T-15 weeks: "Base 2 Week 3 - Valentine's Edition"

Dear Papa, and dear Reader,

Last week of Base 2 - and a recovery week waiting next week, whoohoo! It's still going to be around 9 hours of workouts, but that's fine and much less than the 13-15 hours I've been putting in during this Base 2 phase. I also decided to skip my swim threshold test next week - I feel that my zones are so well dialed in right now that I don't need to test to know that they're spot on.

Had a great long run with Rachael yesterday! Maryam unfortunately couldn't make it, so we set out just the two of us - Rachael pacing a bit faster and me a bit slower than normal. She had a really bad toe injury last November and was still recovering from it, so she's been consistently building back up to 10 miles for her long run so that she can be ready for her NY Half Marathon in March - and I just added 2 miles at the end of the run to get to my 12. We picked up Tom (above us in the picture) on our run back, who was glad to have pacers, and it so happened that Holly, a super talented triathlete who I'd been following on Strava for a while, also made the picture - which we only found out after the fact when I posted the picture. Rachael and I also did our intervals workout together on Tuesday noon by the way, which was wonderful. It's so great to have her back and be running with her again. She's the reason I got into triathlon in the first place, so in a way you could say she really changed my life!

There's someone else who changed my life much more fundamentally though, and it's about time I tell you more about how incredibly supportive he is with this whole journey. My sweet sweet hubby Jim! During one of last year's races, someone held up a sign that was meant to be funny but really isn't. It said: "If you're still married, you didn't train hard enough for this!" At first I giggled, because wow, the time commitment to train for these races is astronomical if you want to do it right. And then, I felt like I needed to talk to Jim about it. Never would I ever want to be in a situation where this sport comes before our relationship. In any way.

What you need to know is that Jim is basically training for an Ironman WITH ME! Every day, he asks me, "what's the training plan for today?" and then proceeds to immediately pack his swim bag. He goes to the pool with me every single time he can make it happen, because he knows how much easier it is for me to get motivated when there's someone in the next lane who tells me how I'm crushing my intervals and is giving me kisses in between them. He gets on the indoor bike for every single bike ride, including the long ones, where we spend 3+ hours in the saddle, grinding out the miles. He goes to the gym with me and gets the strength work in, and even though he would be done much faster, he hangs around and keeps lifting until I'm done with my workout. He lubes my chain, pumps up my tires, takes me to running shoes shops, encourages me to buy new wet suites, tunes up my race bike... I have no idea how I would be doing any of this without him! It's really an Ironman for Papa - by both him and me! By the time I show up at the start line, he would easily be able to do the swim and bike portions with me. Easily!

On Friday, it was Valentine's Day! We're about to spend a weekend in New York next Saturday, so we "only" went to a great Thai dinner that night in Rockville. It was so beautiful, and I'm just so grateful for him! We talk about you often, and he always holds space for me when the memory of you makes me sad. I know how happy you were when you realized how incredible he is and how happy he makes me! I'm sure you were really worried in the beginning, and with Covid going on, you were only able to meet him in person after we got married! Oh my, what did I put you through, Papa? But I will never forget the way you looked at him in conversation, you belly-laughed with him, you played around with him. I could see how much you loved him as well, and that meant the world to me! We have so many great memories together, the three of us, be it our cycling tour and vacation in Mallorca or the time when you came to visit us here in DC. It makes it all the more special that Jim loved you and you loved him. How lucky a gal I am to have had two such incredible man in such vital roles in my life!

Quick stats: 7,650 yds of swimming in 2:30h, 110 miles of riding in 6:15h, 24 miles of running in 4:00h, and 1h of strength training. Long run is up to 12 miles, long ride is up to 3 hours.

Here's my picture of the week with you - it looks like we're in the kitchen of the little apartment we lived in in Düsseldorf. Not sure what you're cooking up there, but I don't look too happy - maybe I wasn't able to open the fridge and drop a few more eggs on the floor?

This whole picture is so incredibly 80s! And I love the vibe! I faintly remember those little chef pictures on the tapestry on the walls! I think she was carrying a cake or something, and I used to be fascinated by those. Everything is brown - how did people not get depressed with so much brown around them?

I sometimes wish I would have a little time travel device that would allow me to meet you at that age! You were in your mid- to late 20s, just started in public accounting and were trying to build a living for our small little family. Steffen must've not been in the picture at that time, so it was only you, Mama, and me! How special would it be to just go back in time and hang with you, get to know the person you were, and see how everything fits together in the wonderful person that I'm so lucky to call Papa!

I hope you're doing well up there, Papa. I'm pretty sure you don't do Valentine's up there. Fake capitalism-invented holidays probably don't fly so much in Heaven, where it's all about love and connection anyways. Either way, I hope you know how much I love you, we love you, and how much you are missed. Every day!

Talk to you soon again, next time from New York City, a place I know you loved as well!

Kathrin

P.S. Dear Reader, if you have comments, questions, memories, or thoughts to share, please leave a comment (and leave your name in the comment so I know who it's from). I would love to hear from you!

Go to the full list of blog posts or read more about the project Ironman for Papa