I've pretty much swam/biked/ran all of my miles to train for this thing...I'm a bit shocked that the past year (I signed up last year by volunteering at IMFL, so I signed up on 3 Nov 13) has gone so quickly.
I never wore my watch for pool swims, so I don't have an accurate record of my swimming distance, but the year end stats for running/biking are as follows (and this is just what my Garmin recorded, there were several times I had to go without it):
Running: 593.81 miles
Biking: 1110.39 miles
Hmmm...putting it that way makes this endeavor look more crazy than I expected, lol!
Lessons learned during training? While training in the heat of this Florida summer really sucked, it upped my conditioning like nothing else could, I think. Because I had so many miles to go through on some weekends, even starting crazy early wouldn't end my workout before noon...and nothing makes you question your sanity quite like running a 10 miler in 98 degree heat. But the naps I got in after some of those workouts were epic... E-P-I-C.
There were times of extreme frustration for me, which I tried to keep to myself. I'm not an athlete by nature--I'm very slow and sometimes I wished that I were faster, better, stronger, smaller, whatever. But the fact is, I swim/bike/run in a slow and steady fashion and I have completed all three distances separately. My nervousness is because of the TOGETHER part of the IM. But I think I just need to keep my hydration and nutrition en pointe to be able to finish them all together. I may never be able to WIN a race, but I'm generally stubborn enough to finish it, no matter the time. The time limit for the Ironman is 17 hours...my hope is to finish in 16:59:59 or sooner.
I know I've told my husband, R, that I would NEVER do this again...but I have to admit, I've fallen in love with triathlons. The swimming was my nemesis, but I think I've learned to like it, even if open water is not exactly my favorite. The biking is just fun, I feel like a kid on a bike. The running is just something I do...it's how I've kept my sanity for many years and can't see myself ever going to a time where I don't run.
I sincerely hope that all of my efforts are making a small difference for Semper Fido. There were definitely days that I REALLY didn't want to get up at 0430 on a Saturday to run for 10 miles or bike for 50 miles...but it's easier to do when I think about the fact that this organization is something I support fully. I may not make them million or thousands (or even hundreds) in donations, but I worked my rear end off (not really...ironically, I gained weight while training) in the hopes that maybe one more dog can be trained for one more veteran with PTSD or other disabilities. I can't say how much that means.
http://www.semperfido.org/donate.htm
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