I can’t believe how fast time is flying. It seems like so
long ago when I first signed up for Vineman, & now it’s less than 2 weeks
away. I’m also trying to digest the fact that I’m doing my first half IronMan
only 10.5 months after doing my very
first triathlon (SBTri long course), & taking my 28th trip
around the sun at the same time. Not sure my brain has quite grasped all of
this. (I know this to be true because no emotional breakdowns have occurred yet.)
This past week has been a HUGE confidence booster. I’ve been
doing the Reef & Run 1 mile open water swims which I can use as fairly
accurate time & performance indicators for the swim portion of my race… I just
hope the Russian River is cold enough for a wetsuit! I’m still not even close
to the best swimmer out there, but holy cow, my time and skill in the water has
improved SO MUCH in this past year. Thank you Coach AB, Nite Moves, and R&R!!
On Saturday I did my longest bike ride EVER (65 miles) in
super hot weather. Huge thank you to Gabe & Aldous who’ve been awesome
riding buddies the past few weeks. You guys have both been so encouraging,
patient and most of all FUN to be out training with! There has been a lot of
serious mileage happening the last month, & I finally feel confident that I
can ride a strong 56 mile hot & hilly race! Still have some nutrition
issues to dial in though… any advice?? The hydration part I have under control,
& have become a believer in salt pills, but after mile 50 I’m
starvvvvvving. I try to take in roughly 200 cal/hr whether it’s real food
(granola bars, sandwich, etc) or powder (CarboPro, Roctane). I prefer to have
actual food on the bike versus the sugary GU gels or blocks (I’ll have enough
of those on the run!). My stomach can handle pretty much anything when I’m cycling
so I’m looking for solid dense nutrition recommendations. At this point I think
this is my weakest part of race prep… once I get the nutrition dialed in I’ll
be ready to rock!! Oh yeah… & some tire changing lessons too. J
I clocked in a solid 15 miles running yesterday (10 miles in
the morning, 5 in the evening), & felt totally great! I’m still unsure why
my coach had me split the runs, but I felt like a rockstar after my 10 miler. I
was on tired legs & it was already pretty hot out, but kept an easy 8:30
pace with a huge endorphin dosage. Love me some of that “runners high”. I even got a high five from another runner who
thanked me for being such a good pacer. (The real reason behind the high five
is debatable.) Anyways, the fact that I
could run that distance with no problem (& no pain! Hallelujah!!) has
totally boosted my confidence to run the 13.1 run portion of the race. Plus there
is an aid station at EVERY mile which means I don’t have to run with any extra
food/gear except for maybe a few salt capsules. Race day is still projected to
be over 90 degrees (yes, the weather for that city is bookmarked in my phone), so
there will be many ice cubes going in my hat & down my shirt.
I haven’t received my training schedule for this week yet,
but I know that I’ve completed the peak of my training and am starting my
journey down the Taper hill. Training has been building so much for so long
that it’s hard to believe my longest & hardest workouts are done & now
it’s just maintenance and minor tweaking until race day.
::GULP::
It will be more of a mental battle now more than anything,
and I’ll have to draw my confidence from my months of preparation & the
trust I have in my coach. Let me just tell you… Mike is THE best coach. (I’m
not biased I swear! haha). Not only does he have a massive amount of experience,
he also has an amazing talent to take you (he magically does this with everyone)
right to that very edge… when you think you can’t hold on for 1 more mile or 1
more workout… but then you DO. Coach has the gift to make anyone better,
faster, stronger than you thought you could ever be & has given me (&
others) the incredible gift to continually surprise even ourselves. So, THANK
YOU MIKE. I really can’t say that enough.
Also I have to say that so much of my motivation and vast
improvements in my training has come from everyone in (& friends of) the SB
Tri club. You guys are pretty damn impressive. I’m constantly blown away when I
hear about what workouts and races everyone is doing… and am very humbled by it
as well. Thank you for being so awesome & letting me pick your brains about
anything & everything! I already have felt so much love & support
throughout my training & know that will carry me through my toughest parts
on race day.
Crap. Getting a little emotional. Can’t get all soft about
this now… I still have 12 days 20 hours and 30 minutes to go! “And let it be known
to all that on the 13th day… We party. Hard.” I know my friends
& family have been impatiently patiently waiting for this day to
come for a while! The end is near you guys!! (until my next race… which is
actually pretty soon.) J
See you out there!
-E
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