My Hero

Well, I got through the work I had to do and Matt is making dinner, so I have a little more time to blog. I wanted to take a quick moment to recognize my hero as he did for me on his blog (although mine won't be nearly as eloquent).

My husband is definitely my hero! He's the best husband a girl could ask for in every way. He's thoughtful, supportive, funny, handsome, a great cook, good listener, intelligent, etc.

He is also a six-time Ironman finisher (LP in 2001, 2002, 2004, 2005; Moo in 2003 and Vineman in 2006) with a PR of just over 11 hours at LP in 2005. He's exceptionally humble about his accomplishments, but I've NEVER met anyone as dedicated as him. Do you know why I was able to drag my butt out of bed at 4:45 AM day after day? Me either, but it didn't hurt that he was already up at 4:30 AM.

When I finished my late evening trainer rides, he'd have dinner waiting for me.

He does the laundry and cooks dinner a few nights a week. He takes care of the lawn and cars and whatever else needs fixing. He grows vegetables in a garden. And, he does that on top of a full-time job and a rigorous Ironman training regimen.

He doesn't whine and doesn't complain. He just gets the job done. When I have questions, he answers them, but rarely offers unsolicited advice and usually directs me to my coach for the most pertinent questions.

He seems a little burnt out on the whole triathlon training thing. Who wouldn't be in his shoes?! He's been pretty much training for Ironman for 7 years straight. While I hope to do another one someday, I can't even imagine picking up the training back up again like he did.

He plans to retire from triathlon after next weekend. Heck, I think if I wasn't doing LP, he would already be retired, so I'm grateful he's willing to hang on for one more.

He'll be on to new adventures soon and I'm sure I'll accompany him for some. It is inspiring to have someone so dedicated, motivated and active as my spouse and partner for life. Next weekend, I wish I could be at the finish line like I have been for the last three, but I'll look forward to seeing his smiling, ecstatic face when I cross that line next week.

Matt, I love you and am the luckiest girl alive! We'll definitely be enjoying that Ben & Jerry's on July 23 like we did the ice cream in Cali last year!