Ironman Training – Day 4

Roll out of bed at 6 for pre- Acupuncture Conference bike ride. Saddle sore from riding 2 days ago, and my shoulders are sore, too. But great news – I found my lube! <- Those tears are of relief! Missed finding the anti-fog, and wound up taking off the photo-gray sun/no-sun glasses pretty early on.

As I passed a fellow rider, he exclaimed, “Hey you’re making me look bad!” I replied, “You’re biking at 6 am – no one can make you look bad!”

There are so many metrics in tri-training, and this engineering girl always wants more. But a non-gadget metric registered improvement: today, for the first time, made it up the overpass on my big ring. Essentially, I didn’t have to make it as easy to get over the overpass.

Why am I playing with trying to make it HARDER to get over a bridge? Because Todd reported to me that his race day at IMTX was a cold front, and he had a head wind in 3 directions. For my Half Ironman in Haines City in 2019, I biked that route a half-dozen times. But on race day, it was the windiest day that town had ever had, and it exhausted me. It was scary – I was tossed around by the wind, and the rebound wind from the trucks passing by. THEN I had to run the half-marathon, and I was slow enough that they pulled up the aid stations on my last round. It was so hot I almost passed out and saw stars. As I passed a couple watching the race from their front yard with a garden hose out that runners could run under, I grabbed the hose and gulped, so grateful for the yummiest unfiltered water I’ve ever had.

So this time I’m training for the wind. I’m pushing hard now to strengthen myself, so that I can deal with the wind on race day.

Are you wondering why I’m doing this? Really, what’s the purpose of the pursuit of any sport? For me, it’s my testing ground. It’s seeking health through adversity, so that I avoid adverse health. Everything that I say in clinic only matters if it “grows corn.” IM training puts me through so many challenges: dietary, sleep, motivation, strength, organs, emotional, and even relationships. Today, even though I treasure our morning conversations, I had to ask my boyfriend if we could talk later, because I was just heading out for a ride – not knowing if there would be a “later” with both of our schedules. Thankfully, there was.

Those challenges help me find the good in all of those categories, and teach me how to expand & strengthen the positive. They help me learn about myself. They help me set and keep commitments to myself, every day, and I love that.

I am happily looking forward to an early bedtime tonight. So grateful to my support team: Boyfriend Adam Perdue, Coach John Slocum, Sherpa Miranda Lessie, Cheerleader et al Amy Ruth Eck, and IMTX Advisor Todd Rankin. Plus the amazing staff at LWC that makes it possible for me to devote the time and energy to training.