To Infiniti And Beyond

I know you are really beginning to crave these posts right now. When the word triathlon or especially Ironman makes you feel the same way you did when you drank too much tequila back in the day. That instant feeling of queasiness. Almost enough for you to run to the toilet and give it all away.

Or maybe that's just how I feel today. Silly me. I signed up for 2 Ironmans in one year!

Because as of today we only have a handful of athletes who are not in their off-season. Next week many of the clan begins their 2008 programs.... and here I am stuck in the middle. And the next 30 hours are going to be busy and I will be doing 7 hours of training tomorrow on exactly four hours of sleep, if I am lucky. If no pediatric trauma rolls in at midnight. It's 90 here in Rochester which translates into "Shoot your neighbor night" around here. Could be a late one.

The only person who I know will ride 5 hours with me tomorrow is Erik Grimm. And I don't dare ask him to. Been there, done that. Everyone else is post Ironman or post something. Or they are smart. No takers.

But then again which is worse, being exhausted and alone? Or being exhausted with a friend who has to stop and have a pancake breakfast while he waits for you every 5 miles?

I actually prepared for this, as I do this pattern every week. Monday into Tuesday I get about 12 hours of sleep. Rob Peter on Monday night so I can pay Paul on Tuesday night, when the hours of ZZZZ are skimpy. And I won't even feel it until 4pm on Wednesday when I am sitting at a table outside of the Sylvan Learning Center, drooling on my Laptop while Luc is inside.

Tomorrow is an important day. Another nutrition testing day. Swim 1:15 with Masters (translation.... hang on Ken's feet for 90 minutes and pray Grimm doesn't take off my arm again....) and then get up to the parkway. Only a Powerbar to fuel between workouts. 1 hour below 150 watts (this is the hardest hour by far) and then 3:50 at 155-169 watts (for me is Ironman pace) with a build towards 170 at the end, and a 10 minute cool down.

Exact Ironman Nutrition tomorrow;

2 X 24 oz bottles with 900 calories each.

Q 15 minutes my Kitima and Coach T prescribed amount of gulps of water to gulps of mix, and a gel at the top of the hour. With water.

1 X 250 mg salt tablet every 30 minutes.

No more, no less.

I believe, I know, I am certain this is the plan that will work.

Ironman is really about managing fatigue and pain. You spend months managing fatigue and pain so that on one day when you have to go to the brink of yourself, to the very edge, to the furthest point you thought, and then 10 steps beyond that........ you know that you can, and you know that you will come back from it.

And damn.... knowing that..... it's exciting.

:-) mary