Now What?

I spent the week post-Ironman doing a lot of NOTHING! Partly on coach's orders but mostly because I couldn't do much ELSE. Three of my toes felt like they were going to explode. And, naturally, 2 days post-race I came down with the cold that my daughters were nursing along for the week before my race. But, I did manage to get some sick revenge on Josie when I almost made her hurl by showing her how I could squeeze blood from under one toenail and then pulled off another. Yes, this was at the dinner table.... so?!

I've dug out from the rubble on the homefront and at work. It always amazes me how quickly this piles up!! What amazes me even more is how long it takes to clear up! I still have to slap that stupid grin off my face every time I think about my race, but it's getting a little easier to come back to reality.

My next big race is the Las Vegas marathon 12/4/11. I think it took me all of 3 days after IMWI and I was searching the marathon site for past race results, course map, expo, registration, corrals, etc! I am super, super, super stoked about this race. I scoured my old race results and remembered that it has been 4 years since my last stand-alone marathon. Funny thing, it was this same race! The format has changed. It now starts at 4:00 pm and is primarily run up and down the strip. Also, there is a 5 hour time limit. Love that!

I wanted to get started training this week but had the kibosh put on that by Jen. Rest, she says. Nothing but unstructured, easy, active recovery workouts until early October. We've talked about and agreed on a goal for the race. I feel like I need my head examined (but what's new!). It seems really fast! I'm not a pure runner. I'm a triathlete. I don't know how I'm going to hold that pace for 26 miles but I'll certainly try. That's why it's called a goal, I guess. The marathon-specific training will start soon and I'll get a better idea where I'm at then. Most definitely I'll share more about my training and goal time as the weeks progress since I've never been any good at keeping a secret and, really, who cares!

I'd also like to do a few cyclocross races this fall. Emphasis on the word 'few'! The reason for this is that I suck at cyclocross! When I cross race, I get a thorough ass-kickin' and am reminded of my place. Yet, I still go home having had a lot of fun.

Plus, I'll also be doing a local 5K run race toward the end of October. You gotta love the local stuff. I know everyone that races and it is really a blast to push down the accelerator.

Kind of a side note, my husband, Jack, is going to do the half-marathon in Vegas while I'm doing the full. He also did this race at the half distance with me 4 years ago. But, this year he is ACTUALLY training! Back then, he merely focused on a cute girl's butt ahead of him and this got him through with about 6 run workouts under his belt. Well, now, he must think he needs to do more than that since he's been quite diligent about sticking to his training program.

I leave you with one of the cutest pictures I have from my Ironman; a picture of my daughter, Jordan, with the one and only, literal IRONMAN!