The Weekend Report

Last week I sent an email to my team along the lines of where should I ride my 110/who can ride with me. One of the many nice replies I received was from my teammate Teaka, who I had gotten to know while watching Patriots last weekend. Teaka is an amazing inspiration to me because of how she handled a series of unfortunate events at her first IM last month.

She wrote that I should remember that it is "supposed to be hard" and she told me how she felt pummeled after her toughest training weekend. She also told me about the self doubt she had. I can relate to that.

I'm the kind of person who wants the dentist to tell me before he hurts me. It also helps if the dentist tells me how long he will hurt me. Then I can suck it up and get through it. Maybe that is the key to my success.

So, Teaka's advice was pretty helpful. It wasn't that I wasn't expecting it to be tough, but knowing that it could be, and that it would all be okay, was comforting in a way.

The Plan
Run: Saturday I planned to run solo on the Arlington loop (Custis trail, to the Mt. Vernon trail, to the Four Mile Run trail, to the W&OD trail, and back to Custis). [We are SO lucky to have such great trails around here!!!]

Bike: After MUCH deliberation I finally decided to begin my ride at Hains Point. HP is a local park (actually, the called East and West Potomac). It has a huge loop where many cyclists, runners, and skaters like to train because of the open roads. It isn't closed to traffic, but because there is a 2 lane, one way loop, it is pretty safe. There is a 3-mile loop, which you can make a 6-mile loop by going further out and turning around in a traffic circle right near the Lincoln Memorial.

The biggest advantage to this idea was that it gave me the flexibility of having my car as a home base for refueling. It also allowed me to plan to have people join me for parts of the ride.

The disadvantage, obviously, was the painful monotony. However, I'm being honest when I say that it really wasn't that bad.

The Execution
Run: Saturday's run went exactly as planned. It was a perfect day for running. Temps in the high 60's/low 70's. I really enjoyed it. I was tired at the end, but this is where my experience was an asset. Knowing I could work through the soreness (and pain) helped me to push through and maintain my pace. Overall, a very satisying workout.

Zone 2 the whole time, 1 mile run/1 minute walk. Finished in roughly 3:15. Not bad for a training day.


Bike: The Knight and I arrived at HP early and headed to the Mt Vernon trail for a little jaunt. We rode to the end and back or a total of 34 miles. On the way back I remarked that when we we got back I only had  75 miles left. Ha! I remember when a trip down the MVT was an entire workout!

When we arrived back at HP in time to meet up with our friend Joe and teammates Tania and Kim. Then we all rode around in circles... for hours...and hours on end.

I'm not going to lie. It was a hard day. I started on extremely tired legs. I was slow. The ride did not boost my confidence that I will make the bike cutoff in Florida.

But the good news is that I did it. It really wasn't that bad. I got it done! It is an incredibly wonderful feeling.

While I didn't feel great, I didn't feel that terrible either. Previous issues like sit bone discomfort or neck pain were barely noticeable.

So all in all, a great training weekend. I'm one step closer to achieving my goal.

And yes, as Teaka suggested, I am feeling pummeled. I'm exhausted. I am having the sleep issues that I have after tough training days and that doesn't help matters. On top of that, work has been really stressful. Everything is manageable, but it is all challenging.

I am still so happy that I have endeavored to become an Ironman. Although I somewhat expected the physical challenge, and the time commitment, I didn't quite expect to feel so worn down. I know it has a purpose, and knowing that others have gone through this helps a lot.

After giving it a lot of thought I am feeling more optimistic about IMFL. I realize that when the big day comes, I will be well rested, and won't be riding on tired legs. I will have tons of support out on the race course, including aid stations and helpful volunteers.

I can do this!