Journey to IRONMAN: 3 Weeks: The Bike

Well, if I thought the time was flying by doing a monthly blog post, I have entered a time warp doing them every week.  Holy Moley folks, the countdown is on!  I am so EXCITED!!!

.......and tired.....so very tired.  My body is at its max, and this week, its told me so.  The muscles in my legs are desperate for recovery and rest.  They burn doing simple tasks, they fatigue easily.  I've done exactly what an IRONMAN must do.......find their limits (for now).  This week I dabbled into the taper waters, but still had quite a bit of volume left to do.  IRONMAN taper is a funny thing.  This event is so big, that even when the distances start to go down its still a lot.  I had 5 hours on the bike and a 6 mile brick run yesterday.  I followed that up with a 12.5 mile run today.  I'm tired, but I feel the strong.  Its in there.  I KNOW I can do this.  Now to just rest, recover and make ready for the day.

Lets talk bike!  3 years ago when I set in my mind to do an IRONMAN I was the most afraid of the bike.  I have only owned 1 bike in my life, a 10 speed mountain bike, and after breaking my arm on it in my younger years, gave it up all together.  I will admit, cycling scared me to death.  Plus, there is nothing exciting about sitting on that little seat.  My amazing husband bought me my first road bike in March of 2014.  Lady Trek is what we call her.  I remember when I achieved a 45 mile bike ride on her and was wiped out for the week.  I remember thinking, "How?.....How in the world am I going to ride a bike for 112 miles? HOW?"  

One step at a time, that's how.  I bought Lady Dash, my TT bike, last year from an amazing triathlete Bev Crupi.  She was and is quite literally my bike angel.  Her bike fit me perfectly and she graciously allowed me to claim it for myself.  I love my bike.  Truly LOVE it.  Lady Dash has seen a few things in her lifetime, she is faithful and true.  She has kept me safe and has literally become a friend.  Sounds kind of silly, but when your bike is your companion for HOURS and hours and hours, you find yourself a sweet confidant.  Lady Dash gets me.  Together we have faced learning how to ride distance. We have learned how to go 60, 70, 80, 90, 100 and 120 miles together. Together we have travelled far.  Together we will be  IRONMAN.

And now.......I know EXACTLY how you ride that far.  

The IRONMAN cycling course is deceivingly challenging.  The course is a 3 loop course that takes you out on the Beeline HWY.  The Beeline is one of the main roads that takes you from the valley up into the White Mountains.  The section that we travel is flat-ish with some hills going out and flat-ish with downhills coming back.  What makes it challenging is that it demands constant spinning.  There is not a single time during the course that you don't need to pedal.  The downhills aren't steep enough to just ride.  Its a grind.  Go into it with the wrong mentality and it will eat up your energy faster than you thought.

I am very grateful because I live and train near and on the Beeline.  I know it well and nearly have every aspect of the course in my head.  I understand its structure and am fully prepared mentally and physically for what it demands.  The greatest concern now is dealing with the crowd of cyclists on a closed looped course.  That is where the challenge will be.  

Once I am out of the water, my number one goal is going to be to get my heart rate down to a comfortable controllable zone and to stay in that zone for much of my ride.  For me, the bike part isn't about racing, it's about executing what I practiced.  Fuel, energy, mental acuity, salt tabs, water........it all must cohesively come together.  When it does it will be a FANTASTIC ride.  No doubts.

The idea of repeating the ride 3 times was once a big concern for me, but now I am grateful for it.  I just have to do the same thing 3 times.  That takes out a lot of guess work.  I know the course and am no longer afraid of the distance.  I will say......I'm actually really excited for this portion of the race.

Maybe because its the longest section, or most challenging personally, or maybe its because once I finish I will be a short marathon away from glory.  Whatever it is, Lady Dash and I will conquer it together.

Journey to IRONMAN: 4 Weeks: The Swim

Well folks, in case you are already tired of this blog being overtaken by Journey to IRONMAN posts, beware.....ITS ABOUT TO GET EVEN WORSE :)  4 weeks from today I do this thing.  I'm soaking up every second of every day and want to remember everything.  Its also time to start talking about the actual race.  When the day comes I want you to feel every mile with me.

But I digress.......IRONMAN is all about conquering fears.  This week I conquered 2.  I rode my longest bike ride to date 7:20.  I have been nervous about it ever since Coach said I would have to do it one day (as in a conversation 8 months ago).  I did it.  I also ate an entire pint of Haggen Daas Ice Cream by myself in one sitting this week.  I have never done either of those.  It was a good week.......

Okay....back to the swim.  The swim of the IRONMAN takes place in Tempe Town Lake which is right in the heart of Tempe off the highway and right by ASU.  It is an incredibly popular spot and highly populated.  Its basically right in the heart of town.  So.....anyone local, unless you are coming to the race, just don't go to Tempe on November 20th.

Tempe Town Lake is a man-made lake that has had its own fair share of history including a dam breaking and the entire thing completely draining.  They have repaired the dam and refilled, but not without trouble.  About 8 months ago they had to fill it with billions (yes with a B) of minnows to help combat a certain algae and parasites.  Who knows the creatures that live in the depths.  Whatever, I can outswim them.  Its a cloudy lake and not very pretty, but its my IRONMAN swim and I cannot wait to jump into its waters.

The swim is a rolling start this year.  Think of it like a marathon start.  You line up based on your predicted swim time and when the gun goes off, your specific time starts when you cross over the timing mat. You all just shuffle in a line down to the water and when you get to the edge, you jump in and you go.   Its quite different than a mass start which has everyone in the water and when the gun goes off all 2800 of you start at once.

I won't lie, its chaos.  You get hit and kicked, some get their goggles knocked off.  You swallow water and get shoved under.  If you are like me you just start punching back.  I deserve to be there just as much as you do buddy!

The swim is a 1 loop course that runs down from Mill Avenue to Scottsdale road where it takes a left turn and heads on a rectangular course back to the start.  I love that it is only 1 large loop.  That helps tremendously.

My strategy is simple really.  Stay chill, focus on long strokes, remember who you are.......and just go for a swim.  The race cannot be won or PR's hit in the water, but it most certainly can be lost.  The water, although the easiest on the body, is the most fear inducing, stress provoking, energy sucking event.

I have trained well and feel confident in my swimming.

I would love to come out of the water around 1:20.

No matter what....it will be a good start to a great day.