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| Camp Cortisol shirt! |
On Sunday, September 24 I participated in one of the toughest events I've done, IRONMAN 70.3 Augusta. This was an amazing experience and one that I have learned and grown from. I want to say Thank You and I Love You to my beautiful wife, Merrill! Without her, I would not have been able to any of this craziness.
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| Hello Kitty is ready |
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| The mess on my wrists. |
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| Pre-race selfie! |
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| That's my blue back! |
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| This is my swim wave. I am in there somewhere. |
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| That's me on the far right coming out of the water. |
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| Last picture of me. Heading out on the bike. |
As many of you may know, I did not finish this race. Between miles 22 and 23 on the bike I decided to DNF (Did Not Finish). While this was extremely disappointing, I did it on my own and was the absolute correct choice. With Congenital Adrenal Hyperplasia it is not good to push the body to a point where the solu-cortef shot needs to be used or worse, I ended up in the back of an ambulance on the way to the hospital. Why did this happen? A combination of things beginning with being undertrained. Due to that my body just could not keep up with what it was being asked to do. Also, the weather was HOT!
The hardest part of doing what I did was when I saw Merrill for the first time after being brought back to where the bike transition was. She was worried about how I was mood-wise that there were tears behind her sunglasses. I think It's best she had those becasue I would have joined her. In reality, I was at, and still am, at peace with my decision.
I am not upset at all. This was such a learning experience. The things that happened in the race will be used to train more effectively for 2018! Yes, I will be back. This is not the end of me or Tri-ing By 50!
Decision: I have made the decision to not attempt a full IRONMAN in 2018. Training and preparing for Augusta again will only make me stronger and more prepared for the following year, 2019. While it is early, the plans are being laid for an incredible meeting at IRONMAN Chattanooga. That's all I will say.
What is the best takeaway from the race? This is what makes me the most proud. I brought SO MUCH awareness to Congenital Adrenal Hyperplasia. Everyone who passed me made a comment about Hello Kitty. A few asked why I had her. Another person asked in response to Hello Kitty's "Ask me about CAH" button, "What am I supposed to ask you about?" I proceeded to answer. Yes, I did this while riding a bike and someone speeding past me! :) Posting my picture brought even more awareness. THEN, someone asked the question in the picture. At this point, I knew that what I was doing was the absolute best thing.
One final THANK YOU goes to all the CAH Warriors, whether you live with it, are a parent or family member. Your support through the past year has been amazing. Your support after Augusta has been even more amazing. I am doing this for myself, of course, but also for all of you! There will be some things coming up in the future that will be a tremendous honor.
Remember this is Tri-ing By 50 and Tri-ing With HK! Hope providing, advocating and awareness building are what it's always been about and will continue what it's about.
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To help me through this journey, please visit: gofundme.com/help-triing-by-50-spread-the-word. Any help is appreciated.
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