We had one of those weeks where so much happens, or so little, that it literally zooms by without a vivid memory. Thankfully, only one of us is suffering from compromised memory, and Mr. T. was able to revive my thoughts.
First off, Ironman training continues in the background of all things work and family. Jason nursed a sore shoulder, and at the encouragement of his swim instructor, eschewed all things aquatics for the week. He did ice the shoulder regularly. This naturally gave him more time and energy to tackle his longest bike ride of the season and his longest training run ever.
A few things to note about these obnoxiously long workouts. First, he completed the five hour and fifteen minute ride on a trainer in a tiny room in our basement that we long ago dubbed the Room of Pain.
My husband is amazing.
Lest anyone ever thing I'm that wife who regularly checks on him and brings him nutrition, know this: the children and I fled the premises for the day knowing that much grunting and sweaty smells (which make my stomach turn) would come wafting up through the floorboards of the house. Thankfully, we have sympathetic friends. One friend, Mike, showed up just to visit. He hung out and chatted for two hours. Another friend, Matt, brought his bike and pedaled away with Jason.
We have great friends.
Jason's longest training run ever took place on arguably the only dry window of time we've had here for several days. He took off Monday morning around 11am, and again, a couple of friends met him and kept him company for all but about 30 minutes of his 2+ hour run. Again, we have great friends.
We learned a long time ago that while we don't have someone that we know to hold our hands during a race, we value any training experience with company. Cutting a ride or a run short can happen pretty easily when there's no one to answer to. So we have always appreciated the accountability.
As far as our overall family goes, last week marked a couple of important endings. The two biggest Troxells had their last soccer games of the season (and we all cheered), and the biggest Troxell had her last day of first grade. It's official: summer has arrived.
Meanwhile, at fifteen weeks pregnant, I'm enjoying the lazy life and valuing any moment I don't feel like losing whatever I've eaten for the day. I started a new strength routine this week thinking that if I'm going to deliver a baby in November, I might not have a six-pack, but I can have some guns. Jason found my all-time favorite maternity magazine ever (the September 2010 issue of Runner's World, featuring my then-five-months-post-partum buddy Carrie Tollefson and her advice regarding strength training and pregnancy. I believe the article said that hitting the gym would help us compromised folks get back to running more quickly).I also am trying to embrace the role as the numero uno cheerleader as opposed to the person training for an Ironman (emphasis on trying). So Monday about an hour after Mr. T. took off for his long run, the minions and I piled into Minnie, the beloved kid friendly vehicle, with ice water and cowbells in search of our conquering hero. We didn't have to drive too far to find him, and when we did, the kids let the cowbells loose, and we successfully refueled his water bottle and lifted his spirits. Mission accomplished.
Only four weeks till we leave for IMCDA, which means only two, maybe three more weeks of intense training. I think we're all looking forward to the taper.
