Relegated to an IronFan..

..for now, anyway. I got to go down to Louisville on Sunday to watch part of the full ironman, which several of my friends were racing (I use the term 'racing' loosely when speaking of such a long race), and it was fun! I definitely got that ol itch, though, and am counting down and looking forward to the next time I can take on that event. I know I'll get back to working out..and doing some sort of racing fairly quickly.. But the distance stuff is really my bread and butter and with a new baby to balance, I know it'll be a bit before I can put the time and energy into training for the longer races. I know that and I'm good with that. I obviously knew that going in to getting pregnant, so it's not like it's a surprise.. But definitely something I'll be looking forward to whenever I can get there! But anyway, this day was not about me, though you'd think I achieved some major feat the way everyone made such a big deal over my being at the race at this point in my pregnancy. It's like..so just how long do you want me to sit around doing nothing? Granted..it was hot..and lots of standing and walking..but come on, folks.. Pregnant, not injured or handicapped.. I'll be fine! So anyway, it was great to get to watch folks coming in off the bike, heading out on the run, and then we caught some at the half way of the run where you either had 13mi left or you were heading for home.. I know to some that seems cruel to have to be so close to the finish when you still have half the run to go, but the full that I did last yr was like that and I didn't mind it at all.. It's not like it's a shock.."I'm not done yet?!".. You know how far you are going, so to me, it wasn't an issue. It was a hot day and folks were covered in dried up salt even just coming off the bike, so you knew it was a rough day out there. Some of those that I knew did great..some had rough days. It was a great reminder of how mental the ironman is, too. I saw a lot of folks come in off the bike/head out to the run just looking defeated. I'm sure they had a tough bike and the heat wore them down..or maybe they had flats or things weren't just 'right', and it's tough to pull out of that funk, but man..26mi is a long way to run(or walk) with a beat down attitude. It reminded me how important it is to be able to shake it off, look for a way to spin it to a positive, and move on to the next thing as best you can. My favorite group of people to see are those that are just psyched to be out there. And I loved getting to see some of the athletes interact with their loved ones/kids/families. I even teared up (probably more than once) at one guy who, as my friend Ashley put it, "pulled a Blunck" and got off his bike to give his wife and kids a kiss and quick hello. You know, it's not much and doesn't take much time, but it means the world to those out there supporting you. Especially a wife/husband who wants some reassurance that you're feeling well and doing ok out there. I just think it's important to remember to acknowledge them and their role in the day, too, you know. I did see some that weren't having a good day or feeling great and it made me so sad to see them blow off their families or stalk past them pouting.. Not cool at all. I'm sorry. Maybe it's rough right now, but pull a little smile, some (false) optimism..something! To give your family some peace of mind and not worry sick about you out there. If it's that bad, go see the medic and drop out.. But if you intend to continue, pull it together for your family's sake! Sorry.. Bit of a rant, but it was sad to watch as the kids tried to get mommy's attention and then gathered helplessly as she stomped off, leaving them wondering what to do. Any who. So it was fun to see part of the race and get to cheer on some of my training buddies. I'm glad I went and I'll be looking forward to the next time that I can be out there with my little support crew..and you better believe they'll be getting smiles, waves, kisses..whatever they need to feel like they are a part of the day.. Because they are a huge reason that we are out there doing what we love.. Ok. What else? Well, in case you hadn't noticed, my early labor was just false stuff. I really thought it was coming..crampy, contractions, felt sick.. Turns out I was just thirsty. You can see how one can mix those two things up.. If you're not so bright, like me, that is.. I suppose it was pretty warm and humid out on Saturday, so even though I felt great during and right after my run.. I probably dehydrated myself a bit.. So. Now I'm hydrated and back to business, as usual. Sunday I just did a little bike cruise around the hood and then a crossfit workout in my basement. Monday was a gym-rat day.. Elliptical and then a row workout. Speaking of, if you row enough, that thing can be quite the full body effort! I did 3k in sets of 500m with a short rest (like a minute) between sets and it made my hammies, arms, back.. Lots of stuff sore! Today was just a short run and then a swim. I was actually able to pull off my first solo run (other than my recent run in the woods, of coarse) in a long while. I was supposed to check out the moon again and take Mason out with me for a 'moon run', but it must be really low this time of yr, or something, because it wasn't out there again.. So I left him alone (still sleeping in bed..and Matt was still home) and took a quick jog on my own. I still feel pretty good out there, so we'll keep it going until it doesn't! The swim was good, too, though nothing spectacular there, as usual.. Mason and I then took off to do all sorts of errands.. I am not a 'crafty' person at all, but we spent well over an hr in Michaels and Hobby Lobby getting things to make/paint/glue/frame for both boys' rooms..here's hoping it all works out! But we had fun. Then hit Babies R Us for a couple things.. I know we probably need more than the swaddling blankets I bought, but I wasn't in the right mind set to do it. We did get a couple of outfits for the little guy, though, and Mason was picking out toys that he can buy him for Christmas..or his first birthday.. Anyway, good stuff!