TWO WEEKS!
I am counting down the days to the race now (two weeks from today!!!). It is such a different experience this year. Last year for Cozumel, I was excited and ready for race day, this year is totally opposite. I am ready to get it done with because the emotional and physical stress it is causing me is a bit too much for me.
This weekend consisted of a 14.2 mile walk and 80 mile bike ride. I learned several lessons this weekend.
Lesson 1: I HATE walking! My dad pointed out that some people love walking, my response is don't do it for over an hour. My walk took me from my apartment in Arlington, through Georgetown, around Lincoln Memorial, back home, and added some extra miles. It lasted over three hours and I did it completely alone. It is boring, tedious, and somewhat painful. I was able to try mixing in some jogging (I think I totaled 6-7 minutes) but realized that if I wanted to go for distance, I couldn't run much.
Lesson 2: Music cannot entertain you for several hours. I try to keep playing up beat music to keep my walking tempo up, but it gets old and your mind wanders. You can have great minutes and horrible minutes with no reason for either. I should try listening to a book next time, luckily there are no more long walks.
Lesson 3: Don't start too fast on the bike. I upgraded my wheels and helmet to help make me faster so I decided to roll with my pre-surgery crew since I thought I could keep up. I can keep up for short times but my 51 mile loop with them was rough and it was hard to get through the 23 mile loop alone after. I need to pace myself for Wisconsin.
Lesson 4: After a lot of alone time this weekend walking and riding, working out with teammates really does make the process better. I miss running with Jen, Julie, Melissa, and everyone else. So excited to be able to start running with people again (although I will have to drop my old running partners until I get back into shape).
Overall, I leave this weekend still unsure about Wisconsin. My legs were dead after walking 14 miles and I didn't swim or bike beforehand. On the other hand, I felt ok after my 80 mile bike today. I am going into the race knowing I will give it what I can, but knowing that realistically, it may not be my year to finish an Ironman. I will have as much fun as possible on the course with my teammates and enjoy having my friends and family to cheer me on.
TWO WEEKS!
This weekend consisted of a 14.2 mile walk and 80 mile bike ride. I learned several lessons this weekend.
Lesson 1: I HATE walking! My dad pointed out that some people love walking, my response is don't do it for over an hour. My walk took me from my apartment in Arlington, through Georgetown, around Lincoln Memorial, back home, and added some extra miles. It lasted over three hours and I did it completely alone. It is boring, tedious, and somewhat painful. I was able to try mixing in some jogging (I think I totaled 6-7 minutes) but realized that if I wanted to go for distance, I couldn't run much.
Lesson 2: Music cannot entertain you for several hours. I try to keep playing up beat music to keep my walking tempo up, but it gets old and your mind wanders. You can have great minutes and horrible minutes with no reason for either. I should try listening to a book next time, luckily there are no more long walks.
Lesson 3: Don't start too fast on the bike. I upgraded my wheels and helmet to help make me faster so I decided to roll with my pre-surgery crew since I thought I could keep up. I can keep up for short times but my 51 mile loop with them was rough and it was hard to get through the 23 mile loop alone after. I need to pace myself for Wisconsin.
Lesson 4: After a lot of alone time this weekend walking and riding, working out with teammates really does make the process better. I miss running with Jen, Julie, Melissa, and everyone else. So excited to be able to start running with people again (although I will have to drop my old running partners until I get back into shape).
Overall, I leave this weekend still unsure about Wisconsin. My legs were dead after walking 14 miles and I didn't swim or bike beforehand. On the other hand, I felt ok after my 80 mile bike today. I am going into the race knowing I will give it what I can, but knowing that realistically, it may not be my year to finish an Ironman. I will have as much fun as possible on the course with my teammates and enjoy having my friends and family to cheer me on.
TWO WEEKS!