We are now 7 days from race day.
This time next Sunday, I hope to be out on the run, feeling strong and bringing
home my second ironman. Before that, I wanted to do a pre-race training wrap
up, and talk about how I am feeling about getting ready to toe the line to my
second Ironman.
Physically, my body has held up
remarkably well. I have felt strong during most of the long rides and runs
(minus the 50 milers in the 200% humidity), and KILLED the 127 last long run.
Minus some weird early season shenanigans with repeated flu-like dehydration symptoms
(?) that I have seemingly resolved by taking NUUN all day hydration tabs throughout the
week, I never felt like physically I couldn’t do this training or missed a long
ride/run. Last taper, I couldn’t physically stay up past 8 and had no energy,
and this taper I am staying up (too) late and feel pretty good energy wise.
Mentally, this training has been
HARD. Having the fear of Mountains of Misery during this ridiculous winter
weighed on me. With that plus other general life stress, I have been battling mental burnout much more than the last
go round, where I didn’t hit my mental burnout until the 20/120 weekend. I am
considering signing up for IM Maryland next year with a bunch of my favorite
training buddies, but I am really going to have to think long and hard about if
I want to put that stress on me again and how I will manage the mental burnout.
All that being said, this
training experience has been all I had hoped for and much more. I signed up for this
race partly because I feel like I didn’t have my best race day in Wisconsin,
but more so because of training partners I would have and the bonding
experience IM training creates. In Wisconsin, I felt like that bonding came the
June/July before the September race. For this one, especially with MOM thrown
in the middle, I have felt like it has come every day since January. I have really strengthened my existing friendships, and have created so many great new ones. I
have felt well-loved and taken care of this entire experience, and I am so
grateful for the strong support network that I have. In addition to learning
how to push my mental/physical barriers during the Ironman training, I have
learned it is okay to ask for help, and that it will be there for me without
even have to ask.
Now, on to the race day itself. People
keep asking me if I am ready, and to be perfectly honest, I feel 100% like I
am. I don’t feel nervous, or worried, or stressed. I feel excited! I would be
lying if I said I didn’t have any time goals. I have worked so hard in this
last 2 years since IM Wisconsin, and I would love to take at least an hour +
off my 16:11 finishing time. My dream is to finish with a time in the 14
hour range. However, I refuse to put pressure on myself and will take the day as it comes. I truly feel the race
is a celebration/culmination of a year long journey. If it doesn’t go according
to plan or if I don’t finish, I know without a doubt it will be due to
something outside of my control (i.e. a mechanical issue) because I have PUT IN
THE WORK. The beauty of the second Ironman is I am an Ironman whether I finish
this race or not.
Really, I believe you become an Ironman during the long/hard training leading up to the race day, not on the race day itself. I reinforced my status as an
Ironman this year when I:
