Well, after a very active triathlon season in 2014, I had expectations that 2015 might be a repeat.  Most races were scheduled, the first one being Ironman 70.3 Oceanside on March 28, and training was in full swing.  But, I should have listened to his complaints about recurring tendonitis and plantar fasciitis, his visits back to his physical therapist, and the wrapping of said feet in rock tape.  And, it would have been bad enough to be afflicted in one foot, but no, he has achilles tendonitis on the left and plantar fasciitis on the right!

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Getting hooked up to a Compex Stimulator by pro triathlete, Michellie Jones.


I know how serious this is for him, because as I noted above, it’s a recurring problem.  The last time he had this was 2010 when had ended up walking the run at Ironman Austria and was in so much visible pain.  He worked through it with lots of therapy and exercise and an, ahem, orthotic boot worn on his foot to bed at night….While it took months to correct itself, he remained devoted to the sport.

He decided to go ahead and race Ironman 70.3 Oceanside on Saturday.  We almost didn’t go, not due to the injury, but to losing our precious dog, Kayla, two days before we were to leave.  We were both just so devastated and deeply saddened and he said his heart just wasn’t in it.  But, we decided we needed to get out of the house as everything reminded us of her and that being around other people might just be what we needed.  It was definitely the right choice…

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Just a few of the great families we got to reconnect with…

While the swim and bike seemed to go off without an issue, he ran over to me at just a little over the first mile of the run, smiled and said, “Be prepared.  It’s going to be a long day.  I’m having a lot of pain.”  Not good…

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Looking good heading into transition…

So, I stayed and cheered on the other racers and waited for Carl to race or should I say, walk, back by me.  But, much to my surprise, when I saw him again, he was doing a kind of a shuffle – not a walk, but not quite a run either and even had a smile on his face!

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Run Jesse Thomas Run…

The race certainly wasn’t all he had hoped for and apparently, he started thinking about the need for a REAL vacation on the bike – lost a bit of focus I’d say.  Good news for me!  But, as usual, after a not so stellar race, he seems to take it much more matter of fact and accepting than I do.  Later that day, we discussed the situation and how best to handle it going forward as he was told by his coach – HOPE IS NOT A STRATEGY!

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Making it across the finish line…

To complicate matters, when we got home and he removed some of the tape on his foot, I heard a few “choice words” coming out of the bathroom.  Apparently, along with the tape came part of his skin!  He now has two very raw areas on the ball of his foot that will prevent him from swimming and running – heck he can barely walk – for some time to come.

We are now back to not knowing what the rest of the year will hold, race-wise, as he has to “get this thing healed.”  He doesn’t want to keep racing when he can’t give it his all, keep his focus, or has to race in pain.  Can’t blame him at all.

So, while he’s working through the pain, I’m planning a vacation and figuring out how this affects TriWivesClub.  Aaah, life with a triathlete…

 – SHERRY

HAS YOUR TRIATHLON SEASON CHANGED BEFORE IT EVEN STARTED?  

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April 1, 2015
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