Getting up to Speed

Hi friends and family-

I figured it would be easiest for me to post info on my trip to Canada where everyone could get at it rather than have to deal with individual emails. And who knows, maybe I'll keep updating past August. If you're not up to date on what I've been doing this year, here you go:

So Ironman Canada is a week and a half away (8/24). I'm feeling like I'll be ready to have a good day. If I get a little lucky, I could have a great day but I'm not expecting to do anything too special. Training has gone well overall. The engine is there but I'm not sure about whether I have that top-end to really push. Aside from the two complete training weeks I lost while writing our business proposal, I've done everything I could to get ready and am comfortable relying on my training to see me through the day.

I made a few changes to my training this year. In January, I finally bit the bullet and found a coach (AJ Johnson). This arrangement has been great for me. I don't have to think about my schedule or what to do on a particular day--just get the workout and do it. I think my results speak volumes about this setup. Here's what I've done this year:

• Platte River Half Marathon, Denver (April): 1:39 (PR)
• Tinman Triathlon (May): 1st place age-group (Okay, small race, but still...)
• Buffalo Springs Half Ironman (June): 5:16 (my second best HIM) despite 25 mph winds and driving rain on the bike
• BAM open-water 2-mile swim (July): 3rd place men's wetsuit division in sub-45min time
• Boulder Peak (July): 2:33 despite being right at the end of the proposal process. Taper consisted of taking a complete week off (sitting on my butt in front of a computer) except for a 25 minute run on Thursday. My second worst Peak ever, but still in respectable time.
• Stroke & Stride series (June - August): Raced 6 of them this summer. 3 first place AG finishes and never worse than 4th

I've been seeing great numbers in training and have put in the volume this year for sure (over 100 miles of swimming, 3,500 of cycling, and 500 of running). I'm working out my race plan, think I have nutrition nailed down, and am mentally centered. There's so much about racing this distance that's beyond an athlete's control but I've done what I can do.

From now until race-day, it's about resting, packing, travelling, etc. Good times.