WTC STILL hasn't posted the start list for IMCOZ. WTF??? You can't put up a fucking list of people on the Interwebz? I need to know who my competition is, so that I can either get excited about the possibility of a Kona slot, or I can relax, knowing it probably won't happen.
I am 8.5 weeks out from race day. In case you haven't been fucking paying attention (oh, did I forget to say this post will be LITTERED with F-bombs?), here's the remaining training:
That is some hefty fucking training, eh? I don't fear it, though, since I've done more than this in my build for Ultraman Canada. I have to keep telling people that because they still look at me all cross-eyed when they see how much training I am doing NOW. Either they don't have a fucking memory, or they have just recently jumped on the Crackhead bandwagon. I know--it's a wild ride, isn't it?
I get almost a villainous laugh when faced with a training block like this. Why? Because to me it's ALL KINDS OF FUCKING FUN!!!
I get to test my mental toughness in a huge way, since it's likely I will be doing some very long trainer rides (I think my longest ever is 5 hours; I will go up to maybe 6:15 this time around), including 3 of what I am calling FUCK ME biking weekends:
- 10/19 4:00 hours, 10/20 5:30
- 10/26 3:00 hours, 10/27 5:00 hours
- 11/16 5:30, 11/17 4:00 hours
Also, on 11/9, I do my race rehearsal ride, which will most likely be 6:15 in duration, and Cortney will be here for a wedding, and she gets to perform Crackhead sherpa duty that day. I've never met her in person, so this should be interesting. Cortney is a budding Crackhead herself, so I am pretty sure we will have a great time!
My birthday (57 CAN YOU FUCKING BELIEVE IT???) is on 10/22. Shelley will be here in close proximity, so we will no doubt celebrate. I have already gifted myself of many things, and really don't need anyone to buy me stuff, although I joke about it all the time on Facebook. I have been given nice things by nice people. Gatorade is always appreciated, as are superhero action figures and gift certificates to Desoto and Zoot, hint hint. Last year when I was so depressed, one of the irrational thoughts I kept having was that I am old and ugly. Well maybe I AM old, but at least now I am OK with it. I tricked my best friend, Susan, into believing that I would never race Ironman again, and that it would be a GOOD thing. I have since notified her that I was crazy at the time, and that this training and racing is what keeps me sane, vital, vigorous, sexy, good at my job and just loving life!
As you already know, I've had my early fall illness already. I still have somewhat of a cough, but I feel like I'm OK without the inhaler, except right before exercise. Yesterday was a drug festival, though, as I woke up after 5 hours of sleep, drank coffee, swam, came home and worked, took some Ambien to try to sleep, never slept, woke up feeling drugged, worked more, finally started feeling better and had a Coke, passed out around 7PM and woke up at 2AM. I am just rolling with this oddball sleep schedule. Tonight I may take the Ambien right before I go to sleep at around 8PM and hope I sleep until 3AM.
Oh--yesterday I went to this little boutique in town and bought some fancy ass clothes, including this dress:
That dress will be making an appearance in Vegas next March, where I and 2 girlfriends (maybe Shelley if she can get out of a stupid work trip) will be visiting Susan and running the Red Rock Canyon marathon, and then going out on the town. I wish I had an occasion to wear it before then, but stupid men I fancy are afraid to get with all this. I mean, look, I DO have time for social life, just the rest of my life is far from normal. I manage to kick ass at a sometimes high pressure job, maintain a house and gardens, cook (WELL I might add) for myself, train for a fucking Ironman, manage to keep a few good friends, coach Brad, and be generally awesome. What is not to like about that? I know people who ask me about my training are doing mental gyrations and thinking, "she can't POSSIBLY have time for a relationship," but that is just not true. Sigh. Well, I can't be concerned about the man thing right now. If someone is brave enough to take the Crackhead challenge, great, STEP THE FUCK UP. Oh, I guess with an attitude like that I can be a little intimidating. GET THE FUCK OVER IT GUYS!!! As my brother, Mike, says, "someone in the relationship has to be smarter." Fortunately, I have a few friends that "get" me and aren't trying to hold me back or tell me to "tone down" or "be more girly" or "quit being so boisterous." While I may have a foul mouth, I am quite girly, thank you very much LOOK AT THAT FUCKING DRESS!!!
Also, I am getting back on my strength training. I got off kilter there for a few weeks with IMWI and then getting sick, but I'm back on the weights. That is crucial for me, since it helps me to support my training and my life in general. I figured out that the reason I was cramping (lower legs and feet) while swimming was due to the Evista I was taking for osteoporosis. I've been off it for a week, and already I can kick like a mad fool and not cramp. Leg cramps are a documented side effect, and since I can't tolerate cramping up during a swim, I stopped it. I am working with my doctor to figure out what alternative I will take, but I don't plan on starting anything new until after IMCOZ since I don't want to fuck with potential side effects.
The other thing about Evista is that it can increase your likelihood of DVT. I was already planning on asking whether I should stop it prior to flying to Mexico, so at least I can take that off my to do list. I was also experiencing some excess edema in my right calf, which MIGHT have been from spraining my ankle, but I think it was also related to the Evista. One day last week when I was running I became paranoid that maybe I was experiencing DVT, but all that swelling is gone, so PHEW!
I should probably tell you how I've done against my planned training. If you recall, I registered for IMCOZ on 7/22, and I quickly put together a training plan which has since become what my protégé, Brad, is being killed by...er...following. It only took me about 3 iterations to eyeball it for making sense, being a reasonable progression, and getting me in top-top shape. So here's how I've done against the plan so far:
Not too shabby for a working stiff, eh? Also, since 1/1/2013, I am averaging 14.8 hour of training per week. My highest ever was 16.3 while training for IMLP 2009, so I'm a bit of a slacker, but that's because I really didn't do much from January through early July. As of 7/21, I was only averaging 13.7 hours per week, which is really nothing for me.
Now, if you look at my average training hours per week since 6/17, it's 17.8 as of the end of last week. THAT is good, serious training! I dropped off a bit from 18 due to being sick. HUGE NUMBERS MAKE ME FUCKING HAPPY!!!
This week is a "rest week," meaning not much running--only 2.5 hours scheduled. I will still swim quite a bit and bike like 9.5 hours, so other than running, this is still a solid week. I know the rest is working its magic on me since yesterday I was going a bit crazy since all I did was swim. So I finally got my weights on, at least a start on it, and I did some gardening, too. I can already tell that I will go batshit crazy during my IMCOZ taper. It's been awhile since I've been in this kind of shape, and soaring to the peak of fitness and then dropping out the volume to taper is sure to turn me into this:
But I LIKE that feeling! There is nothing in the world like it! When you are at the top of your game, all mental and physical systems in your body are in perfect synchronicity with your goals, WHO WOULDN'T FUCKING WANT THAT FOR THEMSELVES???
Yet, it can frighten the shit out of people. I've already put myself on notice at work to watch my attitude, because I get pretty aggressive right about now. DON'T FUCK WITH ME.
Here are the to do items I have left to go for my IMCOZ preparations:
- Try out my race clothes. I hope to do this today, as the weather will be warm when I bike and run later. You might guess I would wear zebra stripes or skulls or both, but actually I'm going with simple red and black. Skull Kingdom has plenty of skulls, as does my aero helmet.
- Make my reservation with Tri Bike Transport.
- Have Magic Mike take another look at me in the pool. I am not going to get any faster before IMCOZ, but I want him to check if my work the past few weeks has made a difference. I DO plan on working with him on my speed beginning in January.
- Put new saddle on Death Machine and get cleats for new shoes.
- Figure out when the fuck I will have time to get my final bike tuneup before dropping it off for transport.
- Go insane and try to not commit any felonies.
Congratulations if you made it this far. NOW FUCK OFF!!!! Just kidding, have a wonderful day!
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