Last September, Ryan went to watch his buddy, Brad, do Ironman Madison, and I wasn't surprised when he came home and said he wanted to do it next year. He was just getting into triathlons and I figured the Ironman would be on his bucket list. So, he signed up, a year in advance. Little did we know he was going to have to have reconstructive ankle surgery in April do to an injury at work. It seemed as though his Ironman dreams were gone, because you're supposed to train for this thing for like, 8 months! And the recovery alone was expected to be 6-8 months. He was really bummed, but there's nothing he could do about it. The worst part was that he couldn't get his money back or transfer to the next year. So, he got the surgery mid-April, and the recovery was off to a really great start! He didn't have any swelling, he was out of the boot 4 weeks later, therapy started at 6 weeks, and he was back to work and nearly 100% about 4 months after. Wahoo!! He did the half ironman on August 10th. He went into it with a thankful mentality, happy to be there and hoping to finish.
We arrived at 5am. Ryan set up his transition while I got some coffee. There were three other guys that he works with at AHFD that were doing the race, too.
We arrived at 5am. Ryan set up his transition while I got some coffee. There were three other guys that he works with at AHFD that were doing the race, too.
To star the race, we had to walk a mile down the beach.
Seeing how long a mile is in the water is quite intimidating!!
Seeing how long a mile is in the water is quite intimidating!!
Ryan went off with his wave
and then I had to speed walk all the way back to make sure I didn't miss him!
Once I saw him, I ran up to the other end of the transition so I could see him go out on the bike.
He started cramping up within the first mile of the run. When we went to stretch his quad, his hamstring cramped, too! He continued to walk until it released, and run until he cramped, for 13.1 MILES!!
I got to the finish area and just took in the view. On one side there were tons of spectators.
and the other was the beautiful beach and Lake Michigan.
I was so anxious waiting for him to finish. I didn't know whether to cry, barf, or both! My stomach was in knots! He turned a the corner and ran in to the finish!
It was SO awesome! I couldn't be more proud!!
I could barely walk by the end because my legs were so sore from being a "spectathlete." Ryan was walking around just fine, and his ankle was still in great shape. Praise the Lord!
We went waist-high in the Lake for a little "ice bath." The temp was 64. It was a wonderful day!
Four weeks and he'll be doing the full!
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