The Last

Wednesday, August 24th I move to Birmingham, Alabama.  Right now I'm doing things for the last time.  In reality though, I've been doing my "last" of things for a while.

I realized while I was riding in Madison this past weekend that this would be my last time training in Madison for a long time.  For the past two years I've spent my summers training for Ironman.  Much of that was done in Madison or the surrounding Madison areas.  I realized that after the race I will not be returning to Mad TOWN for a really long time since it will be 14 hours away from my house instead of 2.5 hours.

Wow, that's actually somewhat scary for me. I have done a significant amount of personal growth on that course.  I've thought about tough decisions in my work life, and also sang out loud because I was engaged to the man I love.  I also have been so frustrated with myself that I have thrown my bike in a ditch, and then had to pick it back up because it hit me that I won't give up.  The madison bike course had been a place where i realized that I am not the kind of person that gives up, that no challenge is to hard and that life is about having good times and bad.

Tonight was my last Smelts workout.  The smelts are my masters swim team. The smelts have made me faster.  They have also brought back my love for swimming.  I've had a ton of accomplishments in those workouts.  There workouts are relentless.  No one bats an eye when the coach throws a 4500 yard workout on the board and tell everyone to get off the wall.  It's rather phenomenal.  I will miss the monday night workouts the most.  If you are a chicago triathlete and you are reading it, I encourage you to go.  Don't think about it, just go to these workouts.


Tomorrow will be my last compu trainer class with my coach Liz.  This will be weird.  I have seen her every two years (i worked with her in the off season) during this class.  One time I threw up in front of her another time I did a five hour training ride in front of her, many times she told me to put my phone away and focus on the workout.  Beyond this, through her coaching I have learned what it means to be an athlete.  How to challenge myself physically and mentally.  It will be weird to say goodbye to her tomorrow.  I know she coaches athletes via phone/internet all the time, but I will miss her tuesday night bike/run classes.


Wednesday morning I will run on the lake front path one more time.  This is my favorite part of the City of Chicago.  I think no matter where I was moving it would be hard to find a training ground that compares to the Chicago lakefront path.  It is 20 miles of a flat, fast, beautiful running path that is fun no matter what time of year. Every time I train out there I see someone I know.  In fact last week I ran into three friends while doing my long run at 6 in the morning.  It's just a cool place.

After I run I will do one more open water swim at Ohio Street Beach.  This past season I have swam pretty regularly with my friend Diana after work.  I will miss screaming at her when I saw a a fish, or accidentally flashing her in the parking lot when i was changing into my regular clothes.  Mostly though, I will miss the swimming.  It's pretty beautiful to swim and look up and see sky scrapers.  Just saying, Birmingham won't have ohio street beach.

It's going to be hard leaving on Wednesday.  I'm sad to have my "last" of a lot of my triathlon training places.  I know know I will find a bunch of new favorite places to train in Birmingham.  It will just take time to find them.  I'm excited about running on trails and having hills to bike up.  I will certainly miss the places in this area that have been so instrumental in my success in endurance sports.