A good day, a challenging day and a flat out PIPE DREAM

The day of a traveling salesperson makes it hard on a triathlon and marathon training schedule! I had to admit to a friend today that my Superwoman cape doesn't always fit. I had good training intentions today, but life happens. I pray that I get a chance to wake up tomorrow and make it a more productive training day than today.

I had a lot of time to think while driving for SEVEN hours today. I came up with what a good day, a bad day and a flat out pipe dream would be for my upcoming Augusta Ironman 70.3 triathlon on September 29th.

A good day would be if there is a really strong current, all of my hilly bike rides pay off and my marathon training has made me a stronger runner. It would look something like this:

Swim 1.2 miles: 30  minutes
Bike 56 miles: 3 hours
Run 13.1 miles: 2:30
T1/T2 (transitions): less than 10 minutes total
Total time: 6 hours 10 minutes

A challenging day would be if there is no current, the course is more hilly than expected and I am just hot and exhausted on the run. It would look something like this:

Swim 1.2 miles: 45 minutes +

Bike 56 miles: 3:30 +

Run 13.1 miles: 2:45 +

T1/T2 (transitions): 12 minutes +

Total time: 7+ hours (the cut off is 8 hours)

A flat out PIPE DREAM would be if I had followed my training plan with the consistency and intensity that it takes to be where I want to be as a triathlete (it's time to get a coach!). It would look something like this:

Swim 1.2 miles: less than 30 minutes

Bike 56 miles: 2 hours 45 minutes

Run 13.1 miles: 2:15

T1/T2 (transitions): less than 8 minutes total

Total time: 5:38

No matter what happens out there, I will remember that I am blessed just to be able to compete. I recall not being able to climb a flight of stairs without being short of breath and not being able to make it across the pool without stopping. That was just a few short years ago. This race was my birthday present to myself, so I will enjoy it! I hope to have a good day. Prayers, thoughts and virtual cheers are welcomed. However, there is no need for anybody to be out there to be twerking in my honor! LOL

The ULTIMATE challenge!

It all started in January 2010 when I was recovering from an abdominal surgery and post surgical double pneumonia. 80% of both of my lungs were filled with pneumonia. I could barely climb a flight of stairs or take a shower without becoming extremely winded and fatigued. I started to run the year before and had learned about Triathlons. At the time, I quickly dismissed the idea of doing a Triathlon, as I could not swim, did not own a bike and was a new runner. However, when I was recovering from surgery and pneumonia, the idea of doing a Triathlon appealed to me.  The inability to do anything made me want to do everything! I wanted to complete a triathlon! My initial goal was just to be able to walk around the block. My next goal was to walk 4 blocks to my friend Jolie's house. Once I was able to do that, I prayed that if God allowed my lungs to get back to normal, I would learn to swim and complete a triathlon. I called my friend Dawn and told her that there was an inaugural Triathlon in DC in June and I was going to complete it. I'm sure she thought that I was crazy, but she promised to do it with me.

Training to complete my 1st triathlon was no small feat. I took my first swim lesson in January 2010. It was March before I could make it across the pool without stopping. I still had a touch of pneumonia, so running was challenging. I didn't purchase a bike until mid March and my greatest challenge was staying vertical. It was WORK. However, on June 20, 2010, I completed my first Triathlon with my friend Dawn at my side & my running coach and mentor at the finish line along with a whole cheer squad of friends! My First Triathlon

In 2010, I completed 3 triathlons, 5 triathlons in 2011, 2 in 2012 and I will be completing my 2nd one this year. 4 Sprints, 5 Olympics and 3 Ironman 70.3 (half Ironman) triathlons. Now, I am ready for the ULTIMATE Challenge. A full Ironman! Ironman Chattanooga!

Ironman Chattanooga will be on September 28th, 2014. The swim is 2.4 miles in the Tennessee River, 112 miles of cycling the rolling hills of North Georgia and a 26.2 mile marathon run through downtown Chattanooga, Tennessee. That's a total of 140.6 miles that I must complete in 17 hours. It will take a village to get me to the start/finish line healthy and sane. If you are a runner, cyclist, swimmer, masseuse  or yogi, I will need your help! If you are none of these, I will need your positive vibes, thoughts, prayers and an occasional outing to help me to have some balance. I will start training for this after taking the month of November off from training. I'm going to be an Ironman!! What a journey.....

TriBecca