Homeward Bound

I am on my way home. I am without a doubt suffering from post event depression. The excitement of the previous days was quickly fading like the sun setting in the Arizona Desert. I felt the urge to head home as swiftly as I could.

As I walked around the awards ceremony on Sunday afternoon, all signs of the event were fading away. Souvenir Ironman flags were taken, equipment picked up, packed and shipped out and athletes were spreading out to their homes.

I felt trapped since I had booked my flight for Monday morning instead of heading out late Sunday night. Chris my roommate for the event said his goodbyes around 8pm and I was left alone to ponder my thoughts. The accumulated fatigue from the event, excitement leading up to the event and sudden aloneness caused me a minor case of Post Traumatic Stress Syndrome. I was tired, alone and I missed my children very much. I longed for their warmth and laughter. Lounging by the pool earlier in the day and watching children the same age as mine frolic in the water made my stomach and heart ache.

I recognized the causes of the feelings in my body. I was recovering. My body was tired and it was giving me signs to slow down and seek comfort. However, understanding what was causing them did not make them feel any less real. It is all a part of training and competing and I will have to take the good with the bad.

I sit here now ensconced in my airline seat. I am feeling a little better now that I am making forward progress towards home. Putting some food in my stomach has improved my mood and my body is already starting to recover. I am beginning to feel the inklings to resume my training and tackle the challenges that await me.

I have time to analyze my IMAZ performance against my IMLP performance. While my time wasn’t much improved, percentage wise I made good progress.

Here are the comparisons:

Overall: 282 IMAZ vs. 460 IMLP
Age Group: 66/348 IMAZ vs. 109/344 IMLP

I plan to crush these numbers come this year’s IMLP.