Two & a Half Days until "It" all begins....
Happy Friday! Not sure how all of your mornings started off, but here's what has happened in my day so far: Woke up, Ran 90mins (thanks for the company Natalie), did some work, ate, went to masters swim (this took some motivation, but I am glad I went!), ate -- do you see a pattern here? Tomorrow it starts all over again. Wake up, eat, go for a 3hr bike ride, eat... However, there is a little fun planned for Saturday night. We are meeting at our favorite wine bar Terroir to celebrate our friend Stacey's birthday. So, not only will it be a fun night with great company, good wine, pizza & maybe even some chocolate - it will also be a nice farewell to life as we know it right now...
You see today is Friday, and come Monday I am in for a big change. Monday is Day 1 of my 20 week Ironman training schedule. Was it really 7 months ago that I registered for this thing? Really? Well, believe it or not I have made it this far with out any big freak out moments, or any thoughts of panic. "S" kept telling me it was going to hit me, as he was freaking out even before he registered for his first Ironman last year (Wisconsin 06' was his first IM). Somehow I have remained neutral about the whole thing. Of course I have fears, but the fears are not about not being able to finish, or doing poorly, they are more about the small things that could happen along the way to that start line, or during the first discipline of the race. So, here are a few of my worries about this whole deal, and why I think I might have them:
1. Firsts and foremost, INJURY. A big fat one... I think this is my biggest fear because after my second marathon I hurt my IT band. This wasn't just a small 3 month long recovery. This was a 2.5 year, followed by surgery, followed by another 7 months before I could even attempt to run again type injury. Honestly, it was probably one of the toughest things I've ever gone through. I don't know that I would have the strength to go through that ordeal again... On the upside it has been just over 2 years since the surgery, and in that time I have raced in 2 half ironman, 2 Olympic distance races (including a 2nd place finish) & a couple of half marathons. So, do I really need to have this fear??
2. Race Day Weather. I watched 'S' suffer through IM Wisconsin last year. Heck, I was suffering and I wasn't even racing... God help us all if we have a day like that in CDA next year. Please mother nature, have mercy!
3. Being sick come race day. I have asthma, when I get sick - and if it's in my lungs it is torture. Walking down the street is a workout when you don't have full lung function. GO AIRBORNE - you will be my best friend for the next 20 weeks.
4. Getting my a@@ kicked in the swim! Don't get me wrong, I can swim, but I fear the open water MASS start. I think I just need to get a mean streak & stop feeling bad when I accidentally kick someone. Ok, this will be my #1 goal. DON'T fear the swim, conquer it!
Ok, so.. maybe those aren't so bad - It's not like I'm going to be alone. I have 6 of my close friends (including hubby) going through this journey with me, as well as what might be the best support crew out there. Some that are even making the journey from AZ to CDA to encourage us AND will be out there on those LONG bike rides along side of us. How cool is that?
So for those of you who are curious this is how Week 1 looks:
Mon: Long Swim 2000 meters (I go to Masters)/Moderate Run 50mins
Tues: Moderate Bike 1:45mins/workout with Daniel (strength training)
Wed: Tempo Swim 1500 meters(masters)/Tempo Run 45mins
Thurs: Tempo Bike 1 Hour/strength training
Friday: Long Run 1:10/Moderate Swim (Masters) 1500Meters
Saturday: Long Bike 3 hours
Sunday: DAY OFF
Ok, so this is doable....Right? :-)
You see today is Friday, and come Monday I am in for a big change. Monday is Day 1 of my 20 week Ironman training schedule. Was it really 7 months ago that I registered for this thing? Really? Well, believe it or not I have made it this far with out any big freak out moments, or any thoughts of panic. "S" kept telling me it was going to hit me, as he was freaking out even before he registered for his first Ironman last year (Wisconsin 06' was his first IM). Somehow I have remained neutral about the whole thing. Of course I have fears, but the fears are not about not being able to finish, or doing poorly, they are more about the small things that could happen along the way to that start line, or during the first discipline of the race. So, here are a few of my worries about this whole deal, and why I think I might have them:
1. Firsts and foremost, INJURY. A big fat one... I think this is my biggest fear because after my second marathon I hurt my IT band. This wasn't just a small 3 month long recovery. This was a 2.5 year, followed by surgery, followed by another 7 months before I could even attempt to run again type injury. Honestly, it was probably one of the toughest things I've ever gone through. I don't know that I would have the strength to go through that ordeal again... On the upside it has been just over 2 years since the surgery, and in that time I have raced in 2 half ironman, 2 Olympic distance races (including a 2nd place finish) & a couple of half marathons. So, do I really need to have this fear??
2. Race Day Weather. I watched 'S' suffer through IM Wisconsin last year. Heck, I was suffering and I wasn't even racing... God help us all if we have a day like that in CDA next year. Please mother nature, have mercy!
3. Being sick come race day. I have asthma, when I get sick - and if it's in my lungs it is torture. Walking down the street is a workout when you don't have full lung function. GO AIRBORNE - you will be my best friend for the next 20 weeks.
4. Getting my a@@ kicked in the swim! Don't get me wrong, I can swim, but I fear the open water MASS start. I think I just need to get a mean streak & stop feeling bad when I accidentally kick someone. Ok, this will be my #1 goal. DON'T fear the swim, conquer it!
Ok, so.. maybe those aren't so bad - It's not like I'm going to be alone. I have 6 of my close friends (including hubby) going through this journey with me, as well as what might be the best support crew out there. Some that are even making the journey from AZ to CDA to encourage us AND will be out there on those LONG bike rides along side of us. How cool is that?
So for those of you who are curious this is how Week 1 looks:
Mon: Long Swim 2000 meters (I go to Masters)/Moderate Run 50mins
Tues: Moderate Bike 1:45mins/workout with Daniel (strength training)
Wed: Tempo Swim 1500 meters(masters)/Tempo Run 45mins
Thurs: Tempo Bike 1 Hour/strength training
Friday: Long Run 1:10/Moderate Swim (Masters) 1500Meters
Saturday: Long Bike 3 hours
Sunday: DAY OFF
Ok, so this is doable....Right? :-)
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