I lived....



-OneRepublic

Well, I've taken the jump,  Team Bobkat has 4 week completed out of an 8 week base training program. April 27 will be the official start of being embedded in the triathlon world and tackling the insurmountable goal, 140.6 miles this August. 

Fear the fall?
Now, why would anybody or any body's body fear swimming 3.8k, biking 180k, running 42.2 k, back to back, in that order, to be completed in under 17 hours, where anything, absolutely anything is possible.

Anything?! Riiiiiigggght...

This doesn't included the endless hours and hours of sweating, drinking more fluids than the Great Lakes hold, testing & re-testing my heart rate threshold wondering if this will be the moment I will have a heart attack or stroke, & my sports bra becoming thee enemy. To all the ladies, you know what I am talking about, maneuvering yourself out of a sweaty wet bra without breaking an arm. A sweaty sports bra can be like being in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) where taking a sports bra off can be a mix of martial arts. And of course, let's not forget Murphy's Law of Cycling-there will be a headwind in both directions. Always. And these are some of the things that I will be enduring over the next few months, of course, all self inflicted, so that, I will be all to be able to hear the words,  "You are an Ironman" 

My biggest fear is having to eating gels. 

So what's new with me? 

The chlorine is now my choice of perfume. My saddle has turned into my sofa. There seems to be endless sea laundry. Reading and TV time is slowly becoming nap time. Oreo Ice Cream is my new best friend (love at first taste). Team Bobkat has a new team member, Netflix. And this week, I got snail mail from Tri Mac Squared, Sarah.

The road to Ironman begins with a training schedule & a buddy system. Sticking to a plan can turn out to be the most challenging part. My support team during this training is going to be important. Team Bobkat, Bobby, Tri Mac Squared, Sarah, Flatout Jim & Coach Keith have been keeping me faithful so far. So in advance,  thank you for being apart of this life journey, complaining with me, comparing various aches & pains, laughing with me, pushing me when times get tough & helping me to be honest and sticking with the plan. 

If you are happy and you know it, ride your bike...

Training has been lots of repetitive leg spinning. So far, the long bikes have been three, 2 hour bikes and one, 3 hour bikes plus many bricks. Yep, you read that right, three hours of spinning on a turbo trainer, in one spot, a party of three, Bobby, Netflix and me. 

My running is coming....slowly. No knee pain (yet) and a little shin pain that is because I am in good hands. The people at ProActive Physio, Topsail Roas Massage Therapy and Core Insight are all helping me towards crossing the finish line in all original body part. And with their help, maybe, I will have my original knees in my golden years. 

TRAINING

At 5:15 am, one of the three, 2 hour rides, happen this morning, team Bobkat, were bright-eyed (red eyed) and bushy tailed (bed head) sitting on the "sofa" with side-kick Neflix & fuel- orange, cheese, crackers, 2 bottles of G2 and a pool of sweat, and apparently, no one ever drowned in sweat, I almost beg to differ. The first 60 mins, during the endurance rides feel like what death row might feel like-60 mins of spinning easy but in reality I find it more mentally changeling, like watching a pot of water boil. 

What a great way to start a Friday morning, only thing is by 9am, I was wanting a kat nap. 5pm yet? 

The Plan-"So for every day that you're on this earth, for every minute that you have, the whole idea is doing nothing less than exactly what you feel you're supposed to do and squeezing every last drop out of life every day, regardless of the difficulties or trials that you face."  -Ryan Tedder

This Sunday is another 3hr spin with 3x (10 mins @ Tempo' / 3 x 3 mins E3 (threshold) with 3 mins recovery). Start after 60 mins @ E1 10 mins E1 recovery between efforts. & 40min brick.  Let the chafing begin.

I hope that you spend your days, but they all add up
And when that sun goes down, hope you raise your cup
Oh, I wish that I could witness all your joy and all your pain
But until my moment comes, I'll say...

I, I did it all
-kat