Hello! It's Paul's Ironmate Amy. I'm chiming in to fill in the blanks as to how we ended up at Ironman Maryland this past weekend after Paul DNF Ironman Louisville at mile 126.4.
Remember this?? The reason Paul could not finish the race?
Well, Paul popped that bad boy blister before we even left Louisville. He admitted his foot felt much better and questioned whether he should have popped that blister Sunday and continued. All day I could tell he was disappointed with Sunday's result and I was disappointed along with him. Paul said all along that this was his ONE shot to do the Ironman. He felt that he could not put his family, house, etc. on hold for another full Ironman training cycle.
As a side note, I have to give Paul credit. As disappointed as Paul was IM Louisville's outcome, he was truly and genuinely excited for our friends Dale, Kelly, and Jess who all finished.
We went to bed our first night home and Paul mentioned again his disappointment in not finishing Louisville. He fell asleep pretty quickly, but I could not. I kept thinking - how could I fix this? How could I make Paul feel better? It did not take long before I had my answer!
We woke up Tuesday at the same time. I rolled over, grabbed my phone, and SHOVED it in his face. I told him that in just over 3 weeks, there was a FULL Ironman in Maryland. He needed to consider it. Here's what our conversation sounded like:
Paul: How would we get there?
Me: We'd fly. (I had checked out driving and that wasn't an option since we rarely drive more than 7 hours for any vacation!)
Paul: How do I get my bike there?
Me: Tri Bike Transport. (I already researched and knew that company picks up bikes from Big Shark and transports them to races.)
Paul: What about the kids?
Me: I'll find a sitter.
Paul: What about a hotel?
Me: Just book one!!
So, I planted the seed and let it ruminate. Soon, he was texting with Ironman Kelly asking what she thought. They both researched IM Maryland and agreed with each other that it was a good fit for Paul.
In the meantime, I texted a friend, our regular weekend sitter, and our niece who attends SLU. Just putting feelers out to see if anyone would watch our kids. Our niece, Jessie, was interested and that was the biggest hurdle we needed to overcome if Ironman Maryland was going to happen.
So, Paul thought about it another day. That day happened to be the day I took Emily and her friend to the One Direction concert. Here's the text I received from him:
So there we have it. Paul registered on August 27 for Ironman Maryland! After his foot felt healed, he went back to swimming, biking and running. We let a few people in on the secret before we left, but kept it pretty low key. The rest is history! Paul Kreidler, you are an IRONMAN!
Remember this?? The reason Paul could not finish the race?
Well, Paul popped that bad boy blister before we even left Louisville. He admitted his foot felt much better and questioned whether he should have popped that blister Sunday and continued. All day I could tell he was disappointed with Sunday's result and I was disappointed along with him. Paul said all along that this was his ONE shot to do the Ironman. He felt that he could not put his family, house, etc. on hold for another full Ironman training cycle.
As a side note, I have to give Paul credit. As disappointed as Paul was IM Louisville's outcome, he was truly and genuinely excited for our friends Dale, Kelly, and Jess who all finished.
We went to bed our first night home and Paul mentioned again his disappointment in not finishing Louisville. He fell asleep pretty quickly, but I could not. I kept thinking - how could I fix this? How could I make Paul feel better? It did not take long before I had my answer!
We woke up Tuesday at the same time. I rolled over, grabbed my phone, and SHOVED it in his face. I told him that in just over 3 weeks, there was a FULL Ironman in Maryland. He needed to consider it. Here's what our conversation sounded like:
Paul: How would we get there?
Me: We'd fly. (I had checked out driving and that wasn't an option since we rarely drive more than 7 hours for any vacation!)
Paul: How do I get my bike there?
Me: Tri Bike Transport. (I already researched and knew that company picks up bikes from Big Shark and transports them to races.)
Paul: What about the kids?
Me: I'll find a sitter.
Paul: What about a hotel?
Me: Just book one!!
So, I planted the seed and let it ruminate. Soon, he was texting with Ironman Kelly asking what she thought. They both researched IM Maryland and agreed with each other that it was a good fit for Paul.
In the meantime, I texted a friend, our regular weekend sitter, and our niece who attends SLU. Just putting feelers out to see if anyone would watch our kids. Our niece, Jessie, was interested and that was the biggest hurdle we needed to overcome if Ironman Maryland was going to happen.
So, Paul thought about it another day. That day happened to be the day I took Emily and her friend to the One Direction concert. Here's the text I received from him:
So there we have it. Paul registered on August 27 for Ironman Maryland! After his foot felt healed, he went back to swimming, biking and running. We let a few people in on the secret before we left, but kept it pretty low key. The rest is history! Paul Kreidler, you are an IRONMAN!
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