Searching for Pearls

So, what does an “Iron Family” do while their loved one is out on the bike course? Some stay out on the course and cheer for the bikers. Some head back to the hotel for a nap. (That was Rylan’s choice!) Some go and take in a movie. Aaron decided to go pearl shopping!

There was a cool little shop on Ali’i Drive where you could buy an oyster. Then, the sales lady would open it up for you and hopefully you would find a pearl!

She had to search around in it, but sure enough, there was a beautiful, big, pearl! Aaron was excited as she pulled the pearl out! She cleaned it up, put it in a nice little bag, and gave us instructions on how to keep it looking beautiful!

Some spectactular views in Kona!

Ironman/Marriage

I think that marriage is a lot like the Ironman. James and I were talking about this the other day, and he did not really like my analogy, but I thought it was pretty good.

Ironman races are broke up into three parts, a swim, a bike and a run. So, is marriage. Let’s start with the swim (the honeymoon phase). In the Ironman, everyone jumps into the swim with enthusiasm! You may be a little nervous, but you are still very excited. This is the same with marriage. You enter in with a sense of excitement and nerves. The honeymoon stage goes by quickly (as does the swim) and you must move on into something different.

The bike…at 112 miles, the bike is by far the longest part of the Ironman. This is the longest part of marriage, too. The part where you settle into a routine, and just go. This part takes a lot of endurance and determination. There are hills and valleys, and sometimes even some obstacles in the road. There are different people to cheer for you along the way. Are you starting to see the similarity with marriage? Sometimes the bike seems endless, but it really is just taking you to the run.

The last part of an Ironman is running a marathon. Now running a marathon seems tough. And, don’t get me wrong, it is! Many people do not ever make it to the marathon stage of Ironman/marriage. But, this is the homestretch, the retirement period. The part of the race where you are so comfortable that you just cruise on in. You may slow down a little bit, and take in all that is around you. Yes, you are still working hard, but in a different way. The finish line is in sight, and you know that you have run a good race!

So, you see, Ironman and marriage are not all that different!

Just Out for a Little Bike Ride!

The Ironman is not always easy…Actually, I think it is never easy, but for some strange reason, my husband loves it!

You can tell by these pictures that James had been out on the course for a while. He is not smiling now and has a look of pure determination!

Thanksgiving

In the spirit of the upcoming Thanksgiving holiday, I am going to try to share some of the things our family is thankful for throughout this month.

Aaron is thankful for Rylan.

I am thankful for a husband who cooks me steak for dinner!

James is thankful that we got the service warranty on our Mazda (the transmission went out, today!)

Rylan is thankful for applesauce.

James Weighs In...

Most of the time, this blog is written from Monica’s perspective. Since the focus is James’s Ironman race and our family’s adventure with it, I thought I would let him weigh in some on how he spent the day before the race…

Friday morning kind of sucked because we woke up and it was raining. But, the rain stopped and I was able to get in a good swim. I met up with the Mark Allen group and we swam out on the race course. Some of the pros were there warming up. There was a “coffee boat” out in the bay. I swam out and got some coffee. I hung out there at the boat for a while. It was really cool!

After the swim, I got the bike and went out for a short ride. My coach said to ride for about 20 minutes, nothing to strenuous. I checked out the bike and ran it through the gears. I was able to stretch my legs a bit. While out on the run, I saw the folks from “Clif Bar”. Chris McCormack was there giving out t-shirts. Since Monica is a big “Macca” fan, I made sure to get her a shirt.

Friday afternoon we took the bike to be checked in for the race. As I passed through security, they put a black and red sticker on it to show it had been cleared. Sabrina, from Australia, walked me through the transition area. She showed me where I would exit the swim and head to the bike. Then, she showed me which way to go to exit on the bike. She then took me to hang my gear bag. To make sure the bags are not tampered with, each athlete must hang their own bag in their assigned spot.

As the evening went on, I was not really nervous. It was strange, in my other races I always got really nervous. For this one, I did not! I just went through everything my coach had said and felt ready to race!