Ironman Mont-Tremblant - T Minus One Day.

Tomorrow Is Ironman Mont Tremblant.

The Good, the Bad, the Ugly, the Final Week of the Frustratingly, Challanging Year.  

This is my Journey into the World of Ironman. It's my journal/documentation of the ups and downs of what it takes to be an age-group athlete training for an Ironman triathlon. This is more of a way for me to remember what I am doing over the course of the training season, as any Ironman Athlete can tell you, sometimes the days can blur into one training day of swim, bike, run after another. So, while some may not find this at all interesting, those that wonder...could I do an Ironman? Do I have what it takes to do an Ironman? I give you a peek into my journey and days to complete my next Ironman.  Forgive any misspelled words/awkward sounding sentences. I'm pretty happy just to get them down on paper. Consider it a test of your mental skills to figure out what I'm saying. Hope you enjoy reading my journey.

   

Current Training Totals:  ( To be Filled out later)  Pictures to come later....

Swim        yds             hr/min

Bike         Miles          hr/min

Run          Miles          hr/min

Other/                         hr/min

Strength

Overall  Training Time:      hr/min

I'm  exactly 1 day out from my 5th-ish Ironman. Ironman Mont-Tremblant.  It's been hard to sit down and write in my blog, because I'm not exactly sure what I should write. I should be writing about how excited and tired I am about getting ready to complete my next Ironman. I usually have been very vocal and excited to talked bout my races in the past leading up to the race. This time however, I'm more quiet. I'm silent because, I'm not really sure what to expect.  While I know in my heart I can do it.  I am not sure I have the endurance to do it.  I haven't been shy about talking with people about how it's been a challenging year for me. I've been letting my mental game win out many times over my training game. I've missed a lot of key workouts, and I've given myself a lot of excuses to get out of them. I have not put in all the work I know I should for this upcoming race.  I know it, my coach knows it.  But part of me, knows the drill, I know the routine, I know I've been training since January. I know I have a lot of training under my belt. But it boils down to, is do I have enough to get in under the time cut offs on the bike.  I believe that I can do the swim just fine, and I believe if I make the bike cut off, I can do the run. It's the bike cutoff that makes me very nervous. More nervous then when I did Ironman Boulder, the first time I DNF'd.  (Did Not Finish).  This race is harder, it has more hills then Boulder, more elevation change.  

I look at this race, with many mixed feelings. I've done them before, I know what to expect. I know that on any given day it can go 100% right, or 100% wrong. I know that I could miss the cut off on the bike, and my race could be done early. I know I could make it with 30 seconds to go, and I can continue on the run. Maybe I finish as one of the last racers. I could finish 10 seconds to late.  So why do it? Why put this stress on my body, and on my mind and spirit?   It really boils down to this.....because I can, because I have to. 

Because I have a body that let's me do it. Because I have a spirit that wants to compete, and finish. Because of pride. Because I have 6 nieces and nephews who I want to inspire to show that you should never give up. Even when life is handing you lemons all the way and chipping away at you mentally and at your strength. Don't give up just because you feel defeated, or that you can't do it.  I want to push back and give it everything I have. Even when I may have set the odds against me.  As long as I can accept those consequences, I'm going to give it 110% on race day. Then I can accept the results.  I didn't give up. I can't fail when I give it my all.  I recently read a quote by the Iron Nun, and she said, " The only failure is not to try, because your effort in itself is a success."  

So, I'm going to toe the line of IMMT tomorrow morning on Sunday, August 21, 2016 at 7 AM. The last wave of all the swimmers, and I'm GOING to get on my bike and bike the best and hardest I can to make the cutoff times. And then I'm GOING to run my ass off, and that will lead me to the finish line of my 4th Ironman. I'm going to give it 110%, and I'm going to finish. And I am going to prove to myself that, while this year has been tough, and I have not given it my all in training, and I have tried to sabotoge my training on more then one occasion. I WILL NOT give up on myself during the race. I'm blessed to just get up and do my training every day, and I'm blessed to be able to walk, and breath on my own.   And I accept that it will require more mental strength and toughness then I have shown this past year, and I will have to dig deeper then I ever have before in my life.  But I plan on making it across that finish line, to prove to myself that I can do it, and I will do it. This I will accept and promise to myself.

And it can't hurt....please send up lots of prayers to keep me moving and have a safe and healthy race.  

I leave with this quote that was spoke at the Ironman Athlete Dinner...

"Finish What You Start and Do It with Heart".  



I'll see you all in 140.6 Miles.