And then my schedule called for a ":40 easy run, optional." Well, um...OK. It was still raining by the time I finished up with 4 consecutive 1-hour meetings at work (how exciting, I know!), and I'm a total wimp, so I drove back to the Y to run on the treadmill. Side note: I can feel how much energy I have right now, which is a sure sign of peaking, and right on time.
I got on the treadmill and had already decided I'd run for :45 because that wouldn't hurt, and so I just did a ladder increasing speed every 5'. And I was talking to this woman that I had given advice to on how to help accelerate her healing process from carpal tunnel syndrome and saw her walking on the treadmill holding on, and I told her not to, and she listened and she is now hanging on every word I say!
Well after the :40 are up I go to run on the track and I'm thinking this should feel good. And actually I felt great considering when I woke up this morning I was feeling a bit ragged from yesterday's workout, and was trying to avoid swimming this morning valiantly, especially when there was a sign on the door saying WE HAVE NO TOWELS but the woman at the front desk who knows me (they all do) waved me in, which meant they must have some, and I was like, fuck, I guess I have to swim, and even though the pool was hot, I swam my ass off.
So I head to the track and just start running what I think is a bit faster than I was on the treadmill, but knowing it was only for 5 minutes, I just went with how I felt, and I felt great, and when I hit 1/2 mile I was like OH FUCK I THINK THAT'S THE FASTEST I EVER RAN A 1/2 MILE, and I kept running until the 5 minutes was up and then I finished a lap, and yeah, it WAS true!
Now I'm not a fast runner by any standard, but still, for me to pull off 7:15 is something else. And it didn't really hurt, and all I could think was WHERE THE HELL DID THAT COME FROM? And then I didn't question it. Something must be working after all these years at this game! Maybe it's because I ate like a pound of fish last night for dinner, maybe it's just that the harder I train, the faster I get.
This year feels different than other years. I think my body is capable of absorbing a lot of high quality, high volume training, and that's a good thing because I want to step it up into the Ultra territory. And I don't want to just slog through lots of miles, you know? What fun is that anyway?
So maybe, just maybe, I've processed the major life crap that I've experienced, and my body is ready to heal itself and show me how it can perform, even though I'm a little old to be doing this in some ways. But for right now, I feel fucking great and wish I could train like 30 hours a week! I know that I could tolerate that without working fulltime...so I guess I had better get back on my financial planning to make that possible sooner rather than later!
I am just so full of energy right now--it's hard to describe--I know I have an IM in 2.5 weeks, and I'm planning logistics for Revenge of the PirateMan, and I'm starting to work on a plan for the 50-miler in October, and I'm also sketching out 2010, which will bring some ultracycling into the mix.
It all comes down to, I think, understanding my body and continually pushing it a little bit further than it has gone before in some way or another. It could be more hours, which I haven't really done, or more distance, more speed, more challenges--but knowing that I will be done with "conventional" Ironman this year is setting my mind free to ponder bigger possibilities.
But back to one day at a time--I need to wake up tomorrow and knock out 3+ miles of swimming and then later on something like an 11-mile run. I know--doesn't sound much like a taper, but that run is a lot less than last week! Friday will be a 2.5 hour ride, Saturday will be a 2-mile open water swim race and then 2 hours of riding and a concert (No Doubt), and Sunday is my last 100-mile ride/6-mile run combo.
While at the grocery store tonight I was thinking, shit, it's all starting to happen now--everything I've been working towards not just for this season, but laying the groundwork for moving on beyond Ironman, and it's all very exciting and heady and partly unbelievable to me. I NEVER thought I'd be in this position, and knock wood, if I keep myself healthy, it is going to be one helluva ride over the next 15 months!
Oh and here's a pic of me (I'm the one in all black with the blue aerohelmet) riding into transition at Rockman 1/2 IM that I find rather poignant for some reason--as bad as I felt that day from the combination of rain, cool temperatures and the impending destruction of a relationship, I was heads down getting it done.
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