Saturday, August 25, 2007

Twas the Night Before Ironman...

The last I spoke with IronPol he was parking his car somewhere in Louisville. As a father of two small children myself, I knew it was time to wrap things up so he could attend to his kids. It reminded me of my last conversation with the Kahuna after I became an Ironman in Panama City Beach. I wanted to talk more with the Kahuna, but as big as becoming an Ironman is, there were two more important things needing my attention in the back seats of our minivan: my children Claudia and Carson.

Tomorrow, IronPol will take on one of the, if not the biggest athletic challenges of his life. Accompanying this accountant and former Navy man on his journey will be his wife and two small children, strikingly familar to a former accountant and Marine who set out in the Gulf of Mexico last November seeking the same prize: an Ironman Title.

During the course of his training, the posts that resonated loudest with me were not about his yards, miles, or minutes, but about his trying to get a child to sleep at 3 am the morning of a big workout, or dealing with his children's colds while trying not to catch one himself. I don't know IronPol well enough to say we are similar, but the circumstances in which we trained certainly are, and based on the support of his wife and love of his children and his dedication to them as well as his training, I know that sometime tomorrow evening, IronPol and I will share another similarity...

So, tune in tomorrow or later this morning to follow my updates on the last leg of IronPol's journey to Ironman!

1 comment:

Veeg said...

Big Brother, my thoughts will be with you in the morning! I'll be crossing my fingers that your preparation meets your opportunity. Less than six hours now. . . .