The Hazards of Iron

Two days to go and then it's taper time. But these two days won't come without their very own form of drama and if there is one thing I hate it is drama.

Yesterday on my ride I noticed my headset was loose. Then I realize my bolts were stripped form the constant traveling and reassembling of the bike and screwing it too tight I suppose. I needed a new stem pronto. The 2 bike shops I go to in Buffalo are just too far away.... 3 hour round trip. My Rochester places... I'd never get it back immediately. But a stem is something I can replace. I just need one.

Trisports online had the one I wanted. I thought about the plan. Secure with duct tape, ride lone ride, wait for part. As I told this to my friend Tony, also a triathlete.... as we were at work in the emergency dept.... he shook his head. He reminded me that if I came in as a trauma because at 25 mph my handlebars came loose... Lake Placid would be OUT.

Whoa. What was I thinking??? Onto plan B. After yoga I shall zip over to the bike shop with existing stem in hand and get a replacement.

Now let's just hope they have the size I need.

At first I thought why now? Then I realized thank goodness now and not at mile 86 in Lake Placid. Keep your perspective Mary, I reminded myself, we are getting close.

In the scope of the hazards that come along with the Ironman, a stem is small and insignificant. Unless you are riding with yours duct taped together. Then it's just stupid.

There are many hazards that come with Iron, if you walked into my house right now you'd gasp. You'd ask me if someone robbed me. No, I would tell you, we are getting close. Housework took a back seat months ago. I thought about telling my husband that yes, the bathtub floor is supposed to be that color instead of white. I call it stone.

The worst part of all of this is my laundry. For the better part of 3 weeks I have been living out of laundry baskets. I can't put it away and I don't know why. I just have a block. I don't even have real clothes. It's four laundry baskets of Lululemon, training clothes, and scrubs.

The worst part..... Curt does his own laundry and he does Luc's laundry.

I know.... he's a keeper.

While I am giving confessions out... Curt is the cook of the house as well. I am not allowed near a pot or a pan.

I know.... I know..... I am one lucky girl.

My husband truly deserves to be on the cover of Time magazine and declared "Person of the Year.". For over 2 years he's been a National Champion Triathlete living with the girl who just can't get over this 140.6 mile distance. He has the patience of a saint. I completely expect to arrive home from a ride and have my clothes spread over the lawn and him screaming "I have had enough!".

He's made it completely possible in every way for me to chase this dream and this goal. Three Iornmans in a year? It's a lot.

But he knows the drive. He knows the passion. We balance our lives so it does not take over. That's why I am up at 4am every day.

Anything is possible, that's the tag line of the Ironman these days. Because it is. If you love something enough, like your family, then you do what you have to do to preserve it. You don't abandon ship and head out at noon for a 6 hour ride. You get up and get rolling by 5am so you are home in time to make peanut butter sandwiches.

You sleepily trim the hedges for your husband and hope they are straight. You offer to make him dinner for once then take him out instead. You give him time to go to the local races and have fun.

You make sure there is enough amusement park fun, lazy summertime fun and plenty of ice cream eating.

Truthfully Luc came through his first Ironman finish line when he was 11 months old, when Curt did Ironman Canada. This is a lifestyle Luc has grown up in. And while he's a little triathlete himself, what we want is to instill healthy habits. An active life. If it's triathlon, hockey, karate, whatever we want Luc to have the tools to be healthy and active.

Two more days and two more weeks. The hazards of Ironman are going to continue just a little bit longer. The laundry... it will be there... the house.... it will be there. The memories of summertime and the memories of a day I dream of, they will be there but they will be so gosh darn priceless.

Time to go work on that stem. Because I don't need to be a hazard of Ironman.