I Made It Momma! Finally a Published Author!

As a surprise to my Spud Muffin, I teamed up with my Spud's boss to feature him in the company magazine, "The Charlotte Pipeline."

As the head Tri Schlep and Cheer leader, one of my duties is to also be the Ego Stoker in chief! I take my job seriously.

He was disappointed in his run during the Louisville Ironman and I could see it eating at my Spud Muffin. He was sick and suffering heat exhaustion at the end of the race. But he did finish. He was hoping for more...

Since he was so disappointed, I knew he needed a little reminder of just how awesome he is to me so I contacted Spud's boss (The Big Tater) and collaborated. Here is the article in it's entirety:

When Elton Cooper stared down the age of fifty, he didn't blink. Instead he decided he would train for and complete one of the world's most challenging endurance events, an IRONMAN Triathlon.

This event consists of a 2.4 mile swim, followed by a bike ride of 112 miles and then a quick 26.2 mile run. Ok so the run is actually a full marathon and not that quick. That didn't scare Elton. He made his mind up to finish a full IRONMAN before he turned 51.

Ok that was the easy part.

The hard part was telling his wife. Training for an Ironman is a serious time investment. Most athletes have to train for six or more hours a day. This was going to be the hardest part, working a full time job, training for the Ironman and squeezing his family in somewhere. But to his complete surprise his wife was immediately on board with the idea!

The longest triathlon Elton had completed in the past was a Half IRONMAN. After that one he had swore he would NEVER do another one.

He knew he had his work cut out for him.

For 7 months Elton would awaken at 3 am to train before work. Some days he trained at 3 am for 3 hours and then again from 6 pm until dark. When he was out of town on business, running would take the place of his swimming and biking workouts. The weekends were the toughest because he would have to train the entire day and time with his family was scarce.

But he was unwavering in his dedication.

After months of blood sweat and tears, he made his dream come true on August 24th in Louisville Kentucky. He swam 2.4 miles in the mighty Ohio river. He biked 112 miles through beautiful Kentucky farm land filled with green pastures and thoroughbred horses. Then, completely exhausted, he ran 26.2 miles through down town Louisville and out past Churchill Downs home of the famous Kentucky Derby. During the run he began to experience heat exhaustion. His stomach began to cramp and he wasn't sure if he was going to make it. He walked when he couldn't run but he kept going. According to Elton, his wife saw him at the beginning of the run and had yelled out to him, "I'll see you at the finish line." He wasn't about to disappoint her. He kept thinking about his wife and daughter waiting for him and that thought kept pushing him closer to the finish. After 14 hours and 45 minutes of continual racing, sweat pouring, hands raised in triumph, Elton finally crossed the finish line and heard the coveted words from the announcer, "Elton Cooper you are IRONMAN!"

He was suffering heat exhaustion and was immediately whisked away by the medical team. He was given IV fluids and re-hydrated. But he had done it.

You would think Elton would be happy with being in the ranks of elite endurance athletes. But if you think that, you don't know Elton. He is disappointed in his run time and already toying with the idea of competing in a second IRONMAN in October 2014. This man has iron in his blood. Or he is crazy.

Of course, since this article for the magazine was written, he completed his second Ultra Distance race in Wilmington NC. You can read my thoughts about that HERE. He finished the PPD Beach to Battleship race in a respectable 12 hours and 20 minutes, slicing over 2 hours off of his Louisville time.

While he was sweating it out in the race, me and Tater Tot #2 (Head schlep in training) were having a blast. We met up with friends and had a great meal on the water front. The food was delicious and the conversation was too. We did manage to meet Spud Muffin at the finish line in spite of our celebration with friends. Like I said, I am serious about my job.....