YOU ARE AN IRONMAN!

Ironman Arizona:
Goal:  Finish
Actual:  Finished in 16:54:09

I can't believe I did it! It was one of the hardest things I've ever done, but I cruised across the finish line at IMAZ just before midnight. I'm heading to the airport now for the flight home.

Race report and pics to come...

wooohoooo!!!

IRONMAN Arizona!!

 IT'S ON!
4:15 AM  I'm awake, ready, and totally pumped! I actually got some sleep last night. We depart for the race at 4:45. It's going to be a long day but at the end of it all, I will be an Ironman.

1 DAY TO IRONMAN ARIZONA!

I woke up at 5:30 AM totally wired. I'm so pumped! Can't believe it's finally here....after a year of working, training, waiting, suffering, hating it, loving it, living it....IMAZ is tomorrow!!

I packed my transition bags, put the race # stickers on Stella, and loaded up my bento box with GU. Off we went for our practice swim at Tempe Town Lake. The water temp this AM was 63 degrees -- yes! I'll be able to wear my sleeveless wetsuit, which is what I'm used to swimming in. Some of the locals have been warning us about the water quality....but they've obviously never swam in the Potomac.

After our practice swim, Tracey went for a quick spin on her bike and I went for a short run on the path that borders the lake. Then we racked our bikes, dropped off our transition bags, and rehearsed the trip from the bags to the changing tent to the bike out....Looks easy enough. From there we headed over to Bob's daughter's house for a carbo-loading lunch. Some of the IM vets were there--Christy, Linda, Rich, Maggie--and gave us some last minute advice.

So here I am, on the eve of my first Ironman, and I'm feeling pretty good about it. Regardless of how it all turns out, the journey has been a blast. Unless I have some kind of major malfunction, I should be able to cruise in just before the midnight cutoff. With Priscilla as my Sherpa, I know I'm in good hands.

Such is my life on this, the final day before IMAZ.

2 DAYS, OH MY!

FRIDAY NOVEMBER 18

 Tracey, Nicolas and I picked up our bikes from Tri Sport Express and took them out for a practice ride up the false flat. We rode 7 of the 10 miles up, averaging about 13 mph, then 7 miles back at about 21 mph--nice on the way down. Check out our oh so very cool IMAZing jerseys!

We had pizza for lunch at the Mellow Mushroom, took a nap, then went to the athlete's meeting. I spent the rest of the night organizing my transition bags. I can't believe it's just two days out!

Only 3 To Go!

 THURSDAY NOVEMBER 17

HELLO ARIZONA!

Arrived this morning. Yes! We picked up our packets. It's all official now! The weather is awesome--sunny with highs in the 70's, low humidity, and not that windy. Let's hope it holds out for race day. Looks good so far.

Check out our Tempe digs! This place is  awesome. It's a huge house with 3 bedrooms, an office, a study, a bar,gourmet kitchen, patio with bar, a heated pool (!), massive walk-in closets, and a Porche and Mercedes in the garage.Nice, huh? We are chillin' in style.

Counting Down From 5

5 more days...

...and I am in full blown packing mode!

I've been organizing everything into categories, grouping the smaller stuff in baggies, dividing items by swim, bike, run; primary items, backup items, spare items.     If I have to have it on race day, it goes in my carry on. Everything else is checked. I like to pretend like I'm organized....Yeah, I talk a good game, but I always wind up over-packing. Que sera. Whatever works, right? It's all about getting it done.

Me Talking Aloud To No One In Particular:   "This is my swim stuff...that's for bike..and run. These are my civilian clothes..."
Don:  "Civilian clothes? What? You're not a civilian in the other stuff?"
LOL. Obviously, Don, a mere civilian doesn't get it. There are tri clothes and there are civilian clothes. The tri clothes have priority status, of course. Everything I'm packing represents a year's worth of effort and, of course, lots of shopportunities-- cha ching. One of my fav items is my HTFU shirt. It can mean a number of things:  Harden The F- UP. Hurry The F- UP. Or--I heard this one at the BBQ--  Hit The Finish line Upright. I plan on being upright when I hit the finish line.

And that's what's on my mind, 5 days out from IMAZ. :)

Just 6 More Days...

 Like so much else in life, the mental game is a big part of IM. So I've spent a lot of time lately trying to keep it positive and visualize success. Here are 6 sayings that seem fitting 6 days out from IMAZ, no doubt the biggest challenge I've ever undertaken:
 









Only those who dare to fail greatly can ever achieve greatly.

Anonymous

What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us. 
Ralph Waldo Emerson

You must do the thing you think you cannot do.
Eleanor Roosevelt

Courage is not the absence of fear, but rather the judgment that something else is more important than fear.

Ambrose Redmoon

"Come to the edge."
"We can't. We're afraid."
"Come to the edge."
"We can't. We will fall!"
"Come to the edge."
And they came.
And he pushed them.
And they flew.

Guillaume Apollinaire

I'm ready to give it everything I've got!  Such is my mental state 6 days out from IMAZ.