Its been about 6 years since we've been back to Maryland so it was great to be back with family there. (Aaron was back for a weekend in '09 but didn't spend much time in Frederick). It was fun to meow with Vera, take Lyndon to his school, snuggle and read books with the kids in the morning, chat with Merilee, Adam and Crystal at night, see Merilee at her office and do lunch, and bike through Walkersville.
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| Taking Lyndon to school. I sat in the back and they asked me to hold their hands. I love these cute, loving kids! |
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| Once I got my rented bike from the shop, I took it on a ride to get used to it. I rode around the block and down through Walkersville, where Aaron spent high school. I'm in awe of how people live in these little town homes right on top of each other. I'm further baffled by the cost to live this way. |
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| Beautiful fields in Walkersville. When we went to pick up my bike, I couldn't understand the acres of dying corn. It drove me crazy. Any ideas out there? |
Aaron went to school with these friends in high school, but knew them from different schools. Since high school, his two buddies met and realized they both hung out with Aaron and married girls Aaron knew in high school. It was a fun time having dinner and catching up with his buddies!
Friday morning, Aaron, Merilee and I took off for Cambridge to check in. It was a 2 hour drive and we went over some pretty fun bridges. This one was crazy- talk about some crazy heights!
After Kokopelli on the Saturday before Maryland, my shoulder started bothering me. I was worried, so I took Monday off from swimming. Later in the day, while at work, I felt my knee start to bother me while teaching. By the time I was teaching the next class out at the pool, my knee was causing me to limp. After Fitness Ridge, I went to Summit to train. While training my client, I was limping- very painful. I iced it when I got home and I woke up Tuesday to have it be even worse. I was worried- I didn't feel like I could even jog down the street- the pain was on the inside of my knee right under a bone. I limped around everywhere. Wednesday when we took off, I was very discouraged. I didn't run to my TRX class like I usually do, which is only 3 miles down the street. How can I do an Ironman if I can't run a mile? Once we got to Maryland, I was frustrated at how it hurt to even go up and down the stairs to our room. Aaron went to play basketball with Adam and I chatted with Crystal and Merilee while I iced my knee. Crystal suggested I ask for a priesthood blessing. When the boys came home I asked and they were happy to help. Thursday, I still had the pain, but was happy to feel okay biking 10 miles on my bike to get used to it. The biking didn't seem to bring out the pain. It still was bothering me though. Friday morning, on the way to Cambridge, I noticed it felt much, much better!
All throughout the Ironman, I never once felt any pain that I feared and had prayed all week would leave me alone so I could be healthy and accomplish my goal. I know how intense the pain was before and it wasn't something I'd ever experienced before. Truly a miracle- I never felt any pain the entire 13 hours and haven't since.
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| Waiting to listen to the athlete briefing in Cambridge, MD. The weather was amazing! Such a beautiful area! |
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| Grateful for the support of my awesome hubby! |
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| Seeing the finish line, I wondered how I'd feel running under it the next day! Hard to wrap my brain around what I was about to do the next day! |
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| My awesome, supportive mother-in-law! Without her, this would have been very hard to pull off. She was gracious to help us get to Maryland, housed us, let us use her car and came along to support and cheer. Love you Mer! |
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| My sweet hubby |
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| Aaron was such a supportive helper. I appreciate the patience while setting up and getting everything in place for the next day! |
Later Friday afternoon, Adam and Crystal's family showed up and we ate at a yummy local place. So good to have a tasty meal and be with such amazing people.
Our hotel was a total dump. When I went to look at hotels, they were all booked already. After calling numerous times I found a couple rooms opened at a nearby hotel in Cambridge. The week before we went I called to confirm- somehow our reservation ended up being put in a smoking, pet friendly room- NOT what I have reserved before. Without any other options close by- I thought, "It can't be THAT bad." Well it was. Lesson learned. I had to laugh while unpacking in our room. Our curtain was all crooked, beds were tiny, and it was so stinky. We got fresheners at Walmart to help with the stench in our room.
After the race, we went to grab food somewhere else so we wouldn't have to spend time in our rooms at the hotel. We went to Subway only to have a million gnats attacking us while we ate. I'm talking third world country style. I couldn't stop laughing at the irony of going to eat out to get away from the nastiness and experiencing such an unpleasant meal. What an experience that was!
I was exhausted. I haven't slept well for the past couple weeks, anxious about all the things coming up and the changes with work, and the late nights chatting, so I went to bed early. The next day during the race I came across a sign that said, "TRI CERA is TOPS." It made me giggle for the entire race! While I was sleeping, they made signs and hung them up around town. So sweet and such a sweet surprise!
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| I love this picture. Aaron and Lyndon while I was racing. |
Meanwhile back at home:
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| Jaylen and Gavin spent a night with my friend Holly, then a night with my friend Stephanie and then the weekend with Jared and Jenny. Lily had fun doing Jaylen's hair. |
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| Stephanie had the kids make me signs she texted me. So sweet! |
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| Jared and Jenny's family at Sunday dinner with 9 kids! Shew! |
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| CJ and Jaylen and Libby. |
The boys had a blast! My friends and family took such good care of them. They were so excited about all the fun friends and family they got to play with!
