1 week to go!

So, clearly half ironman training and full time work do not lend themselves to blogging regularly. I am kind of impressed at people who post multiple times a day ... maybe if i spent less time stalking other people (mostly strangers) blogs, I'd have more time to post. but alas, here's a 1 week out post for the Austin 70.3...

So, in the last month since I posted, I have been busy with plenty of work and workouts and even an injury. My left ankle/shin started to really hurt after the half marathon, and I laid low for a week or so before seeing a chiropractor who helped whip my ankle in shape by adjusting things in my upper right back. Weird. It seems a little voodoo (especially some of the wacky things he does) but it's working for now, and I am running pain free for the moment, so I'll take it.

Today I made a puddly mess at the gym doing a swim/bike/run 3x through workout. Some ladies started to clean up around the bike while I was on it, and I apologized profusely, saying it was my mess and I would be sure to clean it up when I was done. I told them I had just come from the pool, and explained what I was doing and why. They looked impressed and cleaned up the puddles. I felt silly doing this workout, actually, because I was going around the gym leaving a trace behind, so it actually felt good to explain it to some people!

My bike is en route to Austin. Unlike Mo who is bold enough to take apart and put together her bike herself, I don't trust my mechanical skills, and I am much more comfortable having someone else do the dirty work. So, hopefully it'll get there and put together in time for my arrival on Friday night.

Throughout the last few weeks, things have been up and down regarding the race, my nerves, my confidence, and my comfort. I did a sprint tri a few weeks ago as a sort of practice/remember how these triathlon things work race. I was all set to have a great swim and a reasonable bike (there was a mile long hill in the bike course that was freaking me out) and just lay low on the run, because this was before visiting the voodoo dr. I met up with some people from a local tri group (that I plan to become more active in after this race is over) and it was nice to have people to look for and cheer for on the course. For me, I knew this was practice, but for 2 of the girls- it was their very first tri- and they did the entirety of the race together. awwww. :) The race started out very rocky for me...I was all set to go when the gun went off, but I immediately started to panic in the water. Which made me panic even more, as thoughts such as "I've done this before, come on now" and "I have to do a half ironman in a month!!!" filled my mind, making it impossible for me to relax. Luckily, this was one of the SheRox races, with swim angels. The swim angel noticed me flailing, and asked if I was ok. I replied that I didn't think so, and verbalized my previous panicked thoughts. No worries, he said, you're just getting the kinks out now before the big race. I hoped he was right, though I was skeptical as I took hold of the noodle he offered to me. I watched the entire wave get far far away from me before I finally was able to buck up and get moving. I'm ready, I told him, and thanked him for relaxing me. I took off, swimming effortlessly. The panic of a few moments before disappeared, and I ended up catching up to the majority of my wave, and even some of the slower folks from previous waves. I got out of the water right in the middle (just in the upper half of my age group), and even now wonder how well I could have done if I had just not freaked out at the start! The rest of the race was fairly uneventful- I had a good bike and a strong run and finished with a sprint PR (Though the run was only 2.9 miles, so I don't know if that really counts). Looking back at this race, I am proud of my ability to get back into the game (with the help of the noodle to relax me) and finish strong. I sincerely hope that 'all the kinks are out' because I have worked too hard for the half ironman to not make it through the swim...there won't be noodles to hold onto in Austin!

The rest of the training went fairly well except for one workout. I guess I was pretty lucky in that for the most part, I have been able to complete my workouts and feel strong and confident- especially after some of the quite long bike/run bricks. The week before last, though, seemed to be some sort of peak- 12 hours total with several double workout days. I noted in my log that a few of the swims and runs felt extremely sluggish, and as I was completing my 2.5 hour bike ride that saturday, I just couldn't take it anymore. I almost cried several times. I had been trying out my camelback and a pair of race shorts, both of which were making various parts of my body extremely uncomfortable, and every time I saw another hill, I just got more and more frustrated (and the hills are a plenty out here!). I almost stopped early, but somehow convinced myself to keep going, and finished out the time. It was slow and painful, but I made it. But I felt so burned out and the idea of continuing on the next day for another workout made me miserable. I called Mat who told me, just forget about it- tomorrow's workout will feel great. Turns out, he was right, as the next day went much better, but I just didn't want to feel like I couldn't handle it again.

This week was a lot better. I talked to Mo who expressed similar burned out thoughts, which made me feel better. I got the logistics of the race sorted out (or at least as much as I can do from here) and got my bike on its way. I finished up the last 'big' week of workouts this morning, and I am excited for the lovely taper week to come. However, I am still going back and forth in my head about whether or not I am ready for this race. Some days, despite the training, the task still seems impossible. During last week's bike ride, I couldn't fathom another minute on the bike, let alone another hour followed by a long run. However, most days I am fully confident- I feel well trained, I barely missed a workout in the last 2 months, I had a couple of pretty strong races, and these distances seem totally reasonable. At this point, I am as trained as I am going to be, so I just have to think positive, put my trust in my coach, and remember all of the hard work I have put in.