otherwise, nothing. My diet last week was pathetic by my standards. Not exactly terrible but I was not exactly eating clean, nor was I eating a rainbow of vegetables. I will get it mostly back to what it should be this coming week, though I won't be perfect. I'm not looking to gain weight but if a few pounds come on, I won't freak out. But I do want to be cautious because I never did reach race weight for IM Arizona. I think I was about 5 lbs heavy but I'm not sure because I stopped getting on the scale during the last 6 weeks because I didn't want to stress about something that was too late to do anything about.
I have thought about how I will be spending the next couple of off-season months but am trying hard to not firm anything up or figure out the details. The aim is to also just let my mind not focus on the season ahead so that some creative things might flow in as a result.
Below is what the week was like after Ironman Arizona.
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Monday - Slept less than 4 hours. Awards breakfast, race video, and speeches from the winning pros (disappointing this year). Checked out of the hotel, packed the car, and drove home
am - Hobble over to transition for the awards breakfast
pm - Drive home, mostly as a passenger with my feet up, eating most of the time
Tuesday - This was my sorest day. Had to crawl up stairs. Had a death grip on the railing lowering myself down the stairs. Left calf in a lot of pain. Quads in pain also. Lower legs swollen. Wore compression socks all day.Wednesday - Slightly less sore. Can stand going up stairs... slowly. Still hard to stand up from a seated position. Rolled and rubbed and stretched.
Thursday - Noticeably improved. Soreness still there but am walking pretty normally. Can go up and down stairs looking like the average person. Left calf is going to take time to recover from that cramp that had a death grip on me. Quads are improved and would have been up for a casual walk, but sat on the couch instead. Rolled and rubbed. Washed out my wetsuit and laid it out to dry.
Friday - Much improved. Decided to go to the pool after work. Got as far as the pool deck. My heart wasn't in it so I turned around and got in the jacuzzi where I like to stretch. It's NOT good for swollen "cankles" but I was in for less than 10 minutes. Foam rolled after
pm - Swim 0yd; stretch in jacuzzi; roll on foam roller
Sat - Not ready to run but much improved. Moved some boxes and unpacked some lingering Ironman bags. Yard work. Spent some couch time watching football.
Sun - Still had soreness in the arms but hadn't been aware or it until I swam. It took a good 400 yds before I started to feel semi-normal in the water after a week away.
am - Swim 1000yd ez; stretch in jacuzzi; roll on foam roller
pm - grocery shop for Thanksgiving; bake; yard work; watch football
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The coming week will include some walking and maybe another 2 easy swims. Doing a walk/jog 5K on Thanksgiving morning. I expect it will go better than 3 years ago when I ended up with ankles as big as slow pitch softballs. That year it was less than a week after Ironman AZ.
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