TriWidow of the Year

I’m nominating my wife Katie for TriWidow of the year. This is my first season doing Tris and I foolishly signed up for a 1/2 iron man. When I signed up I couldn’t swim or run. We discussed what it would mean, and decided that it was okay for me to go ahead and do it. For the past two years Katie’s done support for the TransNH bike ride, a 250 mile 3-day ride I participate in, so she was used to the "I’m going for a bike ride… see you in a few hours" and she’s used to having a tired husband.

I think my training was average for a 1/2 iron and Katie put up with it. She was okay with me getting up at 4am to go swim, and not being home till late due to runs and rides. It took some getting used to, but the new schedule mostly worked. We both made consentions on what we wanted to do. I’m so thankful Katie supported me during all those long days.

My first tri is probably the pinnacle of my wife’s understanding and support. The night before my first tri she had tickets to see Brad Paisley with her aunt in concert in Connecticut  I got up in the morning and drove down the hour to the olympic race. Katie, who’d been out WAY past her bed time and slept over in CT started the hour and a half trek (on less then 3 hours sleep) to Ashland to meet up and cheer me on. At this point I have to point out that it had been raining for about 24 hours and some people had started building arks. As I pulled on my wetsuit at the car to head down to the swim start, Katie showed up with her Aunt and Uncle to cheer me on. They sloshed through the mud (losing shoes) and down to the swim start to cheer me on(and laugh at me when I slipped on the mud). After a horrendous 45 minute swim, I was dead tired. But Katie was there yelling at me to hurry up from under her umbrella. I made it through T1 and on to my bike. The course was a 2 loop course so I would end up seeing Katie again and she was right on the road yelling at me to speed up!! I got back from the bike and switching into my running shoes. I ran out for my 10k to Katie cheering me on with her Aunt and Uncle. As I came into the finish Katie had remembered that she had poster board and markers in her trunk from work. So I came into the finish of my first Tri to a sign saying " Go Joe!!"

So that alone should cinch the 2009 Tri Widow title for my wife, every tri widow puts up with the hours of training, the cranky tapers, and the families ‘where’s your spouse’? inquiries. But the first time Katie went to cheer me on for a Tri was on three hours sleep after a concert, during monsoon season here in New England!

That’s not enough? okay, then… How about the fact that I’m a card carrying member of the "just one more" club? When Katie and I first discussed my decision to Tri, it was a manageable schedule:

• Groton 10k
• Olympic Tri
• Harpoon B2B
• Trans NH Bike Ride
• Half Iron Tri

The schedule quickly grew:

• Groton 10k
• MS 100k Ride
• Olympic Tri
• Olympic Tri
• Harpoon B2B
• Trans NH Bike Ride
• Half Iron Tri
• Cigna 5k
• Mud Sweat N Gears Duathlon
• Manchester 1/2 Marathon
• 10k Turkey Trot

All through this Katie remained supportive, even if she was completely annoyed that I doubled the events we’d planned on.

After all the shirts I’ve earned this year, I think that Katie is a shoe in to win the TriWidow shirt for putting up with a husband who’s not quite right in his head!