Epiphany

Maybe it is because I am pseudo tapering (lower intensity workouts, slight drop in hours) for the Clear Lake Oly this weekend, but I think I just had an epiphany.

I am more nervous about racing this Oly than I was about the Gulf Coast Tri in May and (for now at least) more nervous than I am about racing the Redman Full Aqua Bike.

Why?

I think it is because I feel comfortable going long. I can settle into a good pace and motor along at a good clip and I am not red-lining it the entire race. When I race shorter races I feel a lot more self-pressure to be fast, which means pushing myself harder and testing my limits. Testing my limits makes me nervous but I keep telling myself that this is what I train for 6 days a week, often 2 times a day!

Panama City Beach Condo is Booked!

That marks another big to-do off of my list! I had to make sure the condo had internet access so my family could track me online and I could update the blog on the road.

10 years

** edited because I realized I can't do math first thing in the morning, I am not quite ready for a sub 2 hour Oly :) **

I realized this morning as I put on old tri t-shirt over my bathing suit, that 2009 marks 10 years since my first triathlon. The shirt was from my first triathlon -- the 1999 Bally’s US Triathlon Series. I was woefully unprepared for the Olympic distance race in hilly Austin.

I breast stroked the entire swim. I waited in transition for my even slower male friend (he started in a different wave), then we rode mountain bikes (he actually borrowed my hubby’s bike and didn’t know much about shifting) and then suffered through the run, depleted of nearly all energy because we did not have any sort of nutritional understanding or plan whatsoever. I remember the volunteer handing me an energy bar on our way out of the transition to the run and it tasted like heaven.

I can only imagine what the more experienced athletes around us were thinking as I was just hanging out in transition. We did finish though and I actually got hardware, first in my age group. Impressed? You shouldn’t be … I was the only person in my age group!

I think my time, adjusted for the extra time I spent in transition waiting, was 3:32. I am hoping to be racing nearly 45 minutes faster than that this weekend. I remember thinking at the time that it was the most difficult thing I had ever done. What a difference a decade makes, oh and actually training and respecting the distance!

Some of you are still probably thinking … why is she wearing a 10 year old shirt?

Enjoying the Moment

If you have been reading this blog for a while now, it is probably pretty clear that I have a one track mind sometimes (or as Bob put it once, I am a bit obsessed!).

Don't get me wrong, it is great to be focused on a goal, but sometimes I have to remind myself to stop and enjoy the moment (another one of the things on my list of 100 things).

It was the same way in planning my wedding and when I was pregnant with my boys -- it is so easy to get excited about the end goal that instead of living in the moment, you are counting down until a specific date, focused on the end instead of the preset.

My mom once told me not to wish time away, life is too precious for that. Since then, I have really tried to live in the here and now. I tried to enjoy every moment of my pregnancies instead of wishing the 9 months to pass quickly and I am trying to enjoy every moment of IM training as well, even though my excitement for race day is almost tangible!

I am thankful to be healthy and strong and able to train and compete in this sport. I had a great long ride / brick on Saturday and even though I did the majority of the ride and the entire run by myself (well, with company from my favorite vampires on my iPod!) I enjoyed the moment. I didn't spend one minute wishing the ride or run would end but enjoyed being out on a beautiful, hot Texas morning.

Mileage for Week Ending 8/16/09
Swim: 7500 yards in 3:00
Bike: 120.5 miles in 7:00
Run: 33.75 miles in 5:04
Total Time: 15:04

I am racing the Clear Lake International Tri (oly distance) next weekend so this upcoming week will be a touch lighter. I am excited to see how I do this year compared to last year (although the distances are slightly different because it was not a true Oly last year) and compared to the Quarter I did in April.

I also wanted to say thanks for the words of encouragement you guys have left in the comments -- they really do brighten my day!

Finally, to add a more personal note to this entry, here is a recent photo I took of my boys (aka my cheering section) who remind me everyday as they grow so quickly to stop and enjoy the moment.



Tyler (L - age 2.5) and Andrew (R - age 5)

The best thing about lists ...

... is crossing things off of them! You may recall that I listed 100 things to do between now and IMFL, well in just 15 days I have made some major headway!

All of the items below can be checked off the list (although several of the items will be repeated continuously between now and November 7).

1. Get confirmation from friends and family on who is making the trip to FL
4. Hubby to replace chain on my bike
5. Hubby to clean bike and lube as necessary
9. Purchase race tires
10. Practice changing tires
11. Get a massage
12. Order more Infinit – I am running out already!
13. Eat, eat and eat some more (I seriously need to put the ice cream spoon down!)
15. Find a multi-vitamin and start taking it (The entire family is taking Flinstones)
16. Read “Food for Fitness” by Chris Carmichael
17. Find more healthy snacks for work
18. Take a rest day
22. Break-in my new Speedo Endurance Swimsuits
24. Take a nap
25. Download new music for iPod (I am officially a dork, thanks to Party In The USA by Miley Cyrus)
26. Blog
27. Book room in OKC for Redman Full Aqua Bike
30. Read the blogs of other triathletes
42. Get a pedicure
46. Stalk the BT Forums on a regular basis for inspiration and education
78. Re-read Don Fink's Iron Fit sections on mental preparation and race week strategy
81. Visualize crossing the finish line (every day)

Sunday Rewind

Now that my long rides are getting longer (4 hours and climbing) I am getting up at 5 something Saturday mornings too, that makes 6 days a week with a 4 or 5 handle on the clock ... I love sleeping in Sundays! I got up at 9:00 am today! :)

Mileage for Week Ending 8/9/09
Swim: 7700 yards in 3:00
Bike: 113 miles in 6:35
Run: 30.65 miles in 4:35
Total Time: 14:10

Happy Training!

Three. 3. III. Tre.

Three Months. (English)
Tre Muaj. (Albanian)
три месеца. (Bulgarian)
Drie Maanden. (Dutch)
Kolme Kuukautta. (Finnish)
Trois Mois. (French)
Drei Monate. (German)
τρεις μήνες. (Greek)
तीन महीने.(Hindi)
Tre Mesi. (Italian)
Três Meses. (Portuguese)
три месяца. (Russian)
Tre Månader. (Swedish)
три місяці. (Ukrainian)
Ba Tháng. (Vietnamese)

Swimming Breakthrough?

I had the best.swim.ever. this morning. I was, for once, “one with the water”. I was maintaining a fairly steady pace for me of about 1:50 and hitting 1:45 as well, without feeling like I was totally out of gas and I did this for the entire main set (this was at an 80% effort level), but it is not just the splits that made me happy. I felt like my rotation, reach, catch and pull were all working in harmony, helping me glide through the water. For someone who has only been swimming for just over a year, I feel like this is a major victory!

I am not sure if I will ever get down to the 1:30 splits and I know I am slower in open water (no push off the wall), but I know my IM swim will be a success if I can find that “zen” swimming state I found this morning! Now I just need to decide -- sleeves or no sleeves on the wetsuit!

Ode to iPod

Well, I did. I managed to kill my iPod. It took 2 years and 9 months of sweat to drown the faithful thing and today during my 7 miler it took its last breath. RIP, iPod. You helped me lose the baby weight, train for my first HIM and kept me company on many solo long bike rides.

How will I honor your memory?

Replace you with another, of course!

100th Post and the Sunday Report

It is amazing what an afternoon nap can do for your overall outlook on life! I can't remember the last time I got to take a long afternoon nap where I woke up on my own terms (and not because my boys woke up from their own naps).

I had a great training week and I feel rested and ready to hit the pool at 5 am tomorrow.

Mileage for Week Ending 8/2/09
Swim: 7550 yards in 3:00
Bike: 109 miles in 6:20
Run: 31.4 miles in 4:38
Total Time: 13:58

100 posts later -- I started this blog wanting to complete an Ironman one day. It was a dream with no specific plans. 100 posts later the goal is defined. The date is set. The plan is being executed. Thank you for coming along for the ride!