It’s Race Week

It’s Monday of race week. A few weeks ago I felt like it would never arrive, but here it is. Watching IM Arizona yesterday left me with my jaw on the floor. I can’t believe how many flaming fast performances there were by people I know and follow on twitter. I don’t think anyone had a bad day out there. It was insane as I watched people float across the finish line with stellar PRs. Congratulations to all of you who set records and an uber special congratulations to Baker who can now call himself an Ironman. Way to EXECUTE Baker, awesome work!!

So, I’m packing the race bags, trying to remember what I’m forgetting.

I sat down to write my list and vowed that I was going with the KISS principle. I kept the list short, and yet, as I get it all laid out, it looks like WAY TOO MUCH STUFF. I just don’t think you can be a light traveler as a triathlete. Hopefully I can think of some stuff to not bring along!! We shall see. I would love to not bring my computer, but who am I kidding?

I’ve got the race wheels out and ready to go. Tomorrow afternoon I head over to Kompetitive Edge to have Ryan do the final adjustments on my bike and to put my race wheels on. Speaking of KE, have you applied for next years Kompetitive Edge team? The application is due Nov 28th and can be found here. I’m excited to see who makes the team for next year. Woot!

We fly to Cozumel on Thanksgiving day this week. I’m pretty excited about this fact. No worries about eating too much, or making all the right sides, no thoughts about all the dead turkeys. Instead I get to sit on an airplane and think about all the carbon emissions. Ha! I kid..sorta…not really actually! I will spend Black Friday swimming in the ocean and sitting on my butt, resting. I think I’m going to set some new records for the amount of rest I plan on getting in before this Ironman. I’m sleeping in every day and just letting my body fix and mend itself.

Before I can do any of that I need to finish my final workouts, get the family packed up, and…well…that’s about it!

One thing I have been thinking about all week is Kona, and what a crazy dynamic it is. I think one of the reasons that it’s the pinnacle race of our sport every year is because nobody on the start line got there easily. Not Chrissie, not Crowie, not a single AGer. Nobody got there as a shoe in. Most people think that I am confident that I will go down there and race to a slot. HA HA FUNNY JOKE. Being 10th in my AG at Kona this year people have asked me if I have to qualify to get back. Umm, yes, we all do unless you win your AG at Kona. There were 9 ladies in my AG that took me down at Kona, I don’t think any of them will be on the start line at Cozumel as an AGer (go Sarah in her PRO debut) but I know that there are many ladies just waiting to have that stand out performance that puts them on the map. They will be there and I know that.

Qualifying is never easy, and I don’t think for one minute that I’m going there to do anything other that fight tooth and nail to get “every last once out of my body” (a phrase that has been painfully overused by Chrissie Wellington). If I do that, then I will be happy no matter what the results are. If everything falls apart then you can bet that I will do everything within my knowledge, experience, and control to correct it and stay on my feet.

“Remember that wherever your heart is, there you will find your treasure.” You’ve got to find the treasure, so that everything you have learned along the way can make sense.“

- Paulo Coelho

It will be my 6th Ironman. I’ve had 5 Ironmans under 11 hours. they have gone: 10:47, 10:37, 10:17, 10:22, 10:08, ??:?? What will the future bring?

So, I head to Cozumel this week ready for some rest, but also ready for some work. It’s the calm before the storm, the pulling back of the rubber band before the letting go of it.

SNAP!