Bring on the heat!

If you're in the DC area, you know how we went from beautiful Spring-like weather to super windy low 30s almost overnight. Despite having done all but 2 of my runs outside this winter, heading out tonight was brutal...it's time to bring on the heat! Yes, I had kind of gotten used to running in the cold and even found myself complaining about the heat during my runs in Curacao and Miami, but the reality is complaining about the heat is just not an option for me, because our race in Louisville is going to be HOT HOT HOT!  

Louisville is notorious for its brutally hot course. The swim is never wetsuit legal, the bike is sunny and hot and the run...well, I've heard horror stories of dehydration and even those that survived the course warn that it is basically going to be miserable. So, if I can't handle the heat on short vacation runs, Louisville is going to kill me!

Lucky for me I watched a webinar a few weeks ago called The Psychology of Suffering. In the webinar Mental Skills Coach Carrie Cheadle talks about the importance of training your brain for the race. Completing an ironman, or really any endurance event, takes a lot of physical endurance, but a huge part of it is also your mental strength and just like you have to train your body, you also have to train your brain.

As Carrie says, "sometimes the greatest obstacle between an athlete and their goals is themselves." I'd go even further and say that:

Often the greatest obstacle between a person and their goals is themselves.

This is a topic that is very interesting to me on both a personal and professional level, because I think we are often our own worst enemy. For over 20 years I had a debilitating fear of dark water. A fear that limited my ability to pursue many of my goals and dreams. A fear that I finally overcame last year using a combination of mental skills training and systematic behavior intervention. Now whenever I feel fear I look at the wave tattooed on my left wrist and remember that I am stronger than fear. I created what mental skills trainers call a personal mantra that I know will get me through those moments when fear is likely to try to take over.

I've also found a way to deal with my next mental battle: Louisville's heat.

The fact is, I can complain about it all I want, but it's not going to go away and unless I learn to embrace it, I won't survive it. How's that for some psychology of suffering?

So, how am I going to handle it? While I won't tattoo this mantra on my body, I am definitely going to be repeating it to myself many times during training and on race day, because 

If IslandGirl can't handle the heat, who can?

Ready, set, GO!

If the Ironman was a 28-day event, I'd be so ready for it! But since I only have 17 hours I'm nowhere near ready..That's what the next 6 months are for with our IM training program officially starting this week!

Total February Miles:
Swim - 9000 meters
Bike - 147 miles
Run - 50.5 miles

February was actually a great training month as I finally got into a steady 5-6 days a week pattern. Of course our IM training schedule is 6-7 days a week, so I have some more adjusting to do and I think it'll take some time getting used to not having days off, but there are a few built into the schedule and I have great plans for those few rest days we'll have over the next 6 months (think massage, couch, books and shut-eye). We're not jumping in head first our first week as this week is an easy assessment week and I'm feeling good about it. I can comfortably swim 2500 meters in a pool, most rides have been on a trainer but 2 hours don't feel quite as long anymore, and I probably upped my run miles the most and am stoked that despite running as much as 20 miles in a week, my knees have felt strong.

When I think about the road ahead, it's still a bit daunting, but I am also excited beyond belief! We had our kick-off training meeting last week where we met our coach and program leaders and I know we are in awesome hands for this journey. They're going to be great resources and it was also nice to meet some fellow program members. We're the only ones in the group doing Louisville, but there's something powerful about knowing that you have a group that will be going through the same process you are!

Pablo and I also realized how lucky we are not only to have each other as training partners but also to have flexible jobs because it sounds like by the time we hit summer all we'll be doing is working out, eating and sleeping...I'm not going to lie, I'm pumped about it!

Just what does Ironman training look like at it's peak?

Here's a snapshot of our heaviest training weeks:

May - 16hr10min

June - 15hr25min

Photos: Weekly Summary taken on Trainingpeaks app for iPhone (which is awesome!)