Skip to main content

RACE WEEK for IRONMAN ARIZONA

IT'S RACE WEEK for Ironman Arizona. I can't say I'm enjoying tapering, but I am looking forward to heading to AZ! For the first time - I feel like I'm heading into this race prepared. I did 3 - 100+ mile rides. Last year, I went into Boulder having gone 82 miles as my furthest ride. This year, I ran 16.5 miles as my longest run (did that 3 diff times), but on one of those days ran a second time and hit 21 miles running for the day. I swam about the same as I have for every race. Maybe next year I'll actually try to get faster at swimming... :) I know what I can control on Sunday, and that many things will cross my path that I can't control. That's the part that makes it an adventure. KNOWING that things will not go according to plan is really the only certain thing about racing a full ironman distance!

 This year I've had some success racing - I did two triathlons (olypmic and 70.3 distances) and got first in my age group and top 10 overall for the women both times! I can't help my competitive nature and the fact that this now makes me want to rank in my Ironman age group - but I can't let that beat me. I have to stick to my race plan. Remember the marathon ahead. Remember that THAT is my main goal. PR my marathon time, IN an Ironman. If I can be even a LITTLE faster on the bike than last year, but run the whole marathon, I can PR by more than 2 hours. I want it. I've put in the work to achieve it. I have to beat my brain on the run and JUST. KEEP. RUNNING. 

 MY IRONMAN RACE GOALS!
swim - 1:15 (I could go 1:10 if I have a good day)
BIKE - 6:30 (this is a conservative time - I want 6:15)
RUN - 4 hrs. I want to run the full marathon

 If I achieved what I set above - I would come in under 12 hours. That would be a perfect race for me. It is unlikely I will have a perfect day - running the whole marathon would be a massive accomplishment for me, as I've never put together a good marathon after the swim/bike. This season I put together a decent half marathon during my half ironman, but that was a pace I definitely couldn't keep up twice as long!!

 I have really bad race anxiety. It's something I've worked to get more comfortable with this year - to be fueled by that anxiety vs terrified. So far, it's helped. I've gotten more comfortable with my routine, focusing on the things I can control, and trying to remember that I CHOOSE to do these races. Remember WHY I choose to do them. 

 I choose to do Ironman to be more than average. To do something extraordinary. To do more than I used to think was possible. To continually improve. To show myself what I'm made of. To be more. And because... I Love the Pain.

Comments

  1. AnonymousNovember 15, 2017 at 9:27 AM

    Wait. So. You have to swim for an hour straight!?!?!?! Nope, Ironman is not for me. BUT GIRLLLL YOU GOT THIS!!!!!!!!!!! And when you get nervous remember it is suposed to be fun! :D
    Cheering you on from Jersey!!!!

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

2021/2022 - Pregnancy, baby, return to racing

WOW. So much has changed since I last posted in here. About two months after that last post I found out I was pregnant!  I spent 2021 in various phases of life: First trimester I was super sick and actually unable to even get much movement in! I don't think I've ever worked out that little in my life! Every day just felt like a struggle to survive. Second and third trimesters I was able to swim, bike, run and lift. I was able to run up until a couple days before I gave birth! I mostly ran and lifted - I hated biking pregnant and wanted to limit my covid exposure so I didn't go to the pool super consistently until the very end of my pregnancy. I spent the rest of 2021 fumbling my way through learning how to be a mom and take care of a baby! It was months of living in a haze of no sleep, hormones and tears BUT with all of that in the rear view, it was an amazing time of growth and learning so much. I had 4 IM branded deferred races from 2020 that rolled to 2021, then to 2022....
Post a Comment
Read more

2020

Since I usually use this blog for training and race reports, clearly haven't had much to update in 2020! This years' calendar was supposed to include: Victoria 70.3 CDA 70.3 Santa Rosa 140.6 WA 70.3 70.3 WORLDS in Taupo, NZ! Clearly, none of these were a reality this year. It's been a rollercoaster of a year but I think I've done a decent job with coping. I never stopped training, still keeping up an average of 12-15 hours a week. It's kept me sane despite everything going on in our country and our world. In the absence of racing I've picked up some new hobbies, one being gravel riding (thanks to Rosanne Kelley!!)! I am a SUPER newb but have had fun exploring some new places and learning some actual bike handling skills (which is for sure a weakness of mine).  Otherwise, I feel pretty fortunate this year. I'm able to work remotely for my job and have a nice setup in the townhouse now. I miss my work friends SO much but we've found some ways to spend time...
Post a Comment
Read more

Week 5: Build

Another build week. Hit all my workouts AND added an extra bike on Wednesday morning. I've been pretty busy this week, lots of nights where I'm not done working out until 8pm or getting home around that time. I have only been getting about 6 hours or so of sleep during the week so my energy wasn't super high. One good thing that starts to happen the better shape I get into as we build in this training plan - no matter how low I think my energy is, as soon as I start working out my body shifts into gear and seems to have limitless potential. I love that. It's just the mental battle to get started despite my muscle fatigue, mental fatigue, soreness... which luckily this week wasn't hard at all. I've hit that point where I don't think about wanting to workout or not - it's not an option, it's just what I do, "sometimes you just do things"... Feels good to be getting back into that mindset instead of dreading going to the pool or getting o...
Post a Comment
Read more