Rx: Ironman

IM Moo Recap, Part 4 - The Aftermath

When I got back to my hotel room Sunday night, I couldn't wait to hop in the jacuzzi tub. Sorry folks, I wasn't going for an ice bath. My body already felt like it had soaked in an ice bath for the entire day. I was chilly, and a hot bath was the only way I was going to get rid of it. I know, I know. It's only going to encourage inflammation if you soak in a hot tub, but I went from teeth chattering to cozy warm in about 5 minutes. Did I mention that I loved that room? When I went to peel off my soaked clothes, I was surprised to see my feet. You see, folks, I am normally quite proud of my feet. I rarely get blisters, I haven't lost a toenail in 7 marathons, and for how much abuse I give them, they still look relatively presentable. Tonight, though, they looked like death. They were soaked at the end of the bike. I put fresh dry shoes and socks on at the start of the run and had managed to keep them dry for most of it, but after it got dark, I couldn't see the puddles and stepped in a couple of big ones. My feet were squishy and soaked by the end of the run. When I went to peel off my shoes and socks, this is what I found. (Wil, if you're reading this, look away.)

My feet looked like death. Shriveled doesn't even begin to describe them. Remember that blister I thought I had? Yeah, you can see that mother on my baby toe. It had popped a long time ago.

I finished my bath, put on some warm pajamas, and Steph and Steve helped me into bed. I kissed them both goodbye, and they drove home (Steve had to teach an 8:30 class, and Steph had to work).

The next morning, I could barely make my way across the king-sized bed to shut off the alarm clock. My whole body felt like one painful arthritic joint. I managed to pack up my stuff and bend down just far enough to get everything off of the floor. My friends Maddy and Jess met me at the hotel, and we walked back to the Terrace one last time. We picked up the race results, walked around for a bit, and headed home. I may have signed up for next year's race. I'll talk about that later. Jess has an amazing back seat. I snuggled up with my pillow and a blanket and slept the entire 4 hours home.

I was stiff all day Monday, but by Tuesday, I was walking just fine. I even made it up and down steps with relative ease. I started to feel as if I really hadn't worked hard enough. I actually hurt for longer after my half IM.

One pain stayed with me all week, though. It was the pain in my ass. Seriously. I have biked 100 miles several times before. I have biked in the rain before. Unfortunately, I had never biked 100+ miles entirely in the rain before. I have never had to use body glide or Chamois Butter with my bike shorts, but apparently I should have on Sunday. I debated on whether I should even tell you about this, much less show you a picture, but since Steve posted a back pic of me heading up the helix in my swim suit at the race, there's really nothing you haven't seen already. So, here it goes...

Yes, these are large oozing scabs. I didn't feel them too much on the run, but I sure felt them in the bath tub that night. I am still feeling them. They only hurt when I sit, stand, or walk. Today, a full week later, I am able to sit down without extreme pain. I had to wear Steve's boxers for a full 4 days before finally being able to wear my own underwear again. Sorry. I know that this is beyond TMI, but it's part of my experience, and I will sure learn from it.