One week to my Half Ironman and the nerves are starting to surface. I’ve done the training; I’ve had 26 weeks of it. It’s the next step in my journey towards my Full Ironman in November. I am READY! So it’s time to focus on my mental game for the race.
Power Song: Till I Collapse by Eminem
My objective: Swim 1.2 Miles, Bike 56 Miles, Run 13.1 Miles: Total Distance 70.3 Miles
Goal 1: Beat the time cutoff: Complete Swim and Bike in 4:45 hr/min
Goal 2: Finish the Race and get a sweet Finisher's Medal!
Goal 3: Do not place last in my age group. Currently there are 9 girls in my age group doing the Half! Of those that raced last year, three are faster then my predicted time, one is not. :)
My Mantras to keep me moving during the race:
Is that all you got?
Turn on the afterburners.
Swim Smart, Bike Strong, Run Tough!
Move your ASS!!
Put your head in the water and SWIM dammit!!!
Swim: 1.2 Miles. Upper Lake Mary. Consistency of Chocolate Milk. Maybe, you can see 6 inches in front of your face, if you’re lucky. Counter clockwise direction. Swim almost to the dam and return to transition area. The start could be hectic, I want to start in the middle to the back. I’m not afraid to be the last one out of the water for the race, but I refuse to swim it all on my back, the last resort stroke. I have done the training, I’ve swam in the lake last week, for an hour no less. And It was longer then I plan to be in the water this coming weekend. When I start to panic, and there will be times I do, I’m going to focus on my form: stroke, rotate, glide, stroke , rotate, glide. I’m going to count strokes, I’m going to swim with my eyes closed until I feel comfortable, I’m going to focus on pacing myself and just relax and breath. I CAN DO THIS!
Bike: 56 Miles. Leave transition and do two loops around Mormon Lake. There are some good hills to pick up the speed , no hills are harder then the Skull Valley Loop I did a few weeks ago, I proved that on my trianing ride. I rocked it last week at 17 mph at 44 miles. I felt good. Of course, I was motivated by rain, thunder, and lightening. It’s “forecasted” for rain again. I need to be motivated to push it hard, I may get my chance. If I pace it right, and focus on technique, hydrate, eat when I leave on the bike, and eat when I’m ½ around the lake road, 2x. I’ll be good. The ride home will be good, it's got a good mix of hills to push up and to push down through for speed.
Run: 13.1 Miles. I’m capable of running 10-11 min miles for the entire distance, I anticipate that at the “hill”, all 385 vertical feet of it in ½ mile. I will walk and regroup, take on a Roctane Chocolate Raspberry Gu, catch my breath, and just focus on form and technique. Then, I need to get off the hill and run the flat course home, the last 10 miles. Like I’m running on Iron King on my one training session where I did 10 miles in 2 hours. It's doable, I've already proven that I've done it.
It’s now a mental game. I’ve done the work. I’ve put in the training. I’ve proven to myself that I’m capable and I can do this. The only barrier is what I place in front of myself. What’s it gonna be?
“ I believe in myself and that I am strong and capable of great things. I will look for the solution, rather then at the barrier I place in front of myself” - Kristie A Dodge
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