June 2007 Archives

I don't know what's wrong with me ... No, that's not true. I do. I finally admitted it to myself today. I'm scared. IMCDA is a mere 3 days away. There are so many emotions coming and going these days that I have given up trying to analyze them anymore. But one thing I've discovered is that holding them in is not the way to go ... I've been tense and tired all week ... this isn't just the taper effect. It's the fear factor. Today I finally acknowledged this, and ... ok, ok - I cried - but just a little.

What am I afraid of ... getting injured, being alone for hours on end, being too competitive (with myself or others) and making a bad decision because of it, that IMCDA will never measure up to my FIRST Ironman (IMC in 2005). Interestingly my emotional decline didn't stop there ... as it turns out I'm afraid of a lot of other, non-Ironman related things too ... like a deterioration in world affairs (i.e. the war in Iraq), my parents getting older and not being around for the rest of my life, someone I love dying, etc. All of these things have one theme in common ... loss. So maybe what I'm really experiencing is what Momo calls PPRD ... Pre-post-race depression?

This is where I found my full, untouched cup of coffee as I left work at noon to go to an appointment. I honestly don't know how on earth I got through the entire morning without realizing that *something* was missing. This is the week before my Ironman event, and although I keep telling myself I am calm, I am normal ... I'm obviously not!

I neglected to take a picture of my spare bedroom before packing tonight, but suffice it to say, there wasn't much empty space. It took me THREE hours to pack a samll suitcase and a Tri pack ... keeping in mind all of the new flight regulations I had to aliquot my various powders and potions and make sure they were packed in the right locations and/or quantities so as not to be seized at the airport by some overzealous security agent. I know they're just doing their jobs but it's added stress, right ... they can't take my Bag Balm away!

This was my final "tune up" race before IMCDA . I did the same race in 2005 before Ironman Canada, and it was the perfect taper workout ... only this year I blew my previous times out of the water! I beat my 2005 time by 4:00 minutes, and my previous PR by 1 1/2 minutes to finish in 1:05:30. AND, even more exciting for me, I held off a woman who I was SURE was going to pass me on the run. She always does ... but not this year! Whoopie! I rocked ...

Oh yeah, I felt good too ... I hope this bodes well for Coeur d'Alene.

Taper time can be frustrating for those of us, hrrhhm hrrhm, who happen to be Type A. But I have discovered a way to make taper bearable ... it is called having FUN! Yesterday I did a short, local Aquathon called Splash and Dash, held at a nearby reservoir. It was HOT (like 95 degrees hot). The water was 78 degrees, so no wetsuit was required. We swam 1500 yards, followed by a 5k fun. My goal was to finish in under an hour, which I did, with a mere 13 seconds to spare.

Tomorrow I am competing (I use that term loosely) in another of my favorite, low-key races at Tri for Fun # 12007. This is what I call my "tune-up" race ... I did it two years ago, precisely a week before IMC and it was a great mental boost, as well as a double check on all of my equipment. I get to make sure I have a pair of goggles that don't leak, that I can reach my Podium Quest, that the tension on my pedals is correct and I can clip in and out easily, etc. Distances are meager, with a 400 yard swim, 11 mile bike ride, and a 3.1 mile run. My goal is to break 1:05:00 ... Later in the day I will part with my trusty stead (bike) and send it on it's way to Coeur d'Alene with Tri Bike Transport - a great service by the way. Then, in the evening I have a dinner date with my very sweet, and very supportive hubby.

So now it begins ... my official taper for IMCDA on June 24th, 2007. Although in actuality I was tapering for most of the past week as well. During my last century (112 miles; 9000 ft of climbing) I ended up with saddle sores (my shorts were too big and they chaffed me BAD during the last third of the ride) and a bruised leg after crashing into a bike rider who stopped suddenly while riding through an intersection. He decided to stop to pick up something the rider in front of him had dropped - NOT COOL! The guy behind me crashed into the two of us and we all three went down. Got to practice changing a flat tire ... again. Got to ice my knee at the lunch stop, and take a handful of Advil (not really) so that I could go on. Got to learn what climbing with a swollen knee feels like. Yup - it's all good, ain't it.

The Sequoia Century (June 3rd) was a great ride and a great confidence booster. Despite the saddle sores and the minor crash - I'd do it again.