Making progress

We're making progress. Now the weather calls for an overcast day with a thunderstorm in the afternoon. OK with me. I'll be back up and posting weather updates next week! ; )

A Good Omen???

I'm taking this as a good sign...though Liz will probably disagree...looks like the race organizers know I already have this one in the bag:

IMLP BIB #'s:

Justin: 179
JoJo: 637
Liz: 1945

Oh no...

Ok, I know I am obsessive, but I can't help it. I know a lot can change in a 10 day forecast, and I am sure hoping it does. I mean, just yesterday it was saying sunny and 83 degrees, but now its all changed. What the heck?! : ( Still crossing my fingers...

Crossing my fingers X 1,000!!!

OH! There is a God!!!! Please oh please let this forecast be accurate for July 26!!!!!!

Lots of swimming & a nice weekend!

This weekend, Justin and I found ourselves spending most of our time around the Walden Pond area. It was a beautiful weekend, nice weather, no clouds in the sky.

We got up super early on Saturday thanks to the loud beeps of a garbage truck, ate breakfast and were out the door. It’s a half hour drive to Walden Pond, which isn’t so bad. This pond is awesome, too, one of the cleanest I’ve ever seen. I think we were expecting ourselves to be the only ones out for a swim that morning but when we got there, there were groups of triathletes suiting up. We swam a triangle twice for a total of 2 miles then headed out for a run. After, we hiked around the pond as a nice recovery : )

Sunday we were back at Walden Pond for a swim followed with a bike ride. It was a really great weekend and we had fun. When we got home on Sunday we had pasta w/ homemade garlic bread – yum! There is nothing better than a simple bowl of pasta and delicious bread.

Getting Real

I’m starting to get nervous. I’ve been waking up with stomach pains and haven’t been feeling all too hungry. It seems the thought of Ironman is consistently in the back of my mind and now that the “hard” training has come to an end, it’s starting to seem all too real. Before it was just training, now it’s the real deal. There is nothing I can do from this point on that will prepare me more for Ironman than what I’ve done in the last 7+ months.

I’ve gone back to the start of this blog to see the post that Jus and I have written during our training and it brings back a lot of memories from this past year. I wonder how I ran 16 miles on snow covered grounds or better yet, how I rode for hours in the cold while my toes and fingers felt like they could snap right off. I’m amazed at how I managed to make a drastic change in my diet – no sandwiches for lunch, candy for snacks, cereal for breakfast, no this and no that and everything in between…. WHAT?!! I have sacrificed time with my family and friends… all for this one race. I have woken up before the sun has risen for a workout and have eaten dinner after my bedtime cause it’s the first moment I get. Not to mention, I have done all this while planning a wedding (which I do not recommend getting married and doing an Ironman in the same year).

It’s been a lot of hard work and a lot of changes and a lot of unwanted sacrifices but here I am. I’m extremely satisfied with the work I’ve put into Ironman. I feel that I am ready (but am I?). At the end of this week I change my diet once again so that I lose 4 lbs by race day. Am I looking forward to it? No. But, it’s just another thing you have to do for Ironman. Until the next post… I’ll be here – doing what I do.

A bonus picture of Jus from last weekend in CT:

Training in Lake Placid

This past weekend Justin and I drove up to Lake Placid to train on the course with Joey & crew – 1 MONTH AWAY, BABY!!!!!

In my opinion, this weekend was key for a successful race day. The intimidation of not knowing the course is now non-existent. I no longer have the doubt of whether I can do it or not. Now, it’s just a matter of in what time (which I’m just looking to finish, not win)! Lake Placid was filled with athletes training for the Ironman – it was kind of cool to be surrounded by it all already, I feel like half the people doing the race were there this weekend.

Saturday started with some coffee and breakfast and then it was out the door for a 112 mile bike ride. The weather was not cooperating as it was on and off showers all day with a few glimpses of sun. Jus and I were not looking forward to rainy weather on a hard training weekend but we looked at the positive – we now know how to take on the course if this year’s race weather repeats last years (but I really, really hope it doesn’t!). I felt strong on the bike and was feeling good about it after the first lap – ah… just have to do that all over again! Second lap was just as good and I left the bike with confidence.

After the bike, Jus and I changed into some dry running clothes and headed out the door for an 8 mile run. The sun was shining when we left and it was nice to feel the warmth, finally. We headed 4 miles from the start of the run and back which included the killer hill that we had not known about. This was an extra bonus to help add pain to our legs! On our way back into town, more clouds came rolling in and the last 2 miles were in downpours. A warm shower and well deserved dinner finished the day.

Sunday morning the sun was out and I was looking forward to a day outside. The group headed into town for some breakfast and then split for training. Joey, Jus and I trekked down to Mirror Lake for a 2.4 mile swim. Ugh. We floated out to the pier to where the official start of the swim is… started the watch and off we went. Joey pulled away early as Justin and I stuck together for the majority of the way… headed to the beach at the end of the first lap, ran the beach and back in the water we went. I did the second loop 2 minutes slower than the first, Justin did it faster. The swim didn’t leave me feeling too great – but in general I have been bummed about it. I just can’t seem to get into it.

Back to the house to change and all three of us were out for a long run. I mentally prepared myself for the entire loop of the run, apparently somewhere in conversation Joey and Jus agreed on skipping the out and back. The run course is “easy” enough, but I can see the long stretch out of town and back being long, tough and lonely. We all held up well and with 2 miles left back into town, two ladies rescued us by letting us fill up on water at their athlete water stop. After I split from Joey and Jus, I hoped in Mirror Lake at the end of the run to cool down. I stumbled back to the house, showered and packed up. We grabbed a quick lunch and some FroYo in a waffle cone at Ben & Jerry's (YUM!) and headed back to Boston.

The race is coming up way too quick!!!!!

View of Lake Placid:

Again, sacrificing good tan lines for tri:

A sign on the run course that made me laugh:

Packed up and ready to go: