T-37 weeks: "Of course, I trust your decision"

Dear Papa, and dear Reader,

Jim and I just got back from a wonderful anniversary weekend in Rehoboth Beach. It was perfect - late summer temperatures, great food, beautiful beaches to walk and lie on, and long straight ocean roads that we could fly down on our bikes, the wind in our backs and the sun on our skin. It was a much needed mental break from a lot of work, writing, and training. This really was my last high intensity week of building strength and fitness, and on top of that, I was fighting an infection all week that impacted both my performance and my well-being, so this weekend was a god-sent, and we enjoyed every minute of it.

Our anniversary fell on the Saturday, coinciding with my last long bike ride before the race. We did 60 miles / 97km up and down the coast in Delaware, partly through dunes in a shaded coastal park, partly on the coastal highway. It was simply gorgeous and despite the intensity and length by far my favorite workout of the week. It's so fun to ride with Jim! He is an incredible cyclist, and riding in his draft, I always get to feel extra fast with the watts I'm putting in. I'm so grateful we get to do this together.

When we reminisced about some distinct moments on our journey as a couple on Saturday night, we had to laugh once again when we remembered how we video-called you back when we were thinking of getting married. You had never even met Jim, and here he was calling you and, after a bit of chit-chat, asking you, like the gentleman that he is, for your blessing for us to get married! Silence. I will never forget the few seconds it took you to realize that your English hadn't failed you and that you indeed had heard correctly. You slowly started smiling and let out a chuckle. "Well, what can I say, you're both adults, and of course, I trust your decision. If this is what you want to do, I'm all in."

In hindsight, I wonder what was going through your head that day. Because I think that was the moment you realized that I would not return to Germany after all. That I would stay in the US. What was going through your head and heart? I wish I would know. I wish I still had a chance to ask you.

What I'm left with today is knowing about your immense love for Jim, and the way you immediately welcomed him to the family. I could tell from the moment you met how deeply you both respected, appreciated, and loved each other. And it made me so happy that you bonded over cycling. I'm so grateful for that, and so grateful for how much love Jim had and has for you. We talk about you so often, and it is beautiful to hear him talk about all the sides of you that he admires, both as a father and as a family man. A father who would've done anything and everything for his children and grandchildren. A man who lived his life with a highly attuned moral compass. A deeply righteous, wonderful, honorable man, Jim says. He's right. That's truly who you were, Papa!

My training tally this week, as I want to keep reporting back to you: 2.5 hours and 8,500 yds / 7.800m of swimming, 7 hours and 130 miles / 210km of cycling, and 3.25 hours and 20 miles / 32km of running. I'm not sure how I would be doing without my training partners: Katy has me covered for the swim, we went to the pool several times together, which keeps me accountable - and I sure need that for the swim. Rachael went running with me twice and even joined me on my interval workout, and Jim is always, ALWAYS up for a bike ride, no matter how long, no matter how hard. I'll need all three of those guys and however many other training partners I can get come December, when I start on the training plan for the full Ironman...

Tomorrow, I'm back to running with Rachael. Hills training. I bought new running shoes on Friday in Rehoboth, and I'm really excited to try them out on the road. With so much running every week, I go through a lot of shoes over time, and whenever I get close to 300 miles per shoe, I get to start looking for a replacement pair. Rachael calls me her Sneakers Sister, as I have so many running shoes: Four base training pairs for everyday training and long runs (two now in DC, and one each in Salt Lake and Hamburg), two speed training pairs (one each in DC and Salt Lake), one pair of race shoes, and one pair of trail running shoes. That's 8 pairs, haha!! And believe it or not, they're all being used!

I love you, Papa! You're in my heart and in my soul, always! Two more weeks until race day in New York, not far from where you were a little more than two years ago.

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