Where are we now?

Okay so it's been a week. And I haven't posted anything new. It's been a rough week....exhausting... exhiliarating... beyond expectations. Not only about Ironman but because I had to make decisions about big changes in my career. So, I know I owe several posts on the day before the race, the race recap, post race, etc. I'm getting to those. Really...I am.

Real quick...Congrats to Rianman's Iron Harem: Kat, Kerri, Val. Also to Monty who stuck it out like a Ironman does, and all the others who finished. You were all amazing and so were all the people who started but didn't have the day they wanted. 

So where are we today...both of us are feeling back in the swing of regular life... sort of. We arrived home on Tuesday evening to a fantastic greeting from our neighbors Joe and Erin. They really did up the front of our house so that all our neighbors probably wondered what the heck Rianman had done.

   

We struggled to work on Wednesday feeling both tired and maybe a little down from the high wewere feeling from the race. I don't think we were expecting the crash...it was sort of like..."What now?" Rian wasn't working out (per Coach Ken). It was a weird work week. We no longer had this big goal we were working towards or looking forward to. It was unexpected and we didn't know how to get through it. We both couldn't wait for the weekend. 

On Friday we went to have a drink with our friends Mark and Missy and it was great reliving the race and other big news (I'm starting a new job in October). On Saturday after sleeping in for the first time in ages (well not so much for me but for Rianman), we finally tackled the basement. It has been a project I've been waiting to start. We didn't organize so much as we had to deal with some unwanted house guests...well they've been evicted and we just needed to clean up after them. We do NOT want new tenants.

I think it definitely takes the following weekend to get back to real life. For 6 months, everything has been about the Ironman. Training, training, training. Maybe that's why Coach Ken insists on a marathon in the fall after an Ironman.

I do think we're still in the wake of the big event cause we can't help saying things like:

"A week ago right now I was coming out of the water."

"A week ago right now you were starting the bike."

"A week ago right now we were at Mt Horeb High waiting for you to pass us by for the 2nd time."

A week ago Rianman was not even half into the biggest challenge of his life. A week ago we didn't know if he would finish. He didn't know if HE would finish. We didn't know how we would react or what it would mean for him to finish.

None of us knew what was to come and how memorable that day would be to each of us. We each probably take something different away from it. Awe for the people who attempt it. Thrill for those who finish. Heartbreak for the people who didn't. Rianman is the Ironman but it changed all of us.

Comments

[Kat~]

Hey IronBell & Ironman,
Cant believe it's only been 2 weeks since IM. Your coach wants you to do Marathon. Hmm, he's nuts! So are you coming to Chicago? Kat~