1. THE SWIM. All of it. It can't be over soon enough. I'm not worried about all the kicking feet and pulling arms, in fact, I'm not really sure why I dislike the swim so much, but it has always been the one discipline that I have to really force myself to do. The good news is that we went out swimming Sat morning in the ocean here in Dubai, and the conditions were terrible. The water was disgustingly hot (seriously - hot tub), and the waves were rolling in set after set. I was uncomfortable in the water, but I kept thinking that if it wasn't so hot, I could swim all day. Somehow I managed to feel strong despite the crappy conditions, and that has given me much needed confidence going into race day. Just have to keep turning those arms over, keep pulling, and the swim will be over before I know it - it's just time... it will pass...
2. Going too hard in the mountains. I love climbing hills, I know it's ridiculous, but I enjoy the pain. I think I like them so much because there is always a reward after the punishment - the top! I felt really confident on my bike about a month ago, but have since lost my climbing legs - I think they took an early vacation with Garren's and hopefully they will meet us in France. So I'm worried about not having that strength in the mountains and then pushing more than I should, which will make for a really long run... I have to be patient (seems to be the key word for this training season). I'm getting good at being patient, but I don't like it.
3. The injury. When I started training for this race, I couldn't run 2 minutes without a sharp pain in my left knee. It was a long slow go at recovery, and I'm still not 100%. My ITB still bothers me from time to time, acts up mostly when I'm dehydrated or needing fuel, but I was able to get in some solid (but slow) long runs in the last month of training. My run has always been my strength, and going into this race, it's a big question mark. I don't like question marks. How will it feel coming off of 180km in the mountains? When will it act up? Should I take something on the run to reduce inflammation? How long is the marathon going to take me? How much will I have to walk? I hate running slow, but I keep reminding myself that at least I'm running. I know there's nothing I can do now about my running speed or my injury. It is what it is. My run plan consists of walking for 20s at every other aid station, which works out to be approx every 3.4km. If my ITB starts to get tight, I will extend my walking time. This is how I trained, so we'll see how it works on race day.
4. Nutrition. I think I've got this one dialed, but going into my first endurance race, I have no idea how my body will react. Luckily, I've gotten pretty good at deciphering my body's aches and grumblings so I can tell when I need water, fuel or when I've had too much. But above all else, I've created a plan, and I need to stick with it. To do this, I have to stay focused and keep reminding myself to take in fuel and water.
I guess that's it for my anxieties. I just need to remember three things and it will be a great day: 1) be patient 2) stay focused and 3)PoMA. You can watch the race and track us at www.ironman.com on race day (June 28). Click on athlete tracker under the France heading. Race time is 6:30am in France, which equates to 8:30am Dubai time, 12:30am East Coast time, and 9:30pm Saturday Pacific Coast time.
So, what's the plan for post race? Mostly relaxation on the French and Italian Riviera...but more exercise too (if my body will allow it). Garren, Rebecca, Matt and I will head to Menton, a village on the italian border on the day after the race. We'll hang out there for 2 nights and drink lots of wine, and eat lots of cheese, crusty bread and crepes (my favorite). Then, Garren and I head to Cinque Terre for 2 nights. There, we'll hike from town to town, stopping along the way for wine, cheese, sun, whatever lies in our path. Then we head back to France for Le Tour! The TdF starts in Monaco this year. (That's one more stamp in my passport!) We will follow the tour on our bikes for the first 5 stages to Montpelier, at which point we will fly back to Dubai. We hope to get some amazing pictures along the way. Stay tuned.
