Ironman Week

I'm here. I'm in Penticton just 6 days from Ironman.

In my effort to stay present, and make sure that I'm not focusing on anything beyond race day and staying completely in the moment this week, I've been analyzing my every thought and feeling since I woke up this morning. "I'm leaving for Ironman today... how do I feel about that?", I'm getting on the highway heading out to Penticton for real this time... is that making me nervous? Emotional?" "What's going on in my head today?". With all this questioning and analyzing going on, I was disappointed with myself when I just came up with... nothing. It just felt like another normal day.

Cut to 3 hours later though, somewhere on Highway 3 around Headly, it hit me. I had been driving in silence for a while, not thinking of anything particular, just enjoying the drive and zoning out a bit. Then, out of nowhere, I smile from ear to ear and announce to myself "I'm on my way to Penticton to do Ironman".

That's it. Now I'm excited. It's really real and here I am. I've arrived at the AWESOME house that we rented (me and 4 other athletes from Vancouver and Calgary) and I'm blogging my updates from a swinging hammock in a shady backyard.

The next few days will be nothing but relaxing, eating, sleeping, swinging, and more eating and sleeping. Some short easy workouts in the mornings to get out some nervous energy but nothing more than an hour. All the excitement starts Thursday when the registration/kit pick up opens and the expo starts downtown.

I'm looking forward to experiencing Penticton not just as a triathlete and Ironman enthusiast as I have the past two years, but this year, I'm an athlete. An Ironman athlete :)

This year I've gotten a plethora of different advice from all kinds of people. Training advice, nutritional advice ect, but it's the kind of advice I received last week that is making this whole experience seem that much more real.

Thanks to Alison for this noteworthy and practical Ironman advice:

"Lists - you need to make lists! Whatever you forget you can get at the Bike Barn, Peach City Runners or the expo, they're set for everything...."

"Buy bananas the day you arrive. By Wednesday Safeway will be low on bananas, turkey and skinless chicken. It will, however, be full of men with shaved legs wearing their meanest, toughest race finisher's gear - worth picking up a litre of milk to see."

"If you decide to put your race number on everything you will be or might be using on race day try remember that in 3 years time having "2257" on your sports bra may be a little dorky. (Nerves + sharpy = bad combination.)"

Thanks for keepin' it real Alison.