Do whatcha gotta

I've been in the thick of my Ironman training for 6 weeks now, and I have to admit.... it's not so bad. Yes, I realize the worst is yet to come, but I have successfully been swimming, biking, and running on a fairly consistent basis. It's true that my training was a little lack-luster while I was in New Orleans. And I was very motivated while on family vacation at Canandaigua Lake until I threw my back out lifting my bike into the back of my car which put me out of commission for 3 days. (I know, I know.... as a PT I should have known better. I can tell you at least 10 things I should have done differently that day, but like my profile says, I'm the worst patient out there. At least I knew how to fix myself.)

Thanks to a very supportive director at work, I have been able to change my work hours to help get in all of my training. This has been the first week of the schedule change. While it may take a little time to get use to working 8-7 on Mondays I feel confident that the schedule change will make the hard parts of the training doable.

I also have to thank my very supportive husband. I know he thinks I'm nuts - he just won't tell me that face to face. It's hard when you have to go ride for an hour or so and then run just as long (and from here on out it just gets longer). While I'm out training I would like to say that I am 100% focused on the race and what I need to do. But the truth is that I sometimes feel guilty being away from home - like I should be cleaning, doing yard work, walking the dog, or just spending time with my husband. But when I get home Kevin always asks how it went. I usually respond with some grumbling and the phrase, "I know, I did this to myself," when he just looks back at me and smirks. The conversation usually ends with him saying, "Do whatcha gotta." (which is funny if you know Kevin because he usually has very good grammar.)

So I have figure out what I "gotta" do - I will most likely enter a sprint triathlon in 2 weeks to get me into the racing mode. My test race will be the Pumpkinman 1/2 Iron-distance race in Maine in September to see how far my training has brought me and to work out all the kinks for the longer distances. All are welcome to come and cheer. I can't say that longer races are the most exciting things to watch, but the bike dismount station is usually pretty comical. Stay tuned for more exciting updates :o)

Sometimes this is how I feel after a workout.