YIKES! 11 Days & Counting!

If I could get 'er done tomorrow, I would. Four and a half months of specific training and I'd say I'm ready...to get 'er done.

Could I be better prepared? Hmmm...I don't think so. For the time I was willing and able to put towards it, the boundaries I was not willing to cross, the things I was not willing to miss, the life I still wanted to lead....Nope. I gave it what I was willing to give it.

I didn't get a divorce, my kids still call me "Mom", my mom, husband and friends are still speaking to me, I never dropped the ball and had any big tragic scheduling flaw during it all, and Steve and I still laugh about the "I am an Ironman" cartoon. So I can safely say that we've all survived the training - now I just need to survive the event.

A friend asked me what my goal was for this IM. I really had to think about that - with my heart AND mind. What is doing well at Ironman - for me? We all want to do our best - especially when you've trained differently and harder than the previous IM (Thanks, Kelly! ~ I think ;-) But I've learned that your best is how you respond to the day. Goals, times, dreams aside, doing my best is how I deal with what is dealt to me the day of the event. You never know what the day will bring, who or what will bring it and what tools you'll have (mentally, physically and gear) to respond to it. Every event is a "process" for me - responding to how I feel and what happens in the moment and making the most of the outcome.

As I told Steve, I really want to relax and make IM a celebration - of the time, the dedication, the hurdles, the emotions, the synchronicity, the organization, the orchestrating, juggling and help of friends and family - that make all the training happen. It is a culmination of the journey and growth it took to get there. But most importantly, it is a dedication to powers, causes and people that are much bigger than I - that give my life meaning and purpose.

As I shift gears from hours on end of training (127.04 hours biking; 45.02 hours swimming; and 70.03 hours of running to date since mid-January to be exact ;-) to tapering for the event, I go from physical to mental and spiritual training. Calming my mind to visualize, plan and anticipate, and readying my spirit to respond - to be prepared to endure the inevitable pain and "dark moments", but most importantly, embrace and utilize the purpose.

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