Laconia, NH ? It?s Friday.. which means in under forty-eight hours, I will finally be partaking in my ?A? athletic event of the season.?Angry Ward asked a few weeks ago if i had another ?triathlon? coming up, to which I replied, ?No. ?This will be no ordinary ?triathlon,? this will be a half Ironman.? ?(Cue?Black Sabbath? but only half the song.)
And to answer the question, yeah.. I AM ready. ?As ready as I?m gonna be to have a solid, if not CRUSHING swim (look out?Michael Phelps!)?and the run? well.. never my strong suit, I might be crawling across the finish line. ? One of my wheels is busted folks, IT Band Syndrome (not to be confused with the China Syndrome). ?Slowly crept its way back in to serious pain on my last run Sunday, and excruciating while going down stairs. ?As if nursing a torn hamstring a few months back wasn?t enough.
But, what my body can only support with the rehab of ice packs, massage and rolling on a foam roller, my mind will support in what is a prize personality trait for ANY athlete? determination. ?(Yeah.. determination toes a thin line with stubborness.) ?DNF is not in my DNA folks. ? And it got me to thinking about others in sports and the public eye who have this same determination?who classify for a ?Tough Cookie? Award. ? Here?s the standouts:
Cat Usain Bolted.. not Broken.
London Cracking:? At this year?s Olympics, we witnessed many amazing things, but when American track relay runner ?Manteo Mitchell was halfway into his 400 leg of a qualifying leg, we knew something was up when he finished and limped off. ?He felt and heard the pop, recounting??It felt like somebody literally just snapped my leg in half.? ? ?After finishing the race, doctors confirmed he?d run the last 200-meters of his race on a broken left fibula. ?Ew. ??Mitchell?said it was more than just adrenaline that helped power him to the finish.?Faith, focus, finish. Faith, focus, finish. That?s the only thing I could say to myself,? he said.
The Crack Heard Round the World:?I was just a little girl (and Cam James must?ve still been pre-sperm in his Daddy?d descending testicles) when on Monday Night Football, NY Giants??Lawrence ?L.T.? Taylor (aka. LT ?No-I-Didn?t-Have-Any-Clue-That-Hooker-Was-Underage-Nor-That-Paying For-Sex-Was-Illegal? Taylor)?put a hit on a pile on poor San Francisco QB and city golden boy,?Joe ?Was-That-My-F*ckin?-Fibula-Cracking-Through-My-Leg? Theismann. ? Indeed, both his tibula and fibula were cracked for all the world to see. ?Season over. ?CAREER over. ?I give Joe points for still returning to football on the commentating front, because you gotta know that DECADES later that?s all people are going to talk about and show replay of.. and that takes some gumption to watch. ? ?I mean REALLY. ?Lawrence Taylor broke Theismann?s leg open like he thought it was a cocaine pinata.
Frankenface On Ice!: ??The 1980?s (the WAYBACK machine again for Cam James, but I?m sure he knows all this stuff being a sports officionado) also saw the ending of the no-helmet era in hockey, but that?s not to say there wasn?t some gruesome stuff to watch. ?Toronto Maple Leafs defenseman, ?Borje Salming?had his not so sweet, Swedish face made more of a sight when he took a skate to the face in front of his own net. ? SKATE + FACE = BAD NEWS.. to the tune of TWO-HUNDRED STITCHES. ? And did the guy retire? ?Nope. ?Kept playing until 1993. ?What do you do for an encore after that, well apparently?Salming went into the sports underwear business (Salming Underwear?real friggin? original), then posed nude at the age of 56 for some paintings on display at The SPORT Gallery in Toronto. ? Not sure what?s scarier here.. the face or the posing nude bit. ? (And yes hockey fans, the 1989 Clint Marlachuck?taking a skate to the carotid artery is more gruesome and tough?but it?s breakfast time for many reading this. ?We must preserve some decorum.
Skates and Faces Don?t Mix
Joe NOSE Best: ?Even before he was Yankees? skipper and saving people from car crashes after World Series wins, I loved Joe Girardi. ?Back in the late ?90?s after he was traded to the?Chicago White Sox,? people sitting near me in the bleachers of the ?Friendly Confines? (greatest ball yard EV-ER), thought I was nuts for my wild ?Joe G!!? hollering every time he was up to bat. ?But in 2000, he gave us something else to scream about. ?He took a pitch right to the face, breaking his nose and requiring three-stitches to close. ? Joe walked off on his own steam, clutching a towel to his face, and shaking his head. ?Gotta love a tough guy.
And with that, your favorite Tough Cookie is outta here. ?Off to Laconia, New Hampshire for Timberman 70.3 this Sunday. ?Say a prayer for my tattered leg? and send money for a post-race massage please. And don?t forget to come back tomorrow for someone who gives free rubdowns,?The Public Professor. ?
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