By: Stephanie Fontenot

For months now, I’ve been thinking about what life would look like after Ironman Texas. When I came home from Ironman Coeur D’Alene with a DNF, I thought “well that’s it for me. Now real life can resume again”. I got a brief taste of freedom in the weeks following that race. I went on a fantastic girls trip to Lake Tahoe, and as far as exercise goes I did whatever I wanted, when I wanted. And then…in a fit of rage and redemption I signed up for Ironman Texas on October 9th because I was hellbent on adding a second Ironman title to my triathlon resume, and I wanted to do it while I still had my fitness. 

Now that life after Ironman is here, I’m feeling a little lost (but not lost enough to sign up for any races any time soon). For so long my life was dictated by a training plan, and now I have this freedom that I don’t know what to do with. I mean I made this whole list of things that I wanted to do or focus on after my race but now I don’t know where to begin. I know this is normal for me though. After a big race, I always feel unsettled and a little sad. I went from working hard towards this one goal for 2.5 years, then all of a sudden I do the race and put all that hard work to the test. In 17 hours or less, it’s over. 

So what were some of those things that I had on my post race bucket list? Well, for starters, spend more time with my family. It’s nice being able to sleep in on the weekends and not leave my house in the wee hours of the morning, although I do miss my long bike rides from time to time. I miss absolutely nothing about long runs. I plan on writing more, whether it’s poems, blogs for Basic Fitness, or even a book (although I would need a few years to get that done). I’m not entirely sure I have the follow through to write an entire book, but if I did it would likely be a memoir. Side note, one of my favorite memoirs is “Me Talk Pretty One Day” by David Sedaris. If I ever write a memoir, I want it to be as funny as his. Speaking of books, I have a teetering stack of books on my nightstand that I intend on reading. At this point I think the stack has become a safety hazard, and I’m surprised the books haven’t tumbled to the ground. 

Despite my not wanting to sign up or train for any races any time soon, I do have some fitness goals. I want to love running again, and I want to become a more efficient runner. I know my form could use some work so I plan on working with my coach to figure out what’s keeping me from running more efficiently. I also want to get stronger and maybe finally face my box jump fears at Geaux CrossFit. 

 And finally my last item on the bucket list is to help Nely and Jennifer expand the Basic Fitness brand and recruit new athletes to coach. I’ve only been a coach for a couple months, but it’s been a very rewarding role to take on. I’ve always been an athlete so it’s a nice change to be the one supporting, cheering on other athletes, and helping them reach their goals.