Livestrong!

Yesterday was the 70 mile ride in Davis, CA for the Livestrong Challenge event. I was on my work's team (1Cisco) and the ride was actually, pretty easy. Of course it's an easier route and not the most challenging ride, but I'm not really that sore and I felt fine during the ride. It definitely boosted my confidence about the Ironman.

Also, this was the second event that I particiapted in with Lance Armstrong! He was also in the 2008 Boston Marathon, which I ran as well.

18 days until the Ironman!

So while I am rapidly approaching the Ironman and wishing that my immune system could have been a little bit stronger this winter & spring ... I think I might actually be okay.

So I'm pretty well trained for a half Ironman distance or one that's in between a half and full. I just never got up to 80 mile bike days, or swims past 1.5 miles or runs past 15 miles. But, I have been training in California. It's not exactly flat here, nor is the water calm and warm.

The conditions I have been training in are a little tougher (except that there's no ice or snow here). Going through my Map My Ride stats, there are a lot tough climbs in training routes. One of the hardest ones, being my commute home from work. Also, the San Francisco Bay is a frigid rough bitch. You have to work hard when swimming in there.

So who knows, maybe I won't finish in under 14 hours, but I think I have a shot at finishing.

70.3 - Not so much

In keeping with the tradition of how my training season has been going ... I got the flu & and had a horrible fever the night before my make-shift-Ironman. Yup, once again, my attempts to prepare myself are shot down because I literally can't get out of bed. At this point, I just want to finish at Lake Placid in the 17 hours allotted. That's all I want.

70.3!

With the help of some great friends - I will be doing a "make shift" half ironman this weekend. It will be a 1.2 mile swim in the SF Bay, a 56 mile ride in SF, Marin County, and the Peninsula, and a 13.1 mile run in Golden Gate Park & Ocean Beach. My new apartment by the park made this event all the more convenient.

I also signed up for a Century two weeks before the IM. I may drop down to the 70 mile option though ... we'll see.

These events (I hope) will make me more confident for IM. I'm really nervous & so scared I won't make the bike cut off times. I do want to enjoy Lake Placid though ... I don't want it to be ruined by worrying & anxiety....

I have been watching you tube's of the LP IM all afternoon and I'm getting excited to go to NY!

I am still nervous and really scared, but I am starting to remember why I wanted to do this & why I want to be a part of this. It was very motivating to watch Matt Long cross the finsih line in the 2009 IM.

Also, am remembering how nervous and scared I was to do the Tahoe events, and yes, they're not the same as doing the IM, but I DID come in 7th in my age group on the run, and that was after 72 miles of biking the day before, a frigid 2.5 mile swim the day before that, and we went to 7000ft. I think I can do Lake Placid.

I'm still nervous about Lake Placid. But I have been thinking a lot about crossing the finish line. And how great it was to be up there during race week. And I am looking forward to that.

I know I can endure a marathon while in pain or not feeling well (thank you 2008 Boston Marathon) and I feel confident doing a 2.4 mile swim with a wetsuit. Still terrified of the other 3500 swimmers who are also going at the same time.

The bike course is still the number one most terrifying thing in my life right now. Miles 35-65 are constant climbing. But there is a huge recovery hill after that, and you can stop at mile 56 for special needs bag (for me that will be a PB & J sandwich and coconut juice). Then it's another huge climb from 100 - 112.

Then it's the marathon. Which is all hills.... and yea actually that kinda sucks. But, the good thing is, there's a crowd and that always helps, and I can walk parts of it.

So maybe there is hope and with the downhill recoveries on the bike, and hearing the crowd cheer all the athletes on, I'll get to the finish.

Getting Excited!

I'm trying to be positive and less doomsday-ish about this triathlon. Afterall, it has been a dream for a very long time and hating it and worrying about it doesn't help.

I think the swim will take 1.5 hours. Then being conservative, the transition, getting the bike, let's round it to .5 hours. At this point it will be 9 AM. Again, being conservative, the bike should take me 8 hours. This now puts me at 5 PM. I think have 7 hours to do the marathon. On a good/fast day, I can run a marathon in 4 hours. After 112 miles of biking, it will most likely take 6 - 6:15.

I think I can finish, I hope that I can. If not, I know that I try my hardest anyways.