The Happy Turtle's Journey to the Start: An Ironman Tale

For those of you that believe that you have to be sleek, slim, cut and fast to be an Ironman, think again! Some of our bodies just don’t fit that mold but we have the guts to set our intention, make a plan and see it to the end. In my heart, I believe that turtles CAN fly! The turtle society is not just challenged by fitness, but by the time limits imposed by race companies insisting we keep up with the status quo so they can get to the bars before last call. Well, I suppose there has to be a cut off or us turtles might be out there for days enjoying the sun on our backs. Some stare at the turtles on the course wondering why it even embarks on such a journey and what purpose it has. It is old, weathered, wrinkled, and slow no matter how you twist it. I just know that you can train a turtle and the turtle might teach you a thing or two along the way. We are old and wise and we have a shell that cannot be broken. We want a taste of victory just like our other friends. I cannot find another creature that I am most like. Join me on my journey from start to end to help the Happy Turtle win again!

Sunday, April 1, 2012

The Turtle is Back on the Run: Confidence Boosters and Reminders

Another week done for the Iron Turtle!  It always feels good to complete another week of training and realize you are getting closer to your goal.  You go through peaks and valleys along the way and sometimes you want the clock to slow down to give you more time to prepare and other times you just want to race to the starting line.  This week had a few bumps in the road, but as my distances increase, so do my cravings for more.  This weekend was full of endorphins and a reminder of what I love about distance.  The more miles you cover comfortably, the more confident you become.  This week the turtle found her running legs!  For the first time in many months, I had a comfortable 10 mile run.  The legs are getting more in sync with my mind.

Ironman is not only about the daily training, but about the continual lessons we learn.

Confidence Boosters
1.  Completed 3.5 hour bike ride (a half a century never felt so good)
2.  Completed 10 mile run (and felt good)
3.  Stronger legs on bike with faster and more consistent cadence

Reminders
1.  Block time to practice changing flat (flatted 3 miles into long ride and though I made progress, still needed to call for help....that is not going to cut it on race day...so need to just add it to my schedule until I can do it in my sleep!)
2.  Little twinges in body are signals....listen to what your body is trying to tell you and be proactive (hydrate, stretch, sleep...yes still need reminders for all of those)
3.  Never give up when the cards are not in your favor.  Just shake it off and move forward.  What's done is done, but you can still change what lies ahead.  (I lost my group and time on my ride with my flat, but I pushed forward after I got my bike running and did what I had to do.  Let go of the bad workouts, they will happen.)

Upcoming Events: 
Session with Bike Fitter and decision on new bike tomorrow! 
Open water events and first Olympic Tri coming up in the next 2 weeks. 
VO2max testing
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2 comments:

  1. donnaApril 1, 2012 at 12:55 PM

    Lots of good reminders, especially the one about moving forward from a bad workout. In a way its good to have one every now and then. It makes me appreciate the good ones when they happen. Just hoping a bad day doesn't coincide with race day.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Matt HarveyApril 1, 2012 at 6:25 PM

    Your doing a great job and your a great encourager to everyone! Keep up the hard work you will be awesome!

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