what a crazy week its been. a week ago i could not even walk.....so I spend the week with ice and wraps and calling Dr. frank every other day. the foot even turned black and blue on day three. I was very worried about my running at Ironman. I had the crossfit Oregon games the following week and I was pretty sure it would not happen. The foot got better over the week and with Dr. Franks permission ( good to have a foot surgeon as a buddy in this story) i tried to run easy on a treadmill on Friday.....I could tell I was still guarding the foot and running was ok but not super solid. So i decided I would go do the crossfit games and during the running I would just take it easy as this was meant to be fun side event not a key part of my ironman training. I showed up early in the old mill district and saw the course.....HOLY CRAP I HAVE TO LIFT WHAT OVER MY HEAD AND RUN???? I was signed up for the elite division by accident and realized they wanted me to lift 70 pound kettle bell over my head...? what? with a sprained ankle as well??? so i wandered back to the registration and explained i needed to be in the intermediate division ....this way I only had to carry a 53 pound kettle bell over my head and walk 100 meters....ohhh much easier.
So I am not in Kansas anymore as i recognize nobody from other races or runs or triathlons etc. these are hardened crossift guys and gals that look riped and much larger than my endurance buddies........oh this is going to hurt.
warmed up a bit and the ankle is ok, I can still tell its affected but no pain just really have to pay attention to landing when running. I start in heat 7 and do a 500 meter row as fast as I can. This was good as I actually have one of these rowers at home so I understood long powerful smooth was just as fast as this guy next to me cranking out as hard as he can and working twice as much for the same distance. i am second off the rower and running over the foot bridge to the kettlebells. I grab two and put one over my head and hold one below for the waiters walk.....man this is heavy and about 15 meters in i hear a volunteer tell someone else you raise the lighter of the two above your head.....OHHHHHH!!!! i had the heavy one up. switched them and off I went. back down to the other side switched arms and took off for a 3/4 mile run......wow this is harder than I thought. my run is slower than normal but I am catching a few guys. the next station was insane! we had to snatch a barbell with 45 pound plates and then throw it and keep doing that for the length of the field and then roll it back to the start....just throwing Olympic barbells in a park was fun/hard/different. run some more to a filed and do burpee long jumps and then run to finish......sounds so short and easy but ooooohhhhhhh so hard.
I was out front and a younger kid about 23 passed me and was about 10 meters in front of me on the final run and in the last 200 feet he was fading and i was gaining on him....I started taunting him..." I am coming to get you"...." you better pick it up"...."I got you at the line".....he starts looking back and stepping up.....he crossed the finish line one second before me.
I went over to talk to him after the race ( he was on the ground trying to breathe again sweating like a criminal in an interrogation room) and I said good race and he said i would have taken him if i would not have let him know I was gaining on him. I explained no that is part of the fun of the race...by pushing him I was pushing me and I like a hard fair race. gave me a rabbit to chase.
so then I had to leave as I had other commitments and just this morning I found out I got third place!!!! Holy crap! that is awesome. I am back baby! 4-6 weeks for an ankle? 1 week later I am on the podium....WOW!
side story: on the way back to the car there was a national guard recruiting station and they had 2 pull up bars set up. I jokingly said I wonder how many pullups I could do after getting my ass kicked in the event and a soldier says " lets see......jump on" I cranked out 13 full bar to chest pullups. DAMN i was having a good day.
1 581 Michael Thille B M 17:53
2 577 Jon Hill B M 18:08
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