Ironman Cozumel Update

Unfortunately, life got in the way the week leading into Ironman Cozumel.  I started feeling run down the Sunday prior to the race.  I felt tired and a little sneezy.  I figured it was just a cold and and I wasn’t worried as I knew I would be better by race day.  The cold got a little worse on Monday and Tuesday prior to the race.  I was also fatigued.  Although I was in taper time, very short workouts felt like a struggle.  My lungs were starting to hurt and I was finding it difficult to breathe.  The morning we were supposed to leave for travel, St. Louis had a rare November snowstorm and Caroline had a snow day.  In the mist of trying to figure out how to get the kids to Grandma’s in the snow storm, make it to the airport on time and battle this virus; Nate and I made a very difficult decision to stay home.  Nate did not feel that my body was well enough to handle an Iron distance.  He didn’t want me to get even more sick and risk my health.  Ultimately, it was my decision as I know my body best and I listened to my inner voice (which is tempting to ignore) and decided to stay home.

I was disappointed not to be able to race, but I didn’t dwell on it.  Caroline had a snow day and had a blast in the snow.  Caroline and Nate made an Olaf snowman and Connor and Caroline went sledding.  I remember back in 2011 I was unable to race at the London WTS race due to a calf strain the week before the race. I remember bawling in bed for a couple hours and just being devastated for a few days.   One of the many blessings that my children bring me is life balance and putting things in perspective.

My lungs started to improve each day and I was glad to get a few projects completed around the house that take a back seat during race season.  My racing season began back in April, so this has been a long haul so far for 2018.  The one aspect that stung about not racing was all the hours of training that I would not be able to put towards a start line.  A few days ago, I talked with Nate about doing Challenge Daytona.   It’s a race that’s close to home and in an awesome location.  How cool would it be to start and finish a race on a race track?  I decided to get in a few training sessions to test out my body to see if I would be able to handle one final training push before the close of the 2018 season.  I also wanted to see how my body recovered from last weeks illness.  I have never raced in December before, so this is something new for me, but I am really motivated to get on the start line after a race cancellation in September, a crash in October and an illness in November!  I am excited to make this race happen in December!

Happy Thanksgiving and I wish you all a very wonderful holiday.