Spokes

I set the alarm on my phone for 4:40 AM, but it was a futile effort as I was waking up every hour anyway. At 4:39 I turned my phone off to skip the alarm, and rolled out of bed. I checked the temperature at Kings Beach. 34 degrees with 32 degrees expected at the 7AM start. This should be fun. It had snowed the night before and there were pictures all over Facebook of the snow on the ground in T2. It was expected to melt but it struck fear in the hearts of all of us! I immediately grubbed down two Cliff Bars and drank a full glass of water. This would start my system off with 500 quality calories and some hydration. I was hoping for a little extra help to have my race-day port-a-potty release so I swallowed about ½ a cup of coffee. I layered up my clothes, grabbed my special needs bags, and loaded up in the car to head down to the start line. My stomach was tied up in knots. Like a soldier heading off to war, the fear of the unknown was playing tricks on my mind and it took a lot...

Race Week: 9/16/13 –9/22/13 I can’t believe it’s race week. I’ve done all the training, and it is almost game time.   I have been getting a ton of questions from people about how I feel. Julie is the only one who really understands me when it comes to my pre-race anxiety. I sort-of shut down and head into my cave of thought. How do I feel? Tired, anxious, excited, ready, not ready, nervous, get it over with, exhausted, fit, trained, sore, slow and fast all at the same time. Sometimes I wish I would have the whole Ironman course to myself. No other athletes. No clock that ticks off the seconds. Just Mother Nature and me left alone to suffer. I am safer in my own little world. I do not sleep well but as I lie awake at 3AM, I picture the race in my mind. I look at the calm water sitting there before the flood of 3000 athletes. I think through my swim in the washing machine and how I will slowly close down each Bouy. I experience my feeling on the bike as I shift gears an...

8 Weeks to go : 7/28/13-8/4/13 TOTAL TIME CLOCKED: 14 Hours SWIM: 5500 Meters BIKE: 116 Miles RUN: 38 Miles “That’s it. I’m not doing Ironman,” were the words that came out of my mouth as I laid on the floor last Saturday after my five-hour brick workout. 8-weeks out, last week was a test in training stamina. A 37-mile run week, over 120 on the bike and 7500 meters of swimming pushed my body to the limit. With 15 hilly miles left on Saturday’s ride, the heat, exhaustion and solo effort were only overshadowed by the dread of the 6-mile run that I was going to have to do as soon as I got home. This is Ironman training. Saturday's ride profile Training for Ironman Tahoe has been a test of organization and willpower. Juggling a demanding job, a toddler and training has not been easy. I remember the physical fatigue I had in 2009 training for my first Ironman, but this go around it is compounded by an even more demanding work schedule and the desire to spend time with ...