It's Getting REAL Folks

I don't even know where to begin! My Ironman journey is slowly winding down (less than 2 weeks!) and I'm nervous.  Less training = more time and I've been enjoying it... but maybe a little TOO much!  This past weekend I drank both Friday AND Saturday night!  Gasp!  Oh the horror!  Friday night was a friend's birthday then Saturday night was just dinner with friends that ended at a new South African wine bar down the street.  I heart South African pinotage - the only red wine I actually enjoy - so I just HAD to indulge in a few glasses.  It was nice to see my friends again but I couldn't help but feel guilty.  My little Ironman angel on my shoulder was taunting me... "You should be home in bed by now!  I'll allow you only one glass of wine!  Four? You want four glasses??  You're gonna be sorry...!" 

I also didn't eat that well either, but I did have delicious food all weekend.  Sunday night capped it off with a Great NY Steak cooking class at the Culinary Institute.  I bought Simon this for his birthday since we always seem to mess up steak at home.  It was a good class and as a whole (10 people) we made shrimp cocktail, clams casino, caesar salad, filet mignon with a cognac sauce, NY sirloin, pork chops, mashed potatoes with truffle oil, creamed spinach and bread pudding.    And yes, I ate all of that!!!  I personally made the mashed potatoes and the cognac sauce.  Simon butchered a huge piece of filet mignon and was the searing/cooking master. 

Once crazy thing did happen though... which may have ended with burnt eyebrows & eyelashes.... So I put the oven on to pre-heat for 400 degrees.  After Simon was done searing the meat on the stove he opened the oven and WHOOSH!!!  There was a huge blast and flames shot out singing his eyebrows and long eyelashes!!!  My back was turned when it happened so I only heard it and felt the heat on my back.  It was intense!  Luckily he was fine minus some hair but he doesn't look like a freak or anything! phew!

As far as the training went, last week was one of my worst weeks of training.  My legs were just so incredibly tired.  I biked my slowest times in Central Park since I've started training and had to cut the ride 20 minutes short.  I also ran for an hour that felt like 4 hours.  My swimming went really well at least and I nailed a 4800 yard swim.  When the weekend workouts came, I was worried I would feel like crap.

Saturday was a 2 hour ride with a 1:30 run.  I rode up to Nyack & back with some friends and my legs definitely felt better.  Not awesome, but better.  To my surprise for my brick run, my legs felt AMAZING!  I knocked off 6 miles in 52 minutes and felt great.  I decided to cut the run short because it was now the middle of the day and I was just too hot. 

Oh on the ride I got a flat on my rear tire. Of course it had to be the rear one, right?? Those suckers are tricky to get off with the way the fancy aero brakes are hidden behind the frame. It didn't take too long to change and I found a piece of glass stuck in my tire. I actually just ordered new tires to put on as mine are worn down from all the training. They should be arriving this week so I'll change them out and get a few miles on them before Placid.


Sunday was just an hour run with 4x 800's thrown in.  I didn't have the same pep in my step as I had the day before and it took me a while to warm up.  But after about 2.5 miles, my legs came around and I felt better.  I also got my first sports massage of the season.  Man, I thought massages were supposed to be relaxing!!  Not so much.  I really wanted the junk flushed out of my legs and the massage therapist did just that.  I also learned that my right glute is wayyyyy tighter than my left one.  My butt kinda hurts today after all that "massaging" aka torture!  Ouch

I know this post is a little all over the place but I actually don't have much to say.  I'm nervous as heck.  I'm making lists.  Packing list, race nutrition lists, race day lists, food lists, house lists... I want everything to be as easy as possible when I get up to Placid.  I got slightly overwhelmed when I got the athlete guide & race number earlier this week.  Emails, blogs, twitter, facebook, beginnertriathlete forums all started blowing up!  I partook in that of course, but after a while I had to stop reading it all.  I was just getting TOO nervous.  It got TOO real for me!

I still feel like I have another year to train for this... nope... it's in 13 days... GULP!

and oh yeah.... I'm number 137!