Pre-ZOF

So here it is… the weekend where I’m gonna put it on the line… where I’ll see how my Ironman training is coming together…. This is the race that has me shivering in my big girl pants… even more than Lake Placid!
AMERICAN ZOFINGEN DUATHLON - LONG COURSE
Run 5 miles
Bike 84 miles
Run 15 miles

Here’s a little screen grab of the bike elevation

And the run elevation has some major climbing as well but for some reason I can't seem to capture that elevation.  Trust me - it's not gonna be easy.

And oh yes, I get to run that course not once, not twice... but four times! And the bike? I get to do that 3 times – wooooooo! Talk about preparing myself for Lake Placid!

I’ve been super, super nervous about this race. So nervous that I had to call my Coach last night for a pep talk. I was like, “um, what do I do on Sunday besides run, bike and run again???” It sounds so simple, but is it ever really that simple? Apparently yes.

Here’s my plan for Sunday.

- For the first 5 mile run, use it as a warm up. Jog it if I have to. Let the other crazies go out fast.
- Bike 84 miles: Take this time to really dial in to my body. How are my legs feeling? Heart rate? Nutrition? Focus on eating, drinking and maintaining a pace where I won’t be wiped out on the run. Let the other racers pass, give them a shoutout of encouragement and don’t focus on being passed.
- Run 15 miles: Hang on and let ‘er rip! I know I’m gonna feel tired and it’s going to be hard to run 15 miles after that insane bike course. I just need to stay within myself and finish.

In no way am I entertaining any idea of actually having a decent time in this race, but I do have a few goals.
- Remind myself that is a long training day. If I can tackle the mountains of Mohonk, the Lake Placid mountains will seem easy!
- Don’t come in last. No, really, I’m gonna try my hardest not to. There are literally only 15 women doing this race so I’ll be happy to be the 14th female finisher :)
- Embrace the pain! This is not going to be easy. There is nothing in my mind that says I am going to feel great during and after.

After my talk with Coach, I am starting to get excited about this weekend. The weather isn’t supposed to be spectacular but it might not be great on Ironman day so I just have to deal. Since there are only 15 women in the long course race, I do feel kinda bad ass for even signing up for it. Maybe even a little hardcore.  ok, fine... I. AM. OFFICIALLY. FREAKIN. EXCITED!!!!
Have a great weekend and I’ll fill you in on all the gory details early next week!