The Final Countdown!

It's T-minus 5 days and counting. Everything still feels good - no sore muscles, no tight IT bands, no nuthin'! Sparkle and I took a bike ride on Sunday, and I was really starting to "feel my fitness." Those are the days that you just want the race to feel like.

I've been trying to get all my stuff together for the weekend. I've got lots and lots of lists so I don't forget anything. My room looks like a triathlon store exploded.

Packing for a race is generally no problem, but this is more like packing for an expedition. Not only do I need race clothes, but the weather is iffy and I need clothes for any number of weather conditions: rain, sun, clouds, cold, blazing heat, etc. Then I need workout clothes for swimming, biking, and running the few days before the race. Plus, clothes for going out to dinner, going to the pre- and post- race meals, sleeping, just kicking around, etc. I've got a LOT of stuff to take. Good thing I've got this big truck!

Today when I got home from my run, I had a package waiting for me. The return address told me it was from Mike and Meghan Klein, my cousin and his very cool wife from Seattle. Inside was a great card and possibly the most thoughtful gift I've ever received. First, a little background. In the fall of 2004, I flew to New Zealand for 2 weeks to hang out with Mike and Meghan during their 7-month "vacation" in Kiwi-land. We had a blast driving from one sketchy holiday park to the next. We bungeed, hiked, ate PB & honey sandwiches and about 40 avocado, devoured hokey pokey ice cream, and drank beer. Our favorite beer was the Speight's - The Pride of the South. I think we drank a 12-pack a day for the whole trip. Of course, that meant Meghan and I each had 2 and Mike played clean-up on the remaining beverages.... The last few days of my time in NZ, we went searching for Speight's souvenirs. We found Mike a shirt and some koozies, but all the shirts were too big for Meghan and me, so I basically came home empty-handed. I left Mike and Meghan with instructions to keep searching after I had left, but they ended up not ever finding anything.

This is a picture of the koozie that I came home from New Zealand with:

Mike spent some serious time in front of the computer designing this and making it into a shirt for me:

It's WAY better than a real Speight's shirt, and the best part is just how thoughtful those 2 are and what great friends we've become over the last few years! Thanks guys! I love it!

This is probably going to be my last post before the big day! Thank you all for reading along over the last year, for all your comments, for all your encouragment, for all your love! THANKS!

Tapering Is What I Do, In Week Two

God Bless the Taper! Just when I thought I couldn't get much more cranky about training, I finally hit my big taper week. I know that I still have workouts to do, but when the end is actually in sight, it makes it much easier to just do it.

I'm not really to panic-stage about anything having to do with the race... yet! I feel like I've done the training that I needed to do, and now I just want to go race. I keep thinking about a couple other times this year that I've felt calm like this, and they always seemed to turn out decent performances for me. So, that is a big confidence boost going into this last week.

I haven't done much open water swimming in these past few weeks and needed to, so I decided that I wouldn't go back to the pool any more this season; I'd just go swim in the lake. Getting myself to and into the pool has really been a struggle most of the past year. I'm always fine once I get going, but I just hate "going" there. As I draw closer to the race, I am starting to note things that I don't ever have to do again until the race is over. Checking "going to the pool" off of that list helps tremendously! I went to Peterson Pits twice last week with Mike and had good swims both times.

I didn't much of anything on the bike this week since I did my longer runs on Sunday and then Saturday of this week. The two rides I did were pretty short, but felt great.

The running has been the hardest thing for me to cut back on. I've always loved to run, and now that I am starting to feel rested, I want to run even more! After my 5-miler on Saturday with Sparkle, I was ready to do about 10 more! The 5 miles just felt like a warm-up! That's a good feeling to have, but I have to remember to take it a bit easier, so I am well-rested for next weekend.

It's kind of a balancing act, getting everything timed to peak at the same moment: September 10, 2006. I have to keep putting in good quality workouts without killing myself in the process. And, part of me is ready to have a "normal" life back NOW! While I am trying to make sure that I am eating well and not eating too much or too much junk, I still want to go out and "be amoung the people." So, I did go out on Friday night with Sparkle for dinner and a beverage or two, then when out again on Staurday night with another friend for another dinner and another beverage or two. Plus, it is Labor Day weekend, so there is all kinds of other fun stuff going on that involves food and beverages. Yikes! In one more week, I can let 'r rip!

Week 2 Weekly Round-Up (Sunday thru Saturday):

Swim: 3200 yards

Bike: 1 hour, 30 minutes

Run: 20.5 miles

Cross-Training: trying not to do any!!