Ok, so I have been neglecting this blog, again, but the training is almost done, well really, the training is done. I am now in the taper stage of the training which basically means I am not going to get any faster or stronger for the race, but I am trying to maintain a consistent level of fitness and allowing all my muscles to heal so they are at their peak condition when it comes to race day, which happens to be this Sunday! My race number is 1581 and I will be starting in the 11th group at 8:15 am. If you want to track the race go to ironman.com. There is a field on the upper right where you can put in my number (1581) and you should be able to see how my progress is going.

In the past two weeks I have been very busy. One of the peaks of interest since my last post was the PGA TOUR MS 150 Cycle to the Shore. On October 2 at 7:30 am a couple thousand cyclists took off from St. Augustine Airport and made the bike ride all the way down to Daytona Beach. It was a great day for a ride, a little rainy at times, but the pace was great. I got the 85 miles done in just under 4 hours. Along the way I met up with a great group of riders, the Hammerheads. They are all part of the triathlon club here in Jacksonville. After hanging out with them I learned that they had all participated in an Ironman race of some kind. I mentioned I was going to be in Austin in a few weeks and we all had  a great time and I got to pick up some tips from some new friends.

Made it to Daytona!

The ride back the next day was brutal. Riding into a headwind the whole way back took us nearly 3.5 hours to ride 65 miles. After I got back to the airport I got on my running shoes and headed out onto the road for a training run. I figured it would be a great opportunity to get in a brick while I was exhausted from the ride. It was not a fun run. The heat was intense and I was hungry and thirsty. After a 4 mile run I finally got some drink and food, it had been a long weekend.

Ever since the ride I have been feeling a small pain in my rear, like a pinched nerve or something, which, good for race day, does not hurt when I swim, bike or run. Rather sitting or laying down are most unpleasant. Oh well, I’ll deal with it.

So It is just days away and I’ll be flying to Austin with wetsuit, bike, running shoes and about 20 other items I’ll need for the actual race. I am renting a mini-van while I am there just to manage with the bike. There is a lot of prep that goes into this thing!

This has been a very fast ten weeks and I can’t believe how soon I will be out there. I have enjoyed the training so much it has been a great lifestyle and I have been blessed with support from great friends and am so thankful for all of their encouragement.

The Austin race seems to be right here at my doorstep, I am looking forward to the experience and can’t wait to share the story of my experience when I am on the other side.

I must glance to the horizon for a moment to know that out there another challenge is waiting for me in the form of the full Ironman. Typical training for that race lasts 7 months with 22+ hours of training per week. But that is another post for another day.