The Aftermath: Part 1

As I mentioned in my race report, I had some difficulty with math during the marathon – and now I’m having some difficulty with math of a different kind: aftermath. However, the last week has brought plenty more good than bad (relating to Ironman, triathlon and my efforts for LIFEcycle).

First I’ll get the bad bits of the aftermath out of the way, and my next blog will focus on the positives

Bad: My left shin, a mysterious sun rash and PIDS

Good: Pride, membership, cancer treatment (all in my next/final Ironing The Man blog post – probably in a few days… things got pretty backed up at work while I was in Lake Placid)

Shin: Starting late in the day on the Tuesday following the Ironman, my lower left shin began to hurt. It may have hurt before then, but so did everything else, so I didn’t notice. Wednesday morning, when all my other muscles seemed to be doing okay, my left shin was the only pain still reminding me of my triumph (luckily, there were plenty of positive things still reminding me, too: my wife telling me repeatedly how proud she was, all the “likes” and comments I was getting on Facebook, my finisher tee, which I wore for the second time that day). By the end of the day, after I took my compression socks off, I really felt it.

It was a little swollen, not too bad, but it felt like somebody had hit me in the shin with baseball bat. Now a full week later, the pain is still there. The silver lining is that at least this is making sure I take plenty of time away from running! I’m just hoping it isn’t a stress fracture, but I plan on getting an x-ray soon, if the pain persists.

Burn: I don’t remember if I mentioned this before, but I got some sort of sunburn, sun rash, sun allergy or some similar type of thing on my outer left calf. It was pretty nasty looking. It didn’t look like an actual sunburn, and it hasn’t blistered, but it gives me concern about being in the sun all day – at least this concern came after the race! I’m going to the doctor on Wednesday to get it checked out (I snapped a few photos, since it’ll be gone by then, but don’t worry – I won’t share them here).

PIDS: Post Ironman Depression Syndrome. This is the term used for a general feeling of let-down following an Ironman race. For nine months I had one date circled on my calendar. I was both counting down to it, in terms of when it would arrive, and up to it in terms of miles logged and hours trained. I planned my life’s schedule around training sessions and fitting in an extra race here or there. For months I thought about what I was eating, how I was sitting – I even changed the position I sleep in because of shoulder trouble (though later found out that wasn’t training-related). And in the blink of an eye (relatively speaking – because it was probably more 10,000 blinks) it’s all over.

Completing the Ironman is, and probably will remain, my single greatest physical achievement. It will certainly be one of the most memorable days of my life. Crossing the finish line will most likely be among my life’s top 10 greatest moments. But, it’s over.

Thinking about some other things that were a long time in the making, they all were counting to a new beginning… The longest of which was 9 years for undergrad – but graduation was the beginning of my career. I was engaged to the most amazing woman in the world and for 15 months we planned our wedding. When that momentous day came and went, I was left with a bride. It takes a fetus about the same amount of time to become a baby as it takes to train for a first Ironman (no political commentary, please – I’m just talking about time from conception to birth), but at the end of that countdown is a lifetime of parenthood.

Finishing an Ironman is an awesome feeling, but being finished with an Ironman is an entirely different story.

It is unlikely that I will participate in a full Ironman again – and certainly not any time soon. It just takes too much away from a person. This I’m not sure I want to give up again. But still, I am left with a feeling of loss. Most mornings, I have still woken up at 4:30 am, but with nothing to do. I have no interest in riding yet, not more than around camp. I can’t run. I swam yesterday, but casually and only for 20 minutes… Did those hundreds of hours over the past nine months really only add up to 15:55:08? Now what?

I am able to answer the questions and dispel the negative feelings each time they come up. But it is still too bad they have to flutter about… If there was a way to better capture the moment – the day of the race, or even the days leading up to it – that would be pretty cool. Pictures help. This blog helps – I wish I had been more active with it earlier in the process. Your comments help. My wife’s smile helps – and knowing that I’ll be around her more this coming winter, spring and next summer… that’s pretty nice too!