Getting Closer to the Starting Line

IM Arizona is about 10 weeks away. At this point, we’ve got our training schedule down pat.

Monday: Bike and swim
Tuesday: Bike and long run
Wednesday: Swim
Thursday: Bike and hill run
Friday: Gym or bike or swim
Saturday: Long bike and run
Sunday: Hard swim and run

Pretty soon, my last year of grad school will wreak havoc with this finely tuned training schedule. Already, decreasing daylight has turned our two pre-work, long-ish weekday bike rides into three shorter rides.

This is where visualization (at least for me) comes in. More and more, as I’m training around Orange County, I visualize myself at Ironman in my sweet spandex outfit, swimming, biking and running my way toward the finish line - and this visualization keeps me going. I first learned about visualization as a high school cross country runner. Coach George would teach us girls to visualize each upcoming meet. George would send us off to visualize and we’d follow his instructions to a T. Typically, we’d visualize ourselves a mile down the road at the best ice cream shop in town. It always worked – we always got ice cream and then ran back to school, ready to race that Saturday.

Visualization is key for many, many athletes. It keeps your mental state focused and sharp. And it helps you prep again and again for race day. Maybe I should try visualizing bladder control…

Let me get reflective for a moment: I think I’ve come to the point of IM training where I think, “Man, we’ve been working hard since May. And geez, we still have a ways to go until we taper.” But the crazy thing is that we’re nearing the homestretch of training. And my favorite dri-fit run shirt smells like it. As do most of Tim’s shorts.

I am getting super pumped for Sunday, November 22. Come on legs, let’s go (get ice cream)!