It has been quite a few months that the Ironman was conquered.  Well or was at least completed.  It has been an emotional journey to say the least.

As I crossed the finish there was the thrill of hearing my name called and the relief it was over.  In that moment, such joy and sense of accomplishment filled my thoughts.  It was the race I had hoped for but I was proud I finished.

It has now been over 5 months and I think I am still dealing with the aftermath.  Training and being consistent has been much more difficult than anticipated.  Most mornings my alarm will go off and the struggle to engage, get out of bed, and just put one foot in front of the other to do my workout has been rough.  I probably am winning that battle only 50% of the time.

I have learned to adjust my expectations for the upcoming marathon I am working towards.  I had envisioned coming off the Ironman feeling strong, fit, and ready to conquer the challenge of qualifying for Boston.  But what is happening is my running is slow to come back to a place where it feels fun and where I am comfortable.  I have returned to the many group runs I attended before I jumped full into my Ironman training cycle.  They have brought life and the type of great conversation that distance runners know.  But it has also brought frustration at huffing and puffing and not quite being able to sustain the pace of my friends.  So I struggle.

This is the consequence of the tri life.  I still wouldn’t trade it for anything as I believe it teaches me so much about myself and helps me untangle the inner world that is forever bouncing around in my brain.  But the struggle is real and I know that tomorrow the alarm will go off and I will again do battle.