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My 8 year old son (only child) is going to camp for a month; his camp is about 5.5 hours north by car from our house. I drop him off on a Saturday; the following Sunday is a HIM about an hour south of me. We may go to NYC for a few days before dropping him off at camp. So it might look like this: 5.5 hours in a car, a couple of days of vacation, an emotional drop off (for me only, kid loves camp), drive back 5.5 hours in the car, sleep, drive an hour, race a HIM.
#1) It will be tough to stay on a strict plan in NYC on vacation for two days #2) driving tends to hurt my low back, but I can stop and stretch every couple of hours which might help #3) I am going to be sad having said not to see my kid for a month.
My husband says I am going to be double the basket case if I don't do the race, since I will be sitting around missing kid and missing racing. I think I might blow the race due to trying to vacationing, driving, and dealing during the taper. Any advice?
-Sarah
Sounds to me like your husband is in self-preservation mode. Mine would say the same thing. :-)
I think it boils down to your expectations of the race. Do you think you'd be able to accept results less than your potential since you won't be at your peak on race day? If so, then doing the race would probably help your state of mind by giving you something to look forward to after dropping your son off. If you think you'd be disappointed in your results, then it's a tougher decision.
Is there another HIM or even a shorter race relatively close to you within a couple of weeks of your son leaving for camp? If so, that might be an alternative. You might be able to work your trip to NYC into your taper.
Good luck with your decision!
Do you mean the HIM is the next day after drop-off?
Or 8 days later. Sorry to be thick headed.
I have special needs kids (see the Gluten Free thread; one also has potentially fatal food allergy)...and LY I travelled to a HIM (7 hour road trip) after 2 days of medical and food prep. I bombed. I mean, my pace in every event of the Half was slower than my pace in my IM. However, when I think of my energy level that day, my mind immediately jumps to the 2 days' prep beforehand . Standing, cooking, wrapping foods. Two days of total drudgery. I learned my lesson to never do that before a race, again.
In particular, i felt a mental strain from the need to plan and provide for every meal (we even packed our own microwave), and a physical strain from cooking. I don't think it was the car ride . I am thinking that the emotional issues you describe from separation can probably be compartmentalized for a few hours on race day. If my experience can help you at all -- to not let the above happen to you -- maybe it will help to try and anticipate your emotions and try to come up with strategies to modulate them.
I happen to live in NYC. If there is any way I can help you stay on a track for training, let me know. I am pretty on top of what is available here, anything from distances place to place to where there are training groups that might allow a drop-in....there is certainly no reason that being in NYC should put your training in the toilet. You're on ST, you got people! :-)
Do the race!
If the race will bring you happiness, then do it. If it will only make you stressed out and unhappy, then don't. There are lots of other 1/2 IM around. If you don't do this one, find another that will work better for your schedule.
The nice thing about this race is that it is close by and in a town where I used to live so I know the course well. It is the morning after I drop off the kiddo. Drop off Sat 3 p.m. Get home Sat 9:00 p.m. Toe the line Sunday a.m.
I did this race last year as an Oly and was hoping to do the HIM this year. Also, the timing fits well with my overall IMFL training plan.
I am leaning towards doing it. I think doing it with the expectation that this is a "therapy" race and not let myself be disappointed in myself no matter what the outcome is good advice. You know those bumper stickers about a bad day golfing is better than a good day at work ... perhaps a bad day racing is better than a good day sitting around the house. :)
Sarah
It sounds to me like you've already talked yourself out of doing the race. It does sound like a lot to cram into a weekend. i would suggest finding another 1/2IM the next weekend or two weekends later. If your son is going to be gone a month, you have a few weekends available to travel and complete something. This could also give you a few more training weeks and time to refocus.
I think you should go for it, especially if you can keep the fun/good training experience/better than sitting around the house feeling sad/attitude. Something you should keep in mind when visiting NYC is the effect that walking around on all of the concrete has on your legs/feet. When we lived there, I noticed it with guests and now I notice it when we go back for visits.
M
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The beatings will continue until morale improves
Walking on concrete ... hmm.... good point about that. I lived in NYC for years but it's been a while now so I forget about these things.
Thanks to everyone for their input. It helps to have like-minded people to run these things past. If I ask anyone I know around here, they already think I am nuts for racing in the first place!
Sarah