Holy smokes! A week from this very moment, if all goes as well as I can possibly hope, I will be an Ironman. It's crazy to think about as I sit here now. All of those hours of hard work are about to be be rewarded, and I couldn't be more excited.
The taper is in full swing and the workouts are short and sweet, but that's not to say that they haven't been quality. In fact I've had a few breakthroughs that have allowed my confidence for next weekend to soar. In the water I had been relegated to doing swim sets with the pull buoy to prevent myself from kicking and aggravating the groin. Slowly, but surely I've been working in regular sets and last Friday I was able to do a straight 3000 swim without it. I've even been able to work in drill sets that were troublesome before, and although I can tell I've lost a little speed since before the wreck.
Out of the water, my running has been improving equally. I was able to lower my walk breaks while increasing my run intervals, and the last run I did yesterday morning was a 3.25 miles of pure running without any ill consequences. I can tell that my muscles aren't used to running continuously, but at least my groin has decided to quiet down. I will still be employing some sort of run/walk interval at the race, but it is going to much more aggressive than I originally thought.
All of this seems to be coming together at just the right time, and I couldn't be happier. A few weeks ago I was in a dark place, really questioning whether the race was even going to happen and whether I would be content walking a marathon, but my body has seemed to respond positively. I can't wait to race come Sunday!
That said, I realize that I have been training pretty solidly since February and I think I'm ready for a little break. With the extra free time I've been able to get all sorts of important things done like clean the apartment, catch up on some reading, watch a ton of college football, and get the last few months worth of comics cataloged and put away. Then there's been the whole checking of my pack lists for next weekend that pretty much occurs on the hour, every hour. They seem short. There's no doubt I'm forgetting something. Better check again, right? ;)
Gear is being laid out in the middle of the freshly cleaned living room and in just a couple of days it will be packed away on on its way to Madison. A quick tune up of the bike, a few more light workouts, and bam! it's going to be IM weekend before I know it.
I'm ready.
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