If I say I am gonna do something, I do it...

I am an Ironman. Yes I am.

On October 8th 1999, I locked myself in my apartment, layed in bed for a week, and kicked heroin for the final time. Kicking heroin is a painful process. It involves puking and diarrhea, as well as joints that ache all all the way down to the bone. Now that I think about it, it sounds a lot like Ironman pain! Sorry - I had to make a joke about that comparison.

No, but seriously though.

The race went well. I nailed my nutrition (thanks COACH JEN), as well as my goals, which were to:

* Finish strong.
* Under 15 hours
* Have no need for the medical tent

I can do anything I set my mind to.

Final time 14:21. Race report coming soon.......

Picture taken by Kristi - THANK YOU!

READY

This is it. Bike is checked in. Gear bags are checked in. Finished my special needs bags which will get turned in tomorrow in transition. Now we are chillin' out in the room after dinner.

We have been having a good time. There are over 3000 triathletes downtown within a 4 block radius. Compression socks and aero helmets everhwere.

I have tons to talk about but I have to go now. I am doing an Ironman in the morning.

3 days....

Bib# 1609
Athlete tracker www.ironman.com

I found this blog post from My Space that I wrote 2 years ago 8/3/07, before I had even met Dominic. Look, I didn't even get the bike mileage correct. I remember, someone left me a comment that it was 112 miles.

Ironman

I can't get it out of my mind.

Ironman is a 2.4 mile swim, 110 mile bike ride, 26.2 mile run. The ultimate challenge for a triathlete. It's all I think about. I am dreaming about it. Waking up anxious. Maybe because I am now getting ready for my 3rd triathlon and feeling stronger than ever.

I want it so badly. I wish I could change my next tri to a half IM distance instead of the pussy mini distance I signed up for. Not that a .6 mile swim, 28 mile ride and 6 mile run is nothing. It's just that I have already proved to myself that I can do well in an olympic distance triathlon and need to move on to bigger and better races.

It's HERE! I am getting PUMPED!

Thanks for all of your comments and kind words! Many of you have sent private emails that I have printed out to read again on race day. THANK YOU!

******************************************

So I am pretty much done packing. The plan is to leave here early tomorrow morning. Dominic is working tonight and still has to come home and work on my bike and pack bike tools.

Yesterday I brought the dogs outside to go on their walk and found this:



I had a BIGGEST temper tantrum you ever saw. I came inside and woke Dominic up. Then I jumped up and down and Dominic said the entire house shook. Then I ran outside and screamed "I hate this EFFING neighborhood!". My neighbor across the street came out and asked what happened. I must have sounded like I was batshit CRAZY! Later I paid $175.00 to a glass company to come out and fix it.

I don't know who did it. Clearly I was targeted though, not sure why. Just what I needed, more stress. But I am over it now. What's done is done.

I'll try to post again before the race. Thanks again for reading and taking the time to comment.

XXOO-
Judi

Fun

Today I felt like I had so much energy. I was talking a mile a minute to anyone who would listen. I even stopped by Amanda's work (I pass it a lot since it's like 3 miles from my house) and we stood in the parking lot and talked. We're both so jacked up. But then she can just sit down and fall asleep and I am like zooming around on pent up adrenaline or something. It's a weird feeling. Anyways, we were both blabbing on and on for about 40 minutes.

I came home and rode rollers for 50 minutes (4x90 second in zone 4-5) and had a nice sweaty workout. Ran after for 3.5 miles. Came home and had some salad and a bean and cheese burrito with strawberries. I am starting to slow down now.

A morning at the lake with the dogs.



Talk about a great stress reliever. I met my friend Connie and she brought two of her Dobes and they played ball for an hour. Fausto is just getting the hang of fetching. He will chase the ball but doesn't bring it back. He LOVED chasing Connie's dogs, chasing the ball. He learned to swim and not just hop through the water.



The videos are hilarious.

Monday Monday

For the last 9 weeks I have had the most intense training I think I'll ever do in my lifetime. More miles than I can count. Weeks and weeks of tough workouts. My body is ready. My head is not.

The taper is totally fucking with my head. I feel anxious. I have been looking forward to this for weeks and weeks and now it's here and I am not liking it! There has GOT to be an OFF switch somewhere!

Anyways, I am very emotional.

*I cried at traffic court this morning when I got out of my speeding ticket but had to pay huge court costs.

*I blew up at Dominic yesterday and left to ride without him when he was still fucking with the computer on his bike at 2:30pm.

*I almost ripped this dude's head off at the dog park last night when he couldn't get control of his malinois (that he had no business owning).

*I was mean to my Mom.

*I wanted to do heroin today. Yes, it was that bad.

Today I got a bunch of long awaited errands done - oil change (over 3000 miles!), Target (found my Cliff Mini's!), TJ Maxx - (on the off chance they had a cool running shirt. Yea, cuz I don't know what the fuck I am wearing yet for the Ironman). Post Office.

When I finally went to the pool for my swim I just did not feel like doing it. I waited until 4pm to go! When I got there I saw my lane was open and I sat down to look at my set. I put my feet in. Fuck that's cold. And I was in the indoor pool! I finally said to myself "You better hurry up and get in that pool cuz you are doing an Ironman this weekend".

And that got me going.

The weather predictions for Sunday have been everything from mid-70's and cloudy, to sunny and 81. I am not looking again until the day before. I have a feeling that this will be the first Ironman Louisville that wetsuits will be legal.

Ironman. I can't believe I am doing this.

I am outta here. I am taking the dogs to meet Sandi and her dog Mica for a walk in the woods tonight. One more thing to check off the taper list........

P.S. I'll give ya the story of the 'cross bikes after this is over. It deserves a post of it's own.

A Dominic Creation

Try and guess......

Blah

The tone of this post is gonna be all blah. I feel blah. I feel tired, cranky (PMS) and but maybe it's because I was up at 5:30am and on my way to the Y for a short 2400y swim. Yes, anything under 3K is short to me these days (Thanks JEN XXOO!). It was a great swim.

500 w/u
8x50 (drill, swim)
7x100 descend
3x100 hard
300 kick
200 c/d

Yesterday I swam at East Fork lake for an hour. Part of the time I swam alone, and then Sandi joined me for the last 40 minutes. I was freaked out swimming by myself. I always imagine dead bodies floating around me. I panic for a sec, and then get myself together and keep swimming. But shit, it was much better when Sandi got there.

Then I came home to a house full of people getting their bikes tuned up. Yay! Not that many, really, just 3 people, but still. Dominic is doing level 1 tune ups for 20 bucks in our basement. Pretty good deal.

After chatting for a bit, I headed out for a 6 mile run. I felt good. Really good. When I got back, Jess was here having new tires put on her bike, and she said "You look tiny!" which made me feel pretty good.

This Sunday Dominic and I are celebrating 2 years together. It's hard to believe it's only been 2 years since we met. It seems like a lifetime. We have finally settled down and stopped the fighting. Our lives are perfect. I love you Dominic!!

Bib#1609
1 week 1 day.
Time to start making lists.

Peak

Me and Amanda did our last long ride together on Sunday. It was a great ride. We met down on the Ohio side and rode out to Augusta from Kellogg ave. Most of the time we doubled up and talked shit, not really hammering. On these long rides, it takes me 20 miles to just spin my legs and warm up to really get going. I am really good at pacing myself. I never go out hard. Ever. I like to take it easy so I can go all out at the end.

So we took the first 30 or so miles pretty easy and then I held her wheel (on her new bad ass Cervelo PT) for a while. We got to the ferry pretty fast. It's all flat. Crossed over into KY. We rode through the town of Augusta and then down route 8 for some rolling hills.

The last 45 miles we just talked and rode. I felt really good. Like I could just ride and ride and ride. On the way back we had a nice tailwind and the time just flew by. I dropped her off in Newport and I headed back to my car on the Ohio side. I rode past my car to map out a 2 mile out and back for my t-run.

92 miles total on the bike. And no back pain.

Got back to my car, changed into my running shoes, shoved my bike in the car, grabbed my insulated bottle of water and took off with some gels. I ran the half mile to the bathrooms where I had to get more water and splash water on my face. It was fucking HOT. Easily 88 degrees + 80% humidity.

Back to the run. I headed down Eastern and felt pretty fucking good. My legs felt totally solid and I was pumped full of adrenaline and my body was just going strong. I wasn't going fast, but I was running. The sun was beating down on me. I kept running. Got to my 2 mile turn around and headed back, still feeling good, but HOT as hell. Not running fast, but not stopping to walk much. Making it back to the car after 4 miles, I layed down to stretch.

Doing the usual IT band stretches, and hip openers, right there on the hot ass pavement. And then, I pop up from my stretch and do 10 perfect pushups (the real kind, not the "girl" kind). Just like that. Still feeling like I could keep going. I can't explain how I felt. I felt totally and completely pumped up, jacked up, ready to fucking GO.

I told Amanda and she said I am "peaking". She says it's cool to see. What the hell kind of hormones does "peaking" release?

That last long brick was such a good way to end my IM training and move into the taper. I feel like I could take on anyone and anything. I feel like I have something flowing through my veins making me feel so damn GOOD. Whatever is going on, I love it.

This will be me in 2 weeks!!

Football losers and %'s that matter

The pool this morning. It was set up for 50y long course. I swam inside though. It was too dark to swim outside when I got there for my set of 3200.



I KNEW I was feeling smaller. My clothes all fit different. Dominic keeps saying my body composition is changing. Everyday I feel a little bit different. Food seems to slide right through me. Strangers tell me I look "fit".



I wanted to get a body fat test during my peak of IM training. I always go to Rainer. He does a 9 point caliper test and HOLLA! I am down to 14% even. That's 2.8% lower than June 1st. I am a pound heavier too. I wonder how long it's going to take to gain this weight back after the IM!

In other news - The Eagles SUCK ASS! Tell them they suck. Call Dave Spadaro At (215) 339-6709 is right on their website. You can also email them here.

To do list for taper, and a another day of training....

I met Amanda at the lake for an open water swim Sunday morning. Isn't that just the most beautiful picture? The lake was wonderful. I felt great in the water. I love swimming open water. Amanda was like a fish, fast as hell.

Sunday's ride sucked ass. Dominic is just not an endurance athlete. I don't know why I even try to go on rides longer than 50 miles with him. He likes to go VERY FAST for shorter distances. So anyways, he bonked at mile 75 - 10 miles from the car. I rode back to the car, shoved my bike in, and took off. Next thing I know I am getting pulled over. Cop says I was doing 42 in a 25. I tell the cop the situation, that Dominic's 10 miles down the road, hurt, in the sweltering heat (It had to be 93 and 90% humidity). The fucking prick of a cop tells me to "sit tight". 15 minutes later he hands me a speeding ticket for $179.00! What a dickhead, right?

This week is still pretty gritty as far as mileage goes. My schedule says "taper starts" but I don't see it. I still have a long run (15ish) and a long ride (90)+ t-run. So the training isn't slowing down much. I have a list of things I am going to do when I really do taper:


1. Paint the bedroom (needs one more coat).

2. Acupuncture

3. Go to Ikea.

4. Take the dogs to a lake to swim.

5. Take the dogs for long hikes and just walk slow.

6. Figure out how to make this a 3 column blog (suggestions?)

7. Take Fausto and Ari to the dog park.

8. Get my eyebrows waxed (think - unibrow).

9. Get over to Ludlow ave (in a CAR!) and buy more incense at Jen's shop.

10. Drive to my old obediance club for new leashes for the dogs.

News

+ RIP Susan. Yesterday I just happened to have worn my Fat Cyclist jersey, for the first time in months.....sleep peacefully Susan.

+ Nani the Minpin has been adopted! Go read about his new home. Congrats to Zanne and family! It got a little hectic when more than a few people became very interested in him. But in the end, he got the very best home, and we are thrilled. Plus they race bicycles. I'll get to see him at all the 'cross races this year! Love and miss you little Nani!

+ Training has taken on a whole new level of pain. My legs STAY tired. I just gotta keep moving until the workout is done and then sleep. Then onto the next workout. Plan the next workout in my head. And when to mow the lawn. And on and on.....

+ Dominic's birthday was yesterday. He is 36. We rode. Fixies+3 hours=trashed legs. Stopped for gelato and chocolate muffins. And Diet Coke.

+ I can't believe how physically FIT I am. I compare myself on hills that killed me 4 months ago, and how they feel now. I feel so STRONG. I may not be fast....but I am strong! You wanna arm wrestle bitch?

+ Can someone please suggest a good fuel belt? I had one, it just held my cell phone and a few gels. I need a new one.

+ 3 weeks, 3 days. I can't believe it.

You might be training for an Ironman when.....

1. You can't sleep at night because you had too many caffenated gels with the PM workout.

2. You wear your shorts inside out. All day long.

3. You end up doing your grocery shopping in your dirty grungy bike shorts since you haven't had time to shower.

4. You yawn during sex.

5. You do your long run in a thunderstorm with lightening, because there is no other time to get it done.

6. You feel anxious until ALL of your workouts for the day are finished.

7. You are "saving your legs" and give the dogs bones instead of walking them for 30 minutes.

8. You talk about shitting your pants during workouts with your training buddies a lot.

9. You schedule PTO time from work for long training days.


10. You are sick of talking about how tired you are.