With Tears, We Completed our First Triathlon

A lot of things have happened since my last email detailing my back injury and what I thought was to be my final running exploit to be shared with you.  Regardless, I rested, treated my herniated disc, did Tai Cheng, and The Ultimate Reset Cleanse.  Eventually, I felt I was able resume running again.  Huzzah!  Then something out of left field change my life dramatically.  Keep reading and you will find out what exactly happened in the coming paragraphs.

Fast forward to this past Sunday around 7:10 am, I dragged my butt out of the Southold Bay in 381 place.  Thinking to myself, I will be needing more swim lessons as I overheard one of the officials notice that there were 2 swimmers out on the course.  The one official said to the other, you have to pull them from the race.   I sort of ignored their comments because I was sure it was not Irene. 

I ran to the transition area, stripped out of my wetsuit, got my helmet and glasses on (time for Lasik), pushed the bike out of the transition area, and took off the best I could and passed a few people.  Returned my bike to the rack and looked over to Irene's transition section to find that her bike was gone.  Got my bike shoes off and on went my running shoes.  I was able to catch up to a few friends and neighbors.  Lynn asked me if I saw Irene, I yelled, "Her bike is off the rack, so that is a good sign!"  Little did I know what was going to happen next.

About 8:50 am, my heart sank as I looked into the tearful eyes of The Love Of My Life looking so disappointed at a time of triumph.  Was it tears of joy or was she in pain.  So I put my arms around her and gently asked, "What happened?"  She shook her head and her very sad face clamped her lips shut hesitating to reveal the meaning of welling in her eyes.  I leaned in and whispered into her ear, "Did you Not Finish?"  She cried a some more in my arms, as a few more people crossed the finish line at the 15th Mighty North Fork Triathlon in the background.

I said to her that she should be proud of your DNF.  Most people would have left after being pulled into a boat for being in the water for too long.  However the other woman, her name is Rose Marie Savage, who was in the boat as well decided to continue on and urged Irene to continue as well.  As they reached the shore, the race officials removed their timing chips around their ankles.  They grabbed their bikes and pedaled 8 miles and then ran 3.5 miles to officially complete the race unofficially. Who was really going to stop them! 

Even though, she did not officially have a logged time, she actually finished ahead of at least 5 people!  I am so proud that she continued on.  Now she has a base to work with and can only get better.  Keep in mind, Irene started swim lessons about 3 months ago, never swimming more than a simple doggy paddle.  In fact she never swam in any open water until dipping into the calm Connetquot River a couple weeks prior.

As we walked around and congratulated my friends Linda, Lynn and a bunch of other people.  I started to think about 164 days before this race, where I found myself waking up in a hospital room, after having a seizure from something I was born with!  Never any indication of anything was going to happen.  Go figure!  I am fine now,  at least I think I am.  You will have to ask Irene, my kids or my friends.  I am sure they would tell you, what I have, Explains a Lot!  LOL!

Thank goodness it did not get worse.  Because I might not have seen my Best Friend complete something that she was terrified of doing.  How incredible is it to be able to spend quality time with your Life Mate.  For us, it happens to be something athletic and something that we share as a family.  I really am the Luckiest Guy in the World to be married to the Greatest Woman in the World. 

And just you wait, when she takes on the Tobay Triathlon next month!