Ironman Village

So if you've never been to an Ironman event before...it's nothing like any other triathlon. Everyone here is jacked and has smooth legs, everyone has a sweet bike, and everyone looks like they could kick your ass on the course. At least this is the first impression I got on Thursday when I arrived here. 

Now that I've had more time to watch other athletes, they don't seem that frightening. Looks can be deceiving - I've realized this when competing in smaller triathlons and super fit looking people finish waaaay behind me. So a small hint to everyone out there; don't worry about anyone else because you look just as fast and awesome as everyone else.

If looks are deceiving, this guy should win!

The routine we've been following since we've been here has been: swim at 9:00, ride and or run at 10:00, finish exercising by 11:00 am to have the rest of the day to relax and buy stuff. It's been freezing at night so it will definitely be a wetsuit swim. The weather is still calling for sunny and 21 degrees during the day so the bike and run should be glorious! I'm so excited for the race to start.

The Athlete dinner last night was pretty good and it was really cool to be in a giant tent filled with 2,586 crazy people (you have to be a little crazy to do this). Mike Riley will be here to announce those 4 words I look forward to hearing tomorrow and David Orlowski, who finished 3rd in the very first Ironman in 1978, talked about his first race and how much the sport has evolved. He had to carry money in his pockets so he could stop at grocery stores and McDonald's as nutrition during the bike - epic!

This is David racing in his new cut-off jeans.

Today is a fine tuning day. We found out that the mass-start swim will be a beach start, so we will practice beach starts this morning followed by a short ride and short run. Our bikes and transition bags have to be checked in by 4:00pm so we have to make sure we have everything ready today. I bought hotdogs for my special needs bag in-case I get a little hungry on the course (they have been life-savers on some of my long rides). 

I feel ready, as should everyone here. I have so much confidence from my team and I can't wait to see them all on race course. 

This is where the magic happens.

Game Face

5 Days to Go...

This is a game face!

I hear a lot about people getting more and more nervous as the race start nears. If you said you didn't feel nervous you would be lying. How do you deal with it...every time I think about race day I want to bite off my whole finger.

First you need to realize what you are actually nervous about. Are you nervous about finishing, beating a personal best time, getting a flat tire, the swim, stomach issues...the list can literally go on and on. Once you have written down everything that makes you nervous, separate the factors you can control from the ones you can't control.

You'll probably notice that most of the things that make you nervous are out of your control. You can't stop a flat tire from happening, you can't make the waves smaller, you can't change the weather, you can't decide that your stomach will handle everything you put in it. What you CAN do is practice fixing a flat, start the swim at the edge of the pack, put clothes in your special needs bag, practice eating what you will eat on the race course... Don't stress about things that you CAN'T control.

Instead of getting nervous, I've found myself getting excited. This is, after all, for fun and we shouldn't forget that. I know I've trained enough like everyone else who will show up on the start line. I know I will finish and I know I will have a good race. I've planned my bike set-up, practiced fixing flat tires, swam in huge waves, eaten all sorts of foods while training and in all kinds of weather. I know what to do and what not to do to get me through the race. 

The hardest part is believing all of this. This is when we need to put on our game faces. Tell yourself out-loud that you are ready, that you are fit, and that you are one tough MO!#3RF&@$er. If you say it enough, you will believe it.

When you're getting stressed and nervous, repeat that to yourself and think about putting on your game face. Nothing but you can stop you.

This will be you.

House Keeping

Training for Ironman has given me a new appreciation for the Taper. Finally I have time and workouts are easy and confidence building, or at least they should be.

A lot of athletes find it difficult to taper because they fear losing fitness, or they want to cram in a last few hard workouts. In the last weeks leading up to the race, you won't lose your fitness or strength, but you could start moving backwards if you don't approach the taper properly. I like to call this part of my training "housekeeping".

We need more Lemon Pledge.

The main housekeeping goals of my two weeks leading up to Ironman are as follows:

1. Staying Injury Free
It's too close to race day to recover properly from an injury so the most important thing for me is to make sure I don't get injured. This means I'm not trying any new workouts. Warm-ups and cool-downs are very important, and I stay clear of activities that can cause injury.

2. Staying Healthy
When workouts decrease, diet and hydration become more important. I can't eat greasy food and pop and just go for a long ride to work it off anymore. Eating is now a big part of my training. Everything I consume is for nutrition to help me on race day. It's also important to not let my immune system weaken. Now is a time when many athletes get sick so it is important to wash your hands often and get lots of fluids, vitamins, and rest.

3. Equipment Check-up
Now is the perfect time to get your gear fixed or cleaned or whatever you need to do. New chain, new tires, new shoes, new clothes...there's two weeks to make sure everything is going to go smoothly on race day. I recently changed my chain and brakes on my bike and I will make sure my shoes and wetsuit, etc. are all in good condition before it's too late to change. Don't worry if you are trying new equipment because you still have two weeks to break it in. 

4. Race Day Nutrition
Start thinking about your race day plan...and practice it! I plan on eating 2 gels, oatmeal with milk, toast with peanut butter, coffee and maybe a yogurt before leaving to T1. Then sipping on perform from breakfast to swim start and having another gel or two within 15 minutes of the start. For the next two weeks, I'm going to practice this breakfast first thing in the morning so that I am confident it will agree with me race morning.

5. Confidence
If nothing else, these last two weeks should be when you build confidence in your training. The work has been done and now you can sit back and appreciate your efforts over the previous months. Workouts should be smooth and pace-work be disciplined. Go over mental processes during these last training sessions and practice transitions, eating, and drinking during your workouts.

6. Have a race week plan
The stress of travelling, training, registering, eating, sleeping, and preparing during race week is insane. Have a plan starting with the travel. I get extremely stressed before races when I don't have a schedule so I will make sure to plan out meals, training, registration, and rest ahead of time. This doesn't have to be concrete, but it will save a lot of stress later when you have a schedule to follow.

I will spend the next two weeks perfecting these things so that come race day, I can do all of the little things easily and smoothly. Should anything go wrong, I feel prepared enough that I can deal with solving these problems quickly on the course. If everything goes as planned, I can put all of my energy and focus into racing. 

Everything I do is to hear those 4 words