triathlon season, behind the scenes

It takes a certain sort of dedication to be a triathlete, even more so to complete a half-ironman.  I've known since at least last December, perhaps even last October, that Nathan had his sights on Beach2Battleship this year.  It was a commitment we both made.  He committed to train, I committed to accomodating my work schedule to his workouts.  Throughout the winter, we spent Saturday mornings at the Y, him lifting weights, me putting in miles on the treadmill.  In February, 2011 triathlon training began, with weight workouts being replaced with laps in the pool, miles run pre-dawn, hours on the trainer in the basement.  As the days got longer, the workouts got longer, with lunch-hour swims, morning runs, and evening bike rides outdoors.  I tried my best to keep up with the laundry.  I found that if I did two loads every day, I could keep up...that included our regular laundry, sheets (remember dust mites are not our friends in this house!), and pool towels, as well as stinky workout clothes.  How dedicated was Nathan?  Here is his workout calendar, often made weeks in advance:

He uses a Garmin when he runs/cycles, and uploads the data online.  He holds himself accountable, and also posts his workouts to dailymile, which is kind of like FB for athletes, a community of like-minded people there to support you on the tough days and praise you on your successes.

And bad days?  He had more than his share.  The little beast that is asthma has reared its ugly head more than once.  The ol' IT band decides to flare at inconvenient times.  After running all winter, the IT band ruined Nathan's half marathon in March, which he was more than ready for.  I can't tell you how many Saturdays this year consisted of runs greater than 8 miles, although I could probably look back in his calendar and find out.  This guy showed up at our house after the half:

It is called a foam roller, and used to "roll out" injuries.  In July, Nathan didn't finish the run portion of the Stumpy Creek International Distance triathlon.  It looked like the pesky IT injury was going to shorten triathlon season.  Enter our new best friend, "THE STICK":

Before and after workouts, and sometimes at random times in between, Nathan would ask me to "roll out" his hamstrings, calves, and sometimes IT band.  It loosens up whatever tightness is in the muscles.  It is a torture device.  I love it.  If you've ever seen the scene in The 40-Year-Old Virgin where Steve Carell's character gets his chest waxed, well, that's what the particularly painful sessions were like.  It got to the point I could tell ahead of time if it was going to hurt really bad or not.  haha.  It really is a great way to get your stress out!  (I am so mean!)

Now we're a month post-half-ironman.  The wetsuit hangs nicely in the basement.  The bike hasn't left the trainer since we got home.  Stinky running clothes still show up in the laundry every once in awhile, but we're all enjoying a break in the intensity...just running for fun!  Coming soon...101 reasons why Sara will never do a triathlon!