Ironed Out

Over the past few years my siblings and I have trained for and finished a few marathons, a bike race from Logan to Jackson Hole, going on six years worth of Wasatch Back races, 24 hour mountain bike races and countless half marathons, triathlons, and 5 and 10ks. We know how to set a lofty goal, work for it, and do it.

But still. When Logan announced awhile back that he was going to do the St. George Ironman, I think of all of may have first thought "wait really?" An Ironman. That is a very serious thing. The people I knew who were Ironman finishers were also people who had done things like won Paralympic Gold Medals.

My brother is a determined dude though and with the support of his lovely wife, he trained his guts out and invited us all to St. George to watch him cross the finish line. It's a wacko time at work and I wasn't sure if taking a few days off was a good idea but when I talked to my Ironman friend Susan I realized it wasn't even a question. You go. So Thursday night I flew to Las Vegas and got picked up by a van full of sleeping nephews, one of whom was THIS guy who we had tried to shake loose back in December.

Luke Clifford-no one knows where those blue eyes came from

We got back to St. George pretty late but not so late that we didn't have time to go out on the course and spray paint Logan's name on the asphalt near the top of a few brutal climbs.

Illegal? 

The next day was a blur of crazy workouts, Cafe Rio, more family arriving, making signs and tees for the nephs, staying up too late and strategizing over how to see Logan as many times as we could. 

Racing with Morgan

Aunt Katie brought markers. Oops. 

Watching finisher video

Oh Cafe Rio. We must. 

Brother, nephew, happy girl

After years of seeing these at other races I had to make them for the boys

Family joke

Surprise Callie visit-no one can keep a straight face

And then it was race day. Christopher and Tasha live on the bike course so we got to hang out at the house and see him multiple times.

I can't event..

Street Party

Love

Sisters

Auntie

Mommy

Tats

Grandpa

Uncle

Emily and Tasha and I snuck downtown to see if we could catch him at the transition from bike to run. And we could!

Getting sunscreened up

His St. Christopher medallion

Hey cool guy 

Off he goes

We went out on to the marathon course where the runners had to do three loops past the same place. So we cheered for Logan but we also did the Thriller dance for a lot of hot and tired triathletes and tried to get a smile out of as many as we could. 

Cutest grandparents

Seriously, my heart 

fanzzz 

Party time

Emily and Kristen showing some love

I missed taking any photo at the finish but right before 10:00 Logan became an Ironman.  And about five minutes after he finished he was all smiles telling us about the race. My mom managed to capture some of his chattiness describing how hard the course was

It was such an amazing day and so fun to be there with so many of my all time favorite people. I really, really needed the break from all things Olympic and it was nice to go on walks and drink Diet Cokes with coconut puree and hold babies and talk and talk and talk. 

I'm so proud of Logan. And thrilled with all these cute in-laws I have who love and support my siblings. 

I got back last night and work was breakneck speed at usual today. It didn't stop and I have to catch up but this was the right thing to do. I am proud of a lot of things these days but I'm mostly glad that I still have my priorities straight. With these people is the best place I could ever be.