Where I’ve been, What I’m doing and Where I’m going..
Best result of the year, came on a day when Jordan nearly did not race.
His legs were beat, and he lacked the luster he normally has leading into a race.
The big 15 mile run just 2 days prior was not the ‘best’ thing to do…but it had to be done….and it worked!
‘pushing through pain’ is Jordans motto of the month.
We did not know what to expect.
Jordan had a wild hair to run around Big Bear Lake. Karen, nor myself have ever attempted this run.
It’s 15 miles, and a bit hilly, and all on road. It’s at 6800′ of course.
Jordan has been having some ankle pain from his Cross Country Training, and Karen has a racked up knee from a mountain bike crash just a few days ago. We figured this would be a 4 hour walk-a- thon of sorts. It was a gorgeous breezy sunny day in Big Bear, why not go for a stroll.
It did not go like this.
Right from the start, the trail head of the Alpine Bike Path, Jordan started with a bang. We figured some slow down, and off/on walk would ensue shortly. It never came. Before we knew it, we were at the bike shop, then Boulder Bay, then the dam in just 1 hour 5 minutes. Dad (here) was giddy. The pain would set in, and his form would struggle a bit as we passed through Fawnskin. We went from 6-7 miles an hour, to sub 5 mph. We worked on his form in this fatigued state, teaching him that this is when it was most important. It truly tested his patience to be coached in a severe fatigued state…but he did…and it worked.
The home stretch came not soon enough, and there was enough gas in the tank for Jordan to put out a near all out sprint for a 7 minute mile to put a ‘cherry on top.’ Heartrate through the ceiling, beat red, and drenched in sweat, leaning against the Team SOLE car….he gasped “I never thought in a million years I would run around Big Bear Lake….I can’t believe it I did this”.
Preparation for Antarctica continues. Stay tunned for more adventures in the world Jordan Romero.