[category_specific_rss_menu] As I wrote in my one of my more recent post, I was a Sherpa for my hubby who just completed his first Ironman in Cozumel.  It was such an experience, but as I mentioned I was not fully prepared for my Sherpa duties.  With that being said, if you are planning on being someone’s Sherpa for an endurance race, here are some things I learned that I thought I would pass along, so you do not make the same mistakes I did. Nutrition. Nutrition. Nutrition. Yes, nutrition is just as important for you as your racer.  You are preparing for a potentially 17-20 hour day and you need to eat and drink appropriately. Hydrate!  This is not an easy spectator’s sport; you will be doing a lot of exercising yourself. Unfortunately for me, I did not think that far ahead. I did bring enough water and Gatorade, but nothing else edible. Good thing one of our Team Z cheer run stations was located at our hotel where I was able to grab couple of Cliff Bars. Map Out Route. Before the actual day of the race, look over the course map or even drive it to scope out where you want to be to see your racer. Very important, logistics on race day might be more difficult because there might be road closure due to the race. Even though the coaches had several meeting with the Sherpa’s on where to go, it did not seem to matter.  I still did not park my scooter on the right side of the road of the swim start; thus making it to a couple of cheer stations impossible. Bring Sunscreen. If you think you don’t need it. Think again. You will be burned and not...

[category_specific_rss_menu] For anyone who has not had the opportunity to cheer someone on during a 140.6 mile event; it is such an inspiring and great experience. But, let me tell you, it’s a long, drawn out day, requiring its own endurance. From dealing with your future Ironman’s stress for two weeks prior to the race, to the day of the race ungodly 4 am wake-up call to the 7am swim-start to the long bike, followed by a marathon, the Ironman Sherpa’s day is every bit as long and in many ways just as demanding as it is for the athletes. I can’t say I logged as many miles in running as my Ironman, but I at least got a good 10 miles in walking. Not to mention the fact that the real work doesn’t even begin until after your designated athlete crosses the finish line, when you must assist them in finding the bike transport – which took me nearly an hour, who knew the bike transport would be located in a dark alley with no lights or signage – while also providing a shoulder for the staggering, sometimes incoherent finisher to lean on. For the record, Brett was not incoherent; he was just sore and had the Ironman shuffle. Then figuring out how get your finisher back to the hotel with a lack of cab service in Cozumel – but, thanks to our new friend Toro we got a cab and my hubby got some very smooth tequila – the dispensing of Advil and feeding my hubby back at the hotel – and after 140.6 miles, this is important work indeed. Over the Thanksgiving holiday, we went to Cozumel, Mexico with Team Z for my hubby’s Brett’s first Ironman, Ford Ironman Cozumel.  If...