Ode to My Iron Sherpa

You start picking up lingo pretty quickly when training for Ironman. One of the phrases I heard early on was "Iron Sherpa." As in, "You're going to have to teach Robert what to do as your Iron Sherpa!" Sherpas are the guys who help people climb Mt. Everest by carrying all their gear and other crap up for them. I was told that the Iron Sherpa helps on race day by helping you to organize your stuff, maybe picks up your bike for you, maybe carries you home when you're too tired to walk.

Well, I'm proud to say that my husband Robert is the World's Greatest Iron Sherpa! On race day, he learns the course and figures out where to be so that I can see him during the race. He's awesome at cheering and shouting encouragement - and he knows what to say (you look great!) and what not to say (you're almost there!). Some of the best race photos of me and my friends are taken by my hunny bunny. He's never in any of the pictures, but he records the day for all of us and he looks really cute behind the camera. 

That's on race day. But what you don't learn until after you get into the training is that the Sherpa works year-round, not just on the big day(s). I feel so grateful for my Iron Sherpa, who daily listens to the tiny details of my workouts - he congratulates me on the days I do well and encourages me on the days that I'm feeling bad. He's a night owl by nature and doesn't complain (much) about my ridiculous bedtime of 9 pm. He understands my drive to do this even though it takes me away from our family for hours at a time, even on Christmas day. He knows who the pros are and which ones are my favorites and why. And oh my goodness, he cleans my bike for me! 

After driving all the way to Lubbock, TX, for Buffalo Springs last year, instead of hanging out and drinking beers with his dear friend from high school who lives up there, he drove an additional 56 miles so that I could check out the bike course, while Coachie shouted race day instructions at me through speakerphone. And then he stood out there on race day in the Texas summer heat for 6+ hours while we all played triathlete and raced. And then he drove me 6+ hours back to San Antonio while I regaled him with tales of the day; what I did well, what I should have done better, what I will do next time. And he never told me that any of this was ridiculous, which I will fully admit, some of it was.

And of course at Ironman Arizona last November, he hugged me tight and said all the right things while I cried like my heart was broken over a DNF. 

I love my Iron Sherpa hunny bunny husband! The Iron Sherpa does so much more than carry stuff around on race day. If you're lucky enough to have one, give them an extra hug and kiss today and let them know how much it means!

The only triathlon-related picture I could find of Robert.