There is something I have to confess: I’m not a shopper. Never really have been. Crowds get on my nerves. Making decisions about purchases makes those nerves worse. So when Jim has something he wants to go shopping for, I’ll often wait in the car. If you’d told me I’d be sitting in the car for over thirty minutes while he decided what kind of butt butter to buy, I would’ve had a good laugh.
And the joke would’ve been on me.
See – we’re now seven days out from the Big Event and nothing is normal. One week from today, Jim will be finishing up the Ironman Lake Tahoe – provided weather, fires, and body all cooperate. The area has been inundated with smoke for the past few days – not nearly as bad as last summer when the fire was just over the hill, but still enough to cause lungs to hurt and eyes to burn. Jim is in “maintenance mode” – keeping his body limber and active while not overdoing it and working hard to keep himself healthy as well. I never realized how training for one event could affect the rest of a person’s routine.
This week is filled with last-minute preparations that include shopping for butt butter (yes, it’s real and no, you don’t want to put it on your toast!), finally giving in and using sports cream for those aching muscles, and probing the internet for last-minute information that could make or break the event (The other night I walked in while he was watching a video on how to avoid panic in the swim:<).
Jim’s weakest event is the swim – which happens to be the sport that kicks off the entire triathlon. If you can’t make the swim, it doesn’t matter how great you are at the bike ride or at running. He’s worked for the past year – first in the pool, then in various mountain lakes – reading books, watching Youtube videos, and practicing. His improvement has been phenomenal. A year ago he could barely swim ¼ mile without struggling. Today he can swim 3 miles and make it look easy (though he still feels like he’s struggling through some of it :>). He still gets frustrated that it takes being in the water for almost ½ mile before he settles into his rhythm and gets “in the zone.”
Two nights ago he found out he’s not the only one. Turns out that swimming in cold water does more than just zap your body heat. a) you have to pee more when swimming in cold water than when swimming in warm water; and b) putting your face in cold water triggers a survival response that can affect your swimming. He found this out while combing the internet for those last minute tips. A chance encounter with a video, “Swimming in Frigid Water: Survival Tips,” and a Mr. Harold Frobisher who is a physiologist and triathlon coach helped Jim realize he’s not alone. The struggle he’s been experiencing is a common one and that simply splashing cold water on his face before starting to swim can help overcome that particular struggle. (He’s also learned not to drink too much coffee before plunging into a mountain lake :>)
Now he has a new strategy, he has his butt butter, and his bike is freshly cleaned and oiled and ready to go. And all I need to do is maintain my sanity!