My Friend Ian Made Me Do It.

It’s been a rough last few weeks…work has basically imploded on itself, but I couldn’t be more glad that tomorrow is the last official day of the semester - next week is finals week, then summer starts May 10!  Granted, I don’t get the summer off…but at least this garbage we’ve been dealing with will be (basically) over for three months.

The hardest part through all of this has been focusing on, or at least trying to keep up with my race prep training.  Ironman CDA is in 58 days (11 hours and 11 minutes until the gun goes off…in case you were wondering) - and it seems to be a constant mental struggle if I think I’ll be able to pull this off.

My long-distance training friend - we’re both racing CDA and she moved to Texas in August - sent me this little gem today:

This is what my friend Stephen told me, when I said that I didn’t know if I was talented enough to finish an Ironman… “All you have to do is keep moving forward.  As long as you are progressing along the course you will succeed!”  Its true, all you have to do is keep moving.  It is just going to be a really long, exhausting day of working out.  But, I believe in you. 

The hardest part about an Ironman is not the race, but the training.  You can get through this and race day will be “easy.”  And, by easy, I mean really hard, emotional and exhilarating all at the same time.

Now…it’s definitely not the most profound thing, but it did sort of help things click for me.  So…I think I am finally over this mental block and can get back to business.  Well, that and seeing an improved run vDot test score today.  The only downside to a better vDot score is harder (i.e. - faster mile per minute paces) zones for the next eight weeks of training.  But - I’ll take it.

This weekend is Big Bike Saturday and Bloomsday Sunday!  Hopefully the weather will hold out for the morning long ride.  Sunday is Spokane Bloomsday - a 12K road race.  It will be my 12th time overall doing this run (family tradition growing up) and my friend Ashley’s first time doing it - and a race this far.  I’m excited…mostly for Ashley, but it’s a fun race anyway.

Here’s to an improved outlook for training!  :)