HTFU

I'm staring at 32 days until the gun goes off at Ironman Coeur d'Alene.

That countdown timer has whittled its way down from triple to double digits and, before too long, to single. There are a two or three more intense-ish weeks remaining until I begin my taper (sadly, at the same time school lets out for summer; now I really am grateful for Swine Break '09), and the workouts are every bit of that: Intense.

This past weekend was to see a century & follow-up run, but, due to the aforementioned Swine Break, the SAT I promised to proctor was rescheduled for this past Saturday. While the bike ride was definitely out, the run was still a possibility -- until the heavens opened up, literally, as I handed in my paperwork to the lead administrator. So, I went home & slept. Sunday was to be a bike ride to the gym, weight workout & swim, followed by a ride home. Stupidly, I left my bike lock at home, so I turned around at the gym and rode back home, narrowly avoiding being taken out by people in a hurry to get to church (seriously! two cars, making turns into two separate entrances, nearly took me out -- my front tire actually hit the rear bumper of the second car). By the time I made it home, I was livid and unwilling to do anything. Then N--- came over and game me a pep talk before she all but dragged me out the door to run with her. While the run was only six miles, and at a 9:something pace, it gave me a wakeup call: I need to harden the <expletive> up. Granted, it's not likely I'll have any near misses with the church crowd at Ironman, but I am likely to face some serious mental challenges out on course -- physical challenges, for certain -- and, unless I am fully prepared for anything that can get thrown at me, I may as well not even board the plane.

Hypocritically, I skipped this morning's workout, due only to nearly passing out after last night's harder-than-it-should-have-been 15-mile run, but did post a really good brick tonight. Swimming's scheduled for tomorrow morning, with the Ride of Silence having the green light for the evening. Meet at Hemisfair Park, if you're keen on the Ride of Silence; wheels down at 7:00. Yea or nea, keep an eye out for cyclists, and thanks for reading.