The Journey

Someone please remind me that I need to wear socks when I run. The only exception being a race of the Olympic distance or shorter. Mary needs to wear socks. Even if I have been in this sport for 10 years, even if I have the worst blister issues on earth, even though I still have feet tougher than Heidi Grimm's.... (well, that's not saying a lot... right Heidi :-). Even if these are new shoes and even if these are the same model. Only an absolute idiot would forgo socks, even if every time they do.... the above happens..... 14 days out form an Ironman.

With that being said I enjoyed my final long ride today and it was wonderful. Not wonderful to be done, but the ride itself was absolutely wonderful.

I used the website www.mapmyride.com at the suggestion of Coach T, to find a place to ride up to 4 hours today. I was nervous about this as we are staying in strip mall central headquarters.

Curt and Luc dropped me off at a 7-11 with 1700 calories, 3 tubes, a pump, C02 cartridges, a map, directions written down, Ergomo, money, credit card, ID..... as I was preparing Curt stood with his mouth hanging open.

"Are you packing the shower too?" He snorted. "That's why I don't do the Ironman anymore."

I smiled, we synchronized watches and I was on my way. The road was narrow with a bit of a shoulder, and I admittedly was nervous. I was alone, with directions but in a place I didn't know. A street with narrow shoulders and did I mention I was alone?

All of those fears were quickly squashed as within 10 minutes I had already waved hello to about 30 cyclists riding the other way. I quickly realized that this route was marked! With street signs!!!!! I didn't need the map or my directions! The country road I was longing for was here!

Heaven!

So for the next few hours I rode along country roads. Through the town of Ahsland. Under canopies of trees. Alongside railroad tracks. Traffic at times was steady but I was greeted with patient motorists and friendly waves.

Descents, ascents, cows, corn...... today I got to have it all and I felt like the Belle of the Ball. For a good stretch of road I didn't even see a car. What a way to end long rides. My legs felt good. My head felt good. My nutrition felt good.

Heck I didn't even know that my Ergomo battery had died.... I was riding at goal wattage. I know because now I can feel it.

I felt sad when the ride came to a close. I wanted to be out there longer, go further, see the beauty that Virginia really has. It's so much more than hotels and buildings and the concrete jungle. And this is how I love to see the world. On my bike, with the sun shining down and the wind howling. It's so much more amazing than standing in a museum. That's how I live and that's the only way I want to live.

There at times when my mother wonders aloud when we will get over this triathlon thing. I never try to explain because how do you explain the unexplainable? To some a rich life involves seeing plays and wandering around art exhibits. To others enjoying life means drinking wine together and enjoying European made meals.

Those are wonderful ways to enjoy life and I recommend them to everyone. I should actually say that I recommend you find what you love. Be it movies, or spending time over wine, Frank Lloyd Wright or BBQ's. Find what you love.

What they don't' understand is the way that we choose to enjoy our lives. It's not race day, it's all that goes into race day. Wandering through the countryside that wars were fought on. Seeing the fruits of a farmer's labors. The sun on my back.

Running along a canal that was dug by hand all the way through New York State. As my feet hit the ground stone I think about the hours and hours that went into that. What the lives were like of those who did it.

Swimming in lanes just listening to the water splash around you. Sharing a common goal with the guys in your lane. Just reaching for something a bit higher than where you are standing. Sharing a smile over a styrofoam cup of coffee waiting for the pool to open.

Finally getting to race day where strangers become friends. Where a kind word and a reassuring smile is yours and yours to give freely of. Where you learn how strong you truly are.

What they call selfish I call living. And I don't bother to explain.... because it is really their story and not mine. They believe it is a selfish pursuit of glory. That's the story they created and placed upon me. What they will never know or understand is the true meaning. The meaning of living. It's because I can not explain and I can not articulate. I can only do what I do.

I was so lucky to find the one person on the earth who sees it identical to how I see it. Living.

Together we dream of hiking the Appalachian Trail as a family. Spending time cycling across a state, part of the country, the whole country. This venue of sport gives us the ability to enjoy each other. Parents and child. It gives us time absent of television, newspapers, video games., etc. It strips us down to our bare self. The three of us. Together. Nothing but movement and nature. Take away all of the clutter of our lives..... and it brings us even closer.

That's the whole picture, and that's the feeling that I had today when later we returned to Ashland. Standing alongside the railroad tracks I held Luc tightly as we stood closer to a moving train than I had even stood. Maybe too close but the wind of the train was powerful. It made me think about my Grandfather, a railroad man all of his life. That's how he got to see the country and damn.... that's a neat way to see it.

The feeling of connectedness. Family. Of living. That's more than a finish line. It's more than a starting line. It's the way I have chosen to live my life and build my family around. And for me that is what's right.

When I touched the brakes at the end of a few hours, I turned and looked back down Cedar Road. When I had begun the ride today I was not sure where this would lead me or if I would even return alive. That's the way I felt ten years ago. I didn't know. We don't always know where our journeys will lead us.

For me, it's been nothing short of beautiful. And this isn't the end just yet.

Thanks so much for stopping by.

:-) mary