NOT TODAY…

Kim, Dan and I sat in my car as I watched the clock turn to 7:15 am. There we were getting ready to run the the 3rd annual Pewaukee, WI Turkey Trot. It was a typical early Wisconsin morning, cold, windy, gray with a touch of drizzle. I think for all three of us, this really will be the first physical exercise we have done since the Ironman three weeks back. I had done a handful of spinning classes, lifted a little and did two small attempts of running, but it had been a three week vacation from exercise.

We exited the car, walked into the small building in the park and I was amazed at the amount of people this race has grown to in 3 years. I mean I remember the first year taking off and actually finding myself in 2nd place with the eventual placing of 9th. That won’t happen anymore, with close to 400 runners starting this year’s race.

Soon they swooshed us out of the building, to line up behind a line of cones. We three stopped about 50 feet behind these cones, but soon realized everyone else was behind us. We moved back another 10 feet into the crowd, but once the again everyone moved behind us! WHAT’S GOING ON!!!!! We moved one more time closer to the back and waited for the horn to go off.

Before you wonder did I have any Ironman gear on to pronounce to the Turkey Trot world of my greatness, DAH!!! Let’s see I had my DETERMINATION shirt on under a Finishers sweatshirt, Panama City Beach socks and my trusty Brooks with my M-Dot shoe laces (Keep in mind this all plays out in a little while). The horn sounded and we were off. I ran with Dan for a few moments while I was putting in my ear buds and as soon as they were in I took off. I mean I still have to be the fastest in the family!

Going into the race I wasn’t sure how I was going to do. Could I even last 3 miles? My previous two attempts were run 5 minutes, walk 1, plus Wisconsin has those nasty things called HILLS! As in other 5k races with my brother-in-law the plan was to go out fast (too fast) and hold on! If we ever plan to do anything longer I might have to rethink that strategy. As the race continued, the 1st mile 8:30 minutes, hmm… not bad, mile 2 the same. Soon after, I started to feel the effects of the Ironman and not running much for 3 weeks and the wheels started to fall off. Still over all I passed more people than I got passed maybe because this was suppose to be a “fun run”. Yeah right, fun my butt… As the race approached the 2.5 mile, marked the biggest hill awaits and I soon found myself tackling this sucker. As I started up I felt someone coming up from behind I looked over to my right another runner started to pass me. Through the music from my ears buds I heard him say “I AM PASSING AN IRONMAN!” (the back of my sweatshirt states IRONMAN) Now I feel that I am not that competitive, knowing that it had just been 3 week’s since I put these legs through hell and I usually don’t let such statements bother me… NOT THIS TIME!!!! Maybe it was his tone, but there it was, someone threw down the gauntlet. A quarter mile from the finish line, with the Black Eye Peas “I Gotta Feeling” my Ironmaness was being questioned! Needless to say I took off, I started my sprinters kick much earlier than I wanted too but it was game on. I wasn’t chugging up this hill, I sprinted! I soon realized I let my Ironman pride get the better of me but I needed to hold on and destroy this “probably nice guy” and show him what it really meant to be an Ironman.

Yes, I probably went a little overboard, but to me it was just another example of what it means to be an Ironman. I started up that hill, the wheels were starting to fall off and I could have easily let him go by and not give it another thought, but… There are time,s 5k or not, where one has to dig down, dig deep down and answer back with actions! That is the spirit of an Ironman! This has been a lesson self taught over this journey. When things get tough, you and only you can control what happens next. It doesn’t matter if it is 3 miles, 140.6 miles or a bazillion miles, I know I have the capability to answer back when things get tough.

As I finished I opened my sweatshirt to revel the word DETERMINATION (the M is an M-DOT) I looked at that word and smiled. As I walked back, I saw Dan running around the corner and finish under 30 minutes. I realized how far he has come in his journey and there just might be an Ironman in the making. I waited for him to catch back up and we set off to find Kim. As we retraced the course Dan and I talked and he told me he will be joining me in the Racine 70.3 Ironman this year! He’s drinking the cool-aid! We talked some more and both of us are not happy where our weight is and we made a commitment to each other to hold each other accountable. We walked around a corner and there she was! Much closer to the finish than last year. Kim has also come a long way from her start as she screamed out that she past 6 people! We ran with her the rest of the way and this time not to steal her moment I broke away as I watched her cross that finish line. These two people in my life prove to me you don’t have to be an Ironman, to have the Ironman spirit.

Sometimes I ask myself is everything that I have done really worth it? I never have to look very far to discover the answer to that is yes!

Until next time… Your Fitness Buddy!