IRONMAN Training Day 5: Obstacle Course

My camera's battery died a week and a half ago which is the reason why there were no pictures of Day 4 training. Truth be told, that thing hasn't been the same since sledding day. Maybe some snow found its way in.

This evening I trained for the Obstacle Course. In six years, I have yet to earn a single point in the Obstacle Course. I hit rock bottom during IRONMAN V when a late afternoon thunderstorm left the playground soaked. Every year the O.C. takes place on a playground with the course designed by us in the twenty minutes before the event. During IRONMAN V we were required at the mid-point to run up a twisty slide. Under normal circumstances, this would test the limits of my killer height/strength/flexibility combo, but under wet conditions, it was nearly impossible. Video footage has confirmed that it took me: 13 tries to get all the way up the slide, the removal of my socks and shoes, at least three minutes to finish the slide portion and a whopping 5 minutes and 34 seconds to finish the entire course, an IRONMAN record (not the good kind) that stands to this day.

Fancy Boy kicks IRONMAN ass on the Obstacle Course every summer. He's won it at least three times, including last year, and to my knowledge has never not gotten at least one point. If I can cut into his overwhelming points dominance of me in the O.C. I have a greater chance of taking home IRONMAN gold.

I have the advantage of living within a three minute walk of not one but TWO playgrounds. Tonight I chose playground B, as it has more IRONMAN friendly equipment. I started off on the slidy thing that you hold on to as you

swing from one platform to another. After that I did the mini-monkey bars, followed by a brief mock-O.C. improv run through the jungle gym.

I practiced climbing (you never want to be ill-prepared to climb during the IRONMAN) on a series of red rubber ropes, then took to the swings for some much needed swinging practice. After cooling off, I sprinted over to the slightly angled slide and, in one glorious try, made it to the top.