2 days...

In 2 days I will be competing with 2800+ of my closest friends in Ironman CDA.

Wednesday:
Our travels were eerily easy. No delays. All luggage made it. Easy drive to our rental home.

Thursday:
woke up to the trees swaying and the waves crashing. thunder. lightening. rain.
luckily this didn't last too long, so we can get in an early morning swim from the beach that the race is on. Our beautiful rental home in on e water with a dock, but we thought it would be nice to actually practice at the actual race site. The water was chilly, but bearable. I had a hard time catching my breath for the first few minutes. I figured out that since I am not able to take my normal deep breaths with this cold and the inability to breathe out of my nose, i have to breathe every other stroke. We practiced some run in and outs and then called it a day. Brrr.
We drove the bike course. The first third of the course is real scenic. only one larger climb on this section. the second third is pretty technical. Some steep descents with sharp curves. (IronGreg rode one particular descent today and wiped out but he is okay. Maybe one day he will learn that you go faster on your wheels)
We rode our bikes on the run course. My legs felt great. Snot-o-rama! I feel bad for anyone riding around me on Sunday.

Friday:
 another early morning swim. Air temp around 45 this morning. A little different from those 70 degree mornings at home. This time I knew what to do to help my lungs get air. I felt good in the water. Although the waves make sighting difficult.
Did some successful shopping in the expo. and now it's time to relax before an afternoon jog.

I did make a minor run adjustment. I typically have done run 4 minutes and walk 1 minute. With the hills, this didn't work. I learned during my 16 miler that hills and a time method don't work since I have to walk up the hills. I adjustment my plan to be run until I need to walk up a hill. Well, there aren't many hills on the run after all. So timex watch on sale at the Timex tent in Ironman Village and back to running a 4:1 for the marathon.

My calf is taped up with Kinesio tape. I just need to tape up my shin now.

I didn't bring my laptop, so I am borrowing one, so Iw ill try to update again before Sunday.

208

sunday I will be lucky number 208
you can track me at www.ironman.com using their athlete tracker.

208 is an area code in Idaho. I take this as a good sign.

IronGreg is 1154.

ART

I have been getting ART - Active Release Technique by Dr. Rob Green at Active Chiropractic throughout my training due to my chronic compartment syndrome.

You may have read about me bitching whining talking about this condition. It's a total PITA.
I have been dealing with it since 2008. In 2009 I caved and had a compartment release done on my lateral fascial compartment (the outside shin muscle). It left me with a fierce scar. and that muscle will never be as strong as it once was. But I can pick up my foot again when running.

Throughout training for IMCDA, this condition reared it's ugly head. Dagger. the compartment under my soleus (which is under the gastroc) started giving me a helluva time.

This time I decided to tray a new approach. Active Release. It's supposedly has a high success rate. I decided to give it a try. for about a month I went and saw Rob 3x/week for my torture sessions. Although my skin was left with some bruising and the muscles were tender for a day - holy cow - it really does work! I slowly worked my way down to one session a week. today was my last pre-race treatment. And we applied some Kinesio tape with instructions on how to apply pre-race.

My calf is loose and ready to try this running thing.

Thanks, Rob!

140.6 thoughts

In 10 days I will be competing in my second Ironman - Ironman Coeur d'Alene in CDA, Idaho.
This day I will go for a morning swim for 2.4 miles.
this ride around the town on my bike, Diamond, for 112 miles.
then finish off the day by jogging 26.2 miles.

I don't really have an overall finish time goal. Odd, I know. I felt the same at kinetic. I think about the goals for each split and they total up one way or another at the end of the day.

This time, however, will be long. so long in fact that I come to you, my friends, for 140.6 thoughts to keep me going throughout the day. (Note: I cannot take credit for this grand idea)
the last .6 miles I will be thinking about the finish line.
So my challenge for you, is to actually comment for a change and give 140 things to ponder on June 26th.
Before the race I will list them out...
I look forward to reading your thoughts.

La Fresh and So Clean Clean

As I headed off to Belize, one of my besties introduced me to the coolest products ever.
La Fresh
They have all kinds of travel products in a wipe form!
I have packed the Sun Screen wipes in my transition bags for Ironman. A great way to quickly apply sunscreen to my face as I head out for each leg.

Dory or Nemo?

This morning I had a great swim.
the pool is hot - which can slow you down.
the pool is shallow - which can slow you down.
BUT
I hit a new 100 meter time - 1:30!
A few months ago I hit 1:31, but I typically am in the mid-1:30's.
You can call me Dory or Nemo - I will let you pick :)

I have a draft post that has been hanging out since I returned from training camp over memorial day weekend.
Maybe one day I will finish it and post it.

1 day until Diamond (my bike) leaves for CDA.
7 days until I leave for CDA.
11 days until IMCDA.