Tuesday, June 23, 2009

Alive and (mostly) well.

Oh. Holy. Cow.

OUCH!

I knew it would be rough, when yesterday I was envious of an elderly person with a walker. Nope, I'm NOT prone to violent behavior, but that walker looked pretty darned good...

The GREAT news - is that I'm alive and well. YEA! Yesterday afternoon, Mom, Dad, and I made the journey from Coeur d'Alene to Bainbridge Island, WA via car, while Nathaniel got to fly. Yes, he spent 3+ hours in the Spokane International Airport and yes, many beers were consumed on his part. But as he cheerfully stated as we picked him up from the ferry from Seattle to Bainbridge, "What else is there to do in the Spokane airport?"

Bainbridge Island is stunning, though. The lack of wireless is a little tough for Nathaniel and me - but (mostly) we're adapting beautifully. There WILL be a race report in a few days - I just need to finish writing it. And NO - it will NOT take me 10:49 to write - that much I can promise.

48 hours after finishing my first Ironman and, well.... it still seems a bit surreal. The distance STILL seems daunting, but during the race it really wasn't all that bad. So many people had warned me about the "time warp" - how time passes so quickly during the race. And I couldn't agree more.

I WOULD like to add that the training is (mostly) much more difficult than the race. If you can get through the training, you can (mostly) get through the race. Those last 10 miles on the run, though... Holy Quad Malfunction Batman! Suffice to say, I'm happy that I stuck with my regular (and mostly heavy) training shoes. That support really helped towards the end... but enough about that.

The other thing that I didn't realize - was how much fluid my body would retain. Post race, and the cankles that I'm sporting would make any Grandmother proud. The compression socks help to a certain extent - but let's be honest folks. A little bit of fabric has nothing on my body at this point. The fluid (I'm assuming) is the result from the injured and damaged tissues, and it'll only be a matter of time before it goes away.

At least that's what I'm telling myself.

Until then, I'll stick with jeans. And compression hosen. No shorts, skirts, capris, OR heels for me, thank you very much. Luckily we've got another 5 days until we set sail. So all is (mostly) safe.

I hope that everyone else - spectathletes and athletes alike - are recovering well from the past weekend's events. Thank you to EVERYONE for your kind comments and wonderful support. I will never forget my first Ironman - even though my inability to walk "normally" has people giving my sympathetic glances from across the street. I swear, that I'm walking slower than I did post-surgery last year.

But hey - I'm still over the moon about my race. So there you go.

And with that, I'm (mostly) done. Washington State is beautiful, and I'm enjoying my time with Nathaniel and the parents. Our host has been most gracious and I'm getting the itch to explore the island via rented bike or through wooded trails.

Unfortunately my legs have other ideas.

The kayaks though...we may go out tomorrow and explore. Good enough for me. And the cankles.

Until the next time...

17 comments:

Rebecca DeWire said...

Scott and I are in Washington State too with his parents. This area of the country is just amazingly beautiful. Enjoy your post IM rest, you earned it!

GoBigGreen said...

I cant wait to hear about your cruise! We sail out of Vancouver mid july and i cant wait. Enjoy your down time. Cankles are funny bc it makes you wonder and feel sorry for people that have them all the time. Health reasons for some. other reasons for others...
I thought of you alot this weekend while up north and was so thrilled to get home soon enough to follow your bike and run!!
Happy Sailing Marit! Glad we are seeing you so happy on the "other side" of the tape!

Mindi said...

Bainbridge is amazing! I live in Seattle and take the ferry over there every couple months just to get away. Enjoy the peacefulness and the old-town-style downtown area. The Fort Ward State Park area (west side of the south tip) has beautiful sunsets.

Beth said...

Gotta love the cankles!! :) Glad to hear you and your family are enjoying your vacation otherwise though! Enjoy that cruise!! By then the cankles should be long gone... :)

PS I had a dream last night that I did an IM and my bike time was 5:48. BUT, I forgot to take all my gels so I only took in 500 calories on the bike and didn't even know if I should start the marathon. AHHH!! :)

Missy said...

Sounds like post IM time to me! Legs are toasted and all swolled up. Guess that means you worked hard enough!

So, were the girls that came in after you in your age group so happy that they kissed you when you DIDN'T take the Kona slot? ...ahem, that's because I already have mine, thanks;)

BriGaal said...

Have fun on your cruise! I've been to Bainbridge, too, very cute little island.

Marni Sumbal, MS, RD said...

I've only done 2 ironman's but I totally agree, 100%, that race day is so much easier than training. You have support, aid stations and a free buffet of food. You did awesome and you can tell you took it all in!
-marn

Charisa said...

Have fun on your vacation! Enjoy the much deserved rest :)

Kim said...

enjoy your recovery! lots of ice cream and junk food!!

i'm still so impressed with your results. marit you are an inspiration! coach pp certainly has a great bunch of athletes!

Jennifer Yake Neuschwander said...

Maybe you and Nathaniel can rent a tandem....he can do the pedaling. Otherwise maybe he can pull you around in a little kid wagon. I know what you mean with the kankles....You are right in time the swelling will go down but the memories are yours forever.

Kathleen @ ForgingAhead said...

Wait just a minute. You mean to say there's recovery time involved in an IM? Shocking news. No, seriously. I thought that once you completed one of those puppies it would be halos of happiness for weeks to come!

Kristin Bradfield said...

I've been catching up a bit on your blog, you have an incredibly inspiring story. Congrats on the IM finish and in incredible time as well! I get cankles after intense training so I bet my legs will be tree trunks post-IM!

Anonymous said...

WOWZERS! You'll be totally READY for KONA miss Zora!!

Guide me please to what you prefer for Compression socks..... never worn them before, what brand do you suggest/wear??

thnx
Steph

Heidi Austin, PT, DPT said...

enjoy washington with nathaniel and the family... I'm sooo anxiously awaiting the full race report :) I hope your recovery goes well and that the water retention goes away!

Ange said...

I can't wait for your RR!!!
But this cankle thing is new to me...reallY? lesg are all swollen and weird? I can't wait!

Trigirlpink said...

compression hosen... so funny.
Question of the day: who is taking care of the felines???

Enjoy your time off from the careful watch (and whip) of Frau Harrison.

Eileen Swanson said...

You are Amazing!! Congratulations. Well deserved, now keep enjoying some R&R with the fam!! As everyone else is, I am proud of you too ;-)