Spudman and beyond....

Spudman this year was.... well... painful. And not in the way that I wanted...

You see, you train.... and train... and train.... the whole time thinking about the finish. What happens when at mile 8 on the bike your knee begins to feel like it might break? I don't know... I didn't train for this. However, that didn't stop it from happening. Or me from finishing. I was seriously having my doubts though at mile 3 on the run. I wasn't sure if my knee would just pop out of my skin and have a bone sticking out.... kinda what it felt like. I wasn't hurting from my pace, or breathing that hard....

Well coming across the finish line, all that I could think was - this will probably start to hurt even more when I'm done.... I don't think I want to be done then.

Last year I was just so psyched and happy, this year was focused more on the pain. I enjoyed what pain I did feel from my body pushing itself to new limits - that part was great. I was happy to see my mph on my bike stay in the 20's, and overall, I was happy.

Did I mention that Jaren threw down the gauntlet prior to the race by proclaiming to everyone that his only goal was to beat me? This created a competitive shock to my system that was not to be endured! I knew what I must do. I had to crush him. Obliterate. I was on a Brendetta.

Knee or no knee... Jaren must not win.

Well... he didn't.

But then when all is said and done, I'm not sure that I really won. I have now what is known in the medical circles as a torn IT Band. Great. I couldn't walk for a week. They put me on steroids... not an emotional booster I might add. Then the Dr. did what I feared most. He told me that I was forbidden from competing in the half ironman. My dream was lost. I cried. I felt like someone had died.

I know this may seem extreme to most, but for me - it was my baby. I've been training and training and training - for OVER A YEAR! All gone!

My consolation prize? The organizers of the Utah half have consented to crediting my payment towards next year's race.

Now comes the time to decide if I desire another year of this kind of an intense commitment. For now the dream remains a broken one - but a light of hope glimmers somewhere in the corner of my mind.

All said, I beat my time from last year by over 9 minutes. I would say that even with a bum knee that I was proud of myself.

Here's hoping for a quick recovery, and best of all - a lot of new good information from physical therapy.

As for the others that competed- I was so proud. My husband actually beat my bike time by 55 seconds. For not training this is seriously amazing.

Lena put in an awesome time, and proved that she is a force to be reckoned with. And then the Golden Boy, Donny, proved why he has his name. Who does that kind of a race without training? He should become a professional.