The past two weeks have been a bit hectic. Although I recovered really quickly from IM 70.3 Chattanooga, Karel's broken wrist has been giving him a lot of pain. The broken radius is healing nicely but he is still experiencing a tremendous amount of pain from his ulnar nerve. He doesn't sleep well at night as the pain gets worse. I feel so bad for him. He had a follow-up with his surgeon on Tues (and got his stitches out from the three incisions) and if the pain doesn't get better in the next two weeks, Karel will see a neurologist to figure out what's going on. His PT is going well and he is making some progress with using his fingers (he still doesn't have much strength). We have a good friend/triathlete that is a hand surgeon so he has been incredibly helpful as he has been speaking with Karel almost daily on his progress and figuring out a good routine for his medications to help with the swelling and pain.
So with so much of my emotional energy going to Karel, I haven't really thought much about the race this weekend. Again, it was another week of just going through the motions. We left for Roanoke on Wednesday late morning and after a beautiful 5-hour drive (stops included), we arrived to our first Airbnb. (I reserved two different ones in downtown as the lodging situation was a bit sparse for pet-friendly and a flexible cancellation policy). With Campy being just a few months away from 14 years old, we are always trying to collect more memories with him.
I did all of the driving to Roanoke and after we arrived, we unloaded the car and caught up on a bit of work before I went to the grocery store (Kroger). After a good night of sleep (Karel and I are sleeping in different beds right now because he has to get up multiple times during the night because of pain in his wrist) I woke up on Thursday morning feeling calm and relaxed that Karel (and Campy) are here with me.
Karel went for a morning run (exercise is manageable as it somewhat helps take his mind off the pain) on some of the run course and when he got back, we packed up the car for my ride. We drove near the swim start at Carvins Cove Reservoir and then drove the bike course until a few miles before the turn onto the Blue Ridge Parkway. We stopped around mile 20 on the side of the road and I took my bike off our bike rack and it was time for me to ride.
Karel drove ahead and stopped on various parts of the Blue Ridge while I rode for the next 28-miles of the bike course. I was in awe of the beauty of the course and how quiet it was on the road (hardly any cars!). It was a steady climb and we stopped for a few pics at the top. Campy enjoyed his adventure which included micro naps between stops. Karel even took him for a few short walks on the trails (so technically Campy hiked (on) the Appalachian Trail :)
After I made my descend back down the Blue Ridge, Karel met me at the turn and I put my bike back on the car rack before we drove the rest of the bike course. We went back to our Airbnb and after helping Karel set up his trainer for an afternoon spin, I went out for a short ~2 mile run near the run course and to check out the transition area (T2/Finish). Karel was in a lot of pain yesterday so it was a rough day for him. Having Campy here is nice as he is a wonderful form of therapy for me and for Karel.
After Karel did a short bike workout on the trainer (while watching the Criterium du Dauphine) we picked up our online order at Chipotle and then made a quick stop at Kroger for a few more items that we needed.
On Friday morning, I spent a good 20-minutes on mobility/foam rolling while Karel was on the trainer (watching Cycling). I then went for an easy 20-minute jog checking out the transition area (T2) and run out/finish line and bumped into two of our athletes - Fiona and Will - who were riding. After my run it was time to pack up our Airbnb (moving to another Airbnb later today).
We then drove to Smith Mountain Lake State Park (~31 miles/~50 minutes away) for an open water swim. We met a few of our athletes there and Karel and Campy walked around as I did a 20 minute open water swim workout with our athletes. Although my run felt a bit blah, I felt great swimming. And the drive to the lake was just beautiful - which seems to be the theme for nature around here!
Once we arrived to our 2nd Airbnb, we unloaded the car and rested for a bit before our traditional pre-race team pizza party.
We are all so excited for the inaugural IM 70.3 Blue Ridge - we have 18 Trimarni team members racing! As always, I'll be racing with a present moment mindset and thanking my body for allowing me to race on this beautiful course. If I had to design the perfect course for my strengths, this would be it. So I'll be sure to have some fun on Sunday!
You can track the race
HERE. And follow along
HERE.
