Shout Outs to Our Sponsors

Five days to go.

I figured now would be an appropriate time to thank Team Middleton's sponsors. "But wait," you say, "I didn't know Tim and Sarah were sponsored triathletes." Okay, truthfully, we're not. But still, we wouldn't have gotten to this point in our Ironman journey were it not for the great supporters below.

1). The Chevron station at Irvine and Culver
- Oh yeah, could NOT have made it on those Santiago Canyon double loop rides without this Chevron's restroom and water fountain

2). Cook's Corner
- For restrooms and water and free entertainment (more on Cook's Corner in an earlier post)

3). Odwalla
- I'd like to personally thank the makers of the Vanilla Almond Protein drinks for getting me through all runs 16 miles plus. Just the thought of that tasty little bottle waiting in my fridge was enough to keep my legs moving.

4). Body Glide and Chamois Cream
- For obvious reasons...

5). Gu
- Whoever created the Chocolate Outrage Gu has my undying love. Every time I pop one of those little packets of pure energy, I just tell myself I'm eating chocolate icing. A lot of chocolate icing. Works like a charm.

6). Mother's Market
- Art, this is for you, man! Thanks for ringing up our granola, fruit, almond milk, Clif bars, yogurt, more Clif bars, juices, smoothies, pasta, rice and beans and so much more every Friday night. Our caloric intake just wouldn't have been the same without you or the goodness of Mother's Market.

Well, there you have it. The entities that have seen us through our Ironman training. I wonder if any of them want to sponsor us for real...

One Week to Go

Oh. My. Goodness! Ironman Arizona is one week away. How in the world did this happen?!

We're heading out on a two hour brick workout soon. Today marks the last day of Taper. Starting tomorrow, we head into Race week and reduce the volume of our workouts even more.

This time next week, we'll be swimming in Tempe Town Lake. Tim's swim plan? To swim around the buoys and finish in a respectable time. My swim plan? Avoid swallowing the detritus in the water.

Tim and I are now talking non-stop about Ironman. A conversation about what to have for dinner invariably turns into a race day nutrition talk. A conversation about getting the car's oil changed morphs into a discussion on race day transitions. We are wholly consumed.

Oh. My. Goodness...

Finding Mike Reilly, Part Deux

Back in October, I wrote about finding Mike Reilly, Ironman's race day announcer. My plan was to find Mike and convince him to play the song that symbolizes the Ironman finish line for me on November 22.

Um, about that plan...

I haven't found Mike. In fact, I haven't really tried to find Mike. I did look for him on Facebook, but to no avail. I did Google him a bit, but all that popped up were some archived interviews. And then I moved on to other important things - like homework and sleeping and ironing (oh wait, Tim did the ironing).

The good news is that I would make a very bad stalker. The bad news is that my quest to find Mike might just have to wait until Team Middleton lands in Tempe, AZ. And that's just a few short days away...

Stay tuned.

This Is How We Ride

Since we're documenting our IMAZ training, it's a necessity that we throw a couple pictures on this blog. As you know, Tim likes to fly below the radar, so don't tell him I posted these sweet photos...

2.27 Mile Swim? Check.

Tuesday, November 10 marked Team Middleton's last long swim: 4,000 yards. Tim conquered the swim yesterday morning and I triumped yesterday evening.

4,000 yards is a long time to spend in the water. The entire workout took Tim just under an hour and me just over an hour. I tried to keep my mind as numb as possible during the 160 lengths of the pool, concentrating on my breathing, stroke pull and the smell of pine. (Yes, the guy in the lane next to me was wearing extremely strong cologne - strangely, I enjoyed it and was a bit disappointed when he hopped out).

In 12 more days, we'll be swimming 4,224 yards, followed by a 112 mile bike and a 26.2 mile run. (Gulp.)

I'm quivering in my boots - I mean - bike shoes.

But it's not time to head for the Arizona desert just yet. We still have a few more swims, a few more bricks, a couple short bike rides, maybe an easy run or two. And some serious hydrating.

Getting closer...

Lovin' the Taper

I've been up for one hour. I've had breakfast, made the bed, read yesterday's WSJ, hung up some clothes, cruised Facebook, and am now drinking some coffee.

I have 90 minutes before heading out on this morning's ride. If I'm lucky (and motored by enough coffee), I might get in a little homework before donning my spandex, too.

I am giddy. Why, you ask? Because today's ride is...wait for it...only three hours. Only three hours! And today's run? Only one hour! A four hour workout! I'm swooning over it!

Since Monday, Tim and I have been tapering. Our taper period is broken into two components: two Peak weeks and one Race week. During the Peak period, we will be reducing our training volume but adding intensity. During Race week, we will be reducing the volume even further. The purpose of tapering is to give our bodies time to absorb all the training we've put in over the past few months - essentially, we're vying to reach our physiological peaks.

Today's workout is also a race simulation. You know what that means: no stopping, not even for the bathroom. You know what that means for this blogger's bladder: grow or go.

And on that note, I think I need to start hydrating. And stretching. And taping some Gus to my bike. And applying sunscreen. Yeah, probably no time for homework this morning - if only I could taper on school, too (just kidding, all my paper graders out there)...

It's November

I have a midterm tomorrow. I should be studying. I should not be drinking that second glass of wine right now. But alas, the wine wins and learning loses.

Because it's November! It's race month! Exactly three weeks from today, Team Middleton will be swimming and biking and running in Ironman Arizona. Bring. It.

This weekend marked our last long brick workout. Tim biked and ran yesterday while I made about 27 cups of tea and popped at least 49 cough drops (thank you, common cold) at home. Tim returned from his 10 mile run around the Back Bay triumphant - and a bit dehydrated. Ok, really dehydrated.

I was determined to stay hydrated during my brick today. I got out on the bike and practiced drinking water from my aero bottle. Aside from the fact that I kept poking my face with the straw, it went well. Staying hydrated on the run? Not so great. I returned home broken by the Back Bay sun and a personal water shortage. Note to self: Don't let this happen on November 22.

Tim and I are now celebrating the end of heavy training days - and mourning the end of 'strapping on the feed bag' days. Evidently, now that we're tapering, we can't eat absolutely everything in the fridge and, um, cupboard, um, every day of the week.

But I can still strap on the feed bag tonight. So, I will bid you adieu, grab a third glass of wine and head on over to the kitchen where my snacks - I mean, studying - awaits.