Snippets of Ironman Week

Just over one week out from Ironman and the view ain't so bad. Sure, the race didn't go exactly as I had hoped, but disappointment is giving way to pride. Ahhh, perspective ~ it’s a wonderful thing.

Besides, lots of other fun (and/or interesting) stuff happened during Ironman week, so why focus on just the race, right?

So without further ado, some random tidbits and photos from IMC week...

1) On the drive up to Penticton, somewhere between Merritt and West Kelowna, Shane had to 'go' really badly. Unfortunately there was not a rest stop in sight. So, we found a road to pull off on and, napkins in hand, he set out to find a nice bush to squat behind and take care of business.

Once in the bush, he heard a clicking sound, which quickly became a rattling sound. Yes, rattle snake!!!

He high stepped it out of there as fast as he could and found a more appropriate location to fertilize the land. Once back in the car, covered in sweat and adrenaline pumping he looked at me and said "that literally scared the shit out of me." It made me laugh.

2) Shane and I had decided to do our last training run on the Thursday before the race separately. Just before dinner, I set out along the channel hoping for a nice mellow run. As I passed the foot bridge near the golf course, I came across a large slithering creature myself.

I ran past it very calmly and then proceeded to do the most awkward jazz hand style, heebie-jeebie body shake. (The people tubing in the channel probably thought I was crazy, but hopefully my little dance provided a good laugh).

I thought I was going to be able to top Shane's rattle snake story, but turns out it was likely just a very mature (non-venomous) bull snake. It did not scare the shit out of me, but it definitely freaked me out something fierce as I was very unaware there are large snakes in Penticton that aren't rattlers.

I did not have a phone/camera with me, but the bull snake I saw looked very much like this.

3) Last year while in Penticton for IMC, Tyler bought a new one piece tri-suit. The tri-suit came to be known as the onesie and we all joked that we expected to see him running up Yellow Lake beside us in the onesie.

Sometime during this Ironman week, Ty got it into his head that he needed a sombrero to complete the ensemble. A sombrero is not an easy thing to find in Penticton and by Saturday I think we were all starting to think the onesie would have to stand alone.

Enter the Main Street Farmers Market...

On Saturday as we were having our final pre-race meetings with Kelly, Ty spotted a sombrero in one of the stands (I think they were selling some kind of Mexican food??). Unfortunately, those sombreros were for decoration and were not for sale. Fortunately however, a lady at the stand overheard Tyler asking about them and said she had one at home that he could buy.

And so, Tyler proceeded to trek about 15' from town with a total stranger, to her house, so that he could buy his sombrero...

... and what a glorious sombrero it turned out to be.

The full ensemble!

Not Tyler, but next year's Yellow Lake costume perhaps??

4) Mom and Dad made some awesome signs for the race this year, however, just before I came out on the run, Dad met a guy with a pretty hilarious sign that he ended up borrowing for when I passed. It read "Run Faster! (I just farted)".

If you know anything about me, you know one of my favourite things in the world is a good fart and/or fart joke [ask me sometime about the most epic "awesome" Boston fart - you won't be disappointed]. It was great, cause even though I wasn't feeling the best, it definitely made me smile.

Proud Parents and our No. 1 Fans!

High 5's for Energy!!!

Because you can never have too much Rusty. 

5) Kirsten and I have made the trek to Penticton every year since 2008 to be part of Ironman week in one form or another (be is purely spectating, racing or volunteering), and yet before this year, we had never been there at midnight to see the final participants cross the finish line.

Seeing as this is the last Ironman Canada in Penticton, we figured it was about time we took it all in. Awesomely, as we arrived back down on Lakeshore after showering up and having a bite to eat, one of the first people we saw cross was Sister Madonna. It was pretty awesome. She is such an impressive and amazing woman.

Sister Madonna is in this blur somewhere.

And well, fun times were had by all...

Signing In!

Nervous already? Or just confused.

 

Ty and the Giant Peach.

Steve King at the Welcome Dinner.

Weeee Fans.

Post-Race.
Some people were so proud of us, they just gave us a baby!

In the week since the race I have eaten my weight in cookies and other fine delicacies such as pizza, grilled cheese and ice cream. Oh, and did I mention cookies?

I've tried to fight a cold, given into the cold, and I think *knock on wood* pretty much shaken my cold.

Oh, and did I mention that I have eaten a lot! Like, A LOT a lot.

I’ve also slept about as much as I've eaten, but still found time to clean the house!

I have managed to get to the lake a couple times for some easy swimming, and have even reintroduced my nether regions to my bike seat. All in all, it has been a good week.

All my slacking (and eating) has been great. I've given myself the week for guilt free binging, but am definitely ready to reintroduce some vegetables to my diet, and while training will stay very light for another week, I am starting to feel that itch to get back at it and get into a routine.

New Zealand is finally starting to feel really real (Shane and I watched the New Zealand Departures episodes this weekend) and I'm starting to get excited. Although, I think I've been focused more on the travel part of the trip and haven't given much thought to the race. I'm seriously considering Zorbing.

Anyway, once I'm back into training full on, the focus will shift to speedwork. It both scares and excites me.

New Zealand or Bust!