It is a morning less then two weeks away from Ironman AZ 2011 and I can't help but wonder as I watch past races on TV about all the workouts I didn't get in. The what if's can bug you, but with two weeks to go there is no magic last minute training that will make a huge difference. I got sick twice in the last six months and never recovered the speed I lost, though can three weeks really be blaimed for a race I've been preparing for throughout the entire year. I wanted to be 175 pounds coming into this and am not quite there currenty 185 pounds. That is ten extra miles to drag for 140.6 miles. I have signed up to do another Ironman in June 2012 already, could that have allowed me to lose some of that urgency of putting it all on the line for the one race. These are all the thoughts that can't help but pass through my mind as the race approaches.
The thoughts that also pass through my mind are how less then two weeks ago I did a 113 mile bike ride on the actual course with a 8.5 mile run making it the best training workout I've probably ever done. The Firefighter and I are going to practice an open water swim for 2.5 miles today in a lake near our house to cement that confidence to start the race. I ran the marathon last time in under 5 hours having never ran more then 14 miles in one sitting. This year I ran a marathon, multiple half marathons and just put in a 20.5 mile run over the weekend. I have better equipment this year with added advantages of compression sleeves to support circulation throughout the race, and a Garmin 310XT giving me all important heart rate and pace information. The knowledge I've picked up while training of seeing what just 5 minutes of letting my heart rate jump in the mid 170's can do to destroy a well laid plan is a game changer. I work a job where I get more rest now, and the opportunity to train more days on the road where I otherwise wouldn't have in past years.
The journey to Ironman is not a short one unless you are an extroardinary athlete and those are not the words I would choose to define myself. This is a wonderful sport where as an age grouper I will get to share a course with past Champions and some of the top athletes on the planet. The great equalizer is that regardless of if you are the first one to cross the finish line, or the last one to cross before the midnight deadline you are dubbed Ironman. The stories that pass across my television illustrate that this race means many things to many people and to me is more of a test of will. I love the training being outside, falling into your zone within your mind as the miles progess. I have done two of these and have a plan for three in the next 13 months. That is a lot of training and opportunities to test myself, but in the end doesn't change the original start to this, that my first of the three tests is on November 20th.
I do have some pre Ironman remorese, but bless the athlete that made it this far without having to miss a workout, and that stuck to their diet coming in at the exact weight they desired. I am more then anything truly excited that regarldess of what didn't go right, I will hear that gun shot while I am treading water in Tempe town lake, see the throngs of suporters cheering selflessly to raise my spirits and tear up as I cross the finish line and hear those sweet words one more time,"Your are an Iron Man." The first time I did the race it was a grind and much harder then I thought. The second time was much better and a preview of how much more enjoyable it can be when it is not as much of a struggle. I got the blessing of hoping to improve by half an hour and instead improving by an hour and forty minutes. This time I had hopes of finishing under twelve, but will now just attempt to set a new personal record. This is a thankless sport, but regrets, or not I love it.
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