Ironman Eve

Ironman Florida is tomorrow. Tomorrow.

I just got back from checking in The Bike and my gear bags. Coach Dan asked me to swim 10 minutes, bike 10 minutes, and run 10 minutes today, which I did. The swim in the Gulf was initially very cold, but after I got past the second sand bar, it warmed up as the water got deeper. The Bike felt good - it's running incredibly well. The run was good, too.

I have an injury right now that I will have to deal with tomorrow. Last weekend I developed a hematoma in my saddle area. I had to have it drained on Monday. It's still open and tender, but much better than it was. It's very frustrating to be dealing with an injury right now, but I think everyone in the race tomorrow has issues to deal with, some a lot worse than mine. Hopefully, I'll be able to adjust and complete the race.

The energy and excitement here is palpable. I've thought several times since being here that I am so fortunate to be part of all of this. I'm so thankful for all of the things in my life that make it possible for me to even stand on the beach at the starting line - family, friends, co-workers, health, finances, weather, etc.

I'm ready.

I'm going for it.

We'll see if Bib # 998 makes it to the finish line.

Winding down...

The last few weeks have been pretty busy with training. This week is my last full week, with my taper starting afterwards. Taper...wow. It can't be far off now.

My Ironman training has really coincided with the building of our new house, which has made for an incredibly hectic year. It's really nice to see the house finally come together - sod and seed giving us an actual yard, curtains and window treatments in place, cabinets and moldings installed. The same is true for my training - I feel like lately it's all falling into place. The OWS training has really strengthened my swim times. Progressively longer rides and interval training have made me stronger on the bike. Focusing on nutrition and pacing myself on the bike have helped my run times.

Two incredibly challenging endurance events concurrently, and everything's all coming together.

I'm starting to think I might be able to actually finish both.

October

These are some little grass sproutlets in the backyard. We seeded the yard 2 weeks ago and have been watering the heck out of it, trying to get it to grow. It's fun to see it finally coming up.

I spent the day yesterday putting 12 huge pallets of sod down in the front/side yards. The process involved bending and squatting over and over and over. The fronts of my quads and my lower back were barking today! Went for a 5 mile run and 2 mile swim anyway - November 1 doesn't care about my quads or the sod in my yard.

Working with Coach Dan on a plan for the last few weeks of training before the taper. I'm starting to get a little nervous here...