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Long weekends

For the last 5 months, our weekends have been dedicated to training, spending about 4-7 hours each weekend day. Long rides can range from 3-7 hours, followed by a 20-50 minute transition run (the longest rides were followed by longer transition runs). We would normally long bike and t-run on Saturdays and bike, long run, and lift on Sundays. The longest run we did during training was 18 miles, not too bad!! (in comparison to the 7 hour rides, I'd take a 3 hour run any day!) Our longest ride was 103 miles.

This weekends training was:
Saturday: 3.5-4.5hr ride and 30min t-run
Sunday: 1hr ride followed by a key 90minute run (each workout that has more than one component has a key focus - the important activity. You might have a swim, bike, run Saturday but only the bike and run are key )

Compared to what we've been doing for volume the last 3 months, this weekend is nothing. We still have so much time after training to actually do regular people weekend stuff (for example, today - hit up the Ballard Seafood fest, Beerfest in Seattle Center, help my best friend with some wedding prep... so much time to do other things!!)

The long weekends have been so exhausting. Spending a total of 6+hours most weekend days and having no real opportunity to recharge is tough. Heading into work on Mondays more depleted than I left on Friday has been killer. I've done my fair share of complaining, but keep reminding myself of my dad's words of wisdom, "You chose to do this, everything you do is a choice". Doing Ironman was a choice that I made, I might as well enjoy the ride! Why waste time in life doing something you don't enjoy? Yes, it's pretty common knowledge that biking is my weakest sport and the part I like the least. Still, it's been incredible to see more of this gorgeous state from a whole new perspective. I rode around lake Washington, rode all over the wineries and then up through gorgeous Snohomish, rode from Renton to Arlington. I ran through every street in this city that is my new home, ran the waterfront multiple times a week, and ran around Lake Union about 100 times.... I'm so fortunate to have been able to get through this training, that my body has been able to absorb it and grow from it. I've gotten faster and more confident in all three sports. My mind has gotten stronger. During sprint intervals on the bike and run in the past where I would have quit or thought I was going to die, now I just keep pushing, even harder until the end. Total mental transformation. I sometimes tell myself that my legs will go out before I'll quit. My lungs might feel like they're going to explode during a 10 minute sprint interval, but I now know they won't and that all that is just my mind wanting to quit.

People keep asking me if I'm nervous for Ironman. If I'm scared. The best words to describe how I feel would probably be: excited, anxious, ready. I know I've done the work. I've put in the time,  I'm mentally strong enough for this, and after this taper my body will be ready too.

In two weeks from now, I'll be just starting the bike.

Two weeks.

I'm ready.

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