Directionally Correct
My father was a man with a very dry sense of humor, a sense of humor that I often see in my son Jordan. He, had many sayings that have stuck with me and that I have passed on to Jordan. Some of my favorites are, "geographically desirable", "O dark thirty" and the theme for this post, "directionally correct".
These last 10 days or so have seen more firsts in my recovery and the official setting of my big goal, Maine 70.3.
Last Sunday October 1st, registration officially opened for Half Ironman Maine. I swam early that morning and then came home and was eating breakfast with Jordan as I sat in front of my Ipad anxiously awaiting the opening. When 8:00AM struck and the screen changed from "coming soon" to "register now" my heart skipped a beat like a kid on Christmas morning. My excitement paled in comparison to my son's who started jumping up and down screaming, "we're going to Maine, we're going to Maine. I can't believe it Dad, we're registering". The fact that he is so excited to come along on this journey with me, much like he was for the NYC marathon, means the world to me. Being able to set a good example for him and show him that when you put your mind to something anything is possible means the world to me.
I then received a text message from a good friend who said that she needed a goal to focus on and was considering registering for Maine as well. This text not only made my day, but also made Lori's day since it means that she will have someone to hang with as I race.
So the registration is done, payment has been made and now the fun and work begins.
This past Sunday on Long Island, Lori and I went out for a morning run. It has been unseasonably warm this October and this particular morning was no different. We set out to do 2 minutes of running followed by 30 seconds of walking. Almost 40 minutes later we had finished 3 miles. Certainly not setting any PR's or land speed records, but it was my longest run to date and more importantly it was the first run where my heart rate stayed where it was supposed to. Again, small victories make for a happy man!
On Monday morning I spoke with the surgeon's office and asked about going back to spin class. Originally I had thought that I wouldn't resume these high intensity classes or lifting weights until after my MRI on October 24th, but much to my surprise and pleasure I was told that I could absolutely start both!!
So, Monday night I was back at the gym, in the cycle studio for the first time in 4 months. It was great to see my friends from class and even better to have the support of my friend and instructor, Brian Mahoney, who was there to look out for me and make sure to keep me in check.
As you can see these last 10 days have all been more steps in my recovery, but more importantly steps in the direction of the ultimate goal.....crossing the finish line in Maine next August.
I am the turtle in this race and more than OK with that. Afterall, this is a Half Ironman, not a Sprint!!
These last 10 days or so have seen more firsts in my recovery and the official setting of my big goal, Maine 70.3.
Last Sunday October 1st, registration officially opened for Half Ironman Maine. I swam early that morning and then came home and was eating breakfast with Jordan as I sat in front of my Ipad anxiously awaiting the opening. When 8:00AM struck and the screen changed from "coming soon" to "register now" my heart skipped a beat like a kid on Christmas morning. My excitement paled in comparison to my son's who started jumping up and down screaming, "we're going to Maine, we're going to Maine. I can't believe it Dad, we're registering". The fact that he is so excited to come along on this journey with me, much like he was for the NYC marathon, means the world to me. Being able to set a good example for him and show him that when you put your mind to something anything is possible means the world to me.
I then received a text message from a good friend who said that she needed a goal to focus on and was considering registering for Maine as well. This text not only made my day, but also made Lori's day since it means that she will have someone to hang with as I race.
So the registration is done, payment has been made and now the fun and work begins.
This past Sunday on Long Island, Lori and I went out for a morning run. It has been unseasonably warm this October and this particular morning was no different. We set out to do 2 minutes of running followed by 30 seconds of walking. Almost 40 minutes later we had finished 3 miles. Certainly not setting any PR's or land speed records, but it was my longest run to date and more importantly it was the first run where my heart rate stayed where it was supposed to. Again, small victories make for a happy man!
On Monday morning I spoke with the surgeon's office and asked about going back to spin class. Originally I had thought that I wouldn't resume these high intensity classes or lifting weights until after my MRI on October 24th, but much to my surprise and pleasure I was told that I could absolutely start both!!
So, Monday night I was back at the gym, in the cycle studio for the first time in 4 months. It was great to see my friends from class and even better to have the support of my friend and instructor, Brian Mahoney, who was there to look out for me and make sure to keep me in check.
As you can see these last 10 days have all been more steps in my recovery, but more importantly steps in the direction of the ultimate goal.....crossing the finish line in Maine next August.
I am the turtle in this race and more than OK with that. Afterall, this is a Half Ironman, not a Sprint!!
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