August Totals & 25 Days

Race month has arrived. 

With it a nervous stomach, restless nights and the taper. One more week until taper. And rain scheduled for this weekend. My last big swim, bike and run are on the docket for Saturday and Sunday. I'll take the cool temps, but not the rain. We shall see what happens. 

Thank you, Cook Train Eat Race. (He's on FB, if you want to follow him.)

August was a big training month. It helped that there were 5 weekends, but it's still 31 days. Here are my totals:

Swim: 18.6 miles (half in the pool, half in the open water)
Bike: 491 miles 
Run: 81 miles

No wonder I'm tired. 

I've found that ice baths help after really long workouts and I think I have them to thank for better recovery.

These are not my legs, but this is the idea... 

(I may use a tad less ice in mine...)

I've also added a Physical Therapist to my list of medical professionals I see regularly. I also see a massage therapist and chiropractor once a month. 

I'm also crying more. Odd. The last two weekends, mile 10 or so on the bike: tears then Jason tells me to suck it up and pedal and I do. Mile 2 on my long runs: either I want to take a nap or I cry. Then I wipe my tears, eat some sugary "nutrition" and keep going and I feel pretty good. It's the oddest thing. Gotta keep moving forward.

This quote from Chrissy Wellington (multiple Ironman World Champion) hits the nail on the head. And her book, "A Life Without Limits" is amazing if you're looking for an inspirational read. 

Thank you NYCRunningMama for the image.

In other news, the Athlete Guide is out and so are bib numbers!! Woot woot! #1018 for me and #197 for Kelly. Here we go!! And by the way, the bike course is 116 miles instead of 112 and we have a tad less than the usual 17 hours to complete the race. We should all be in the water by 8 a.m., but the cutoff is still midnight. Bring it.

And then this happened on Monday, Labor Day, after a 2.4 mile swim followed by a 5.5 mile run on Saturday, a 100 mile bike ride with a 2 mile run on Sunday and a 12 mile run on Monday. It was the last day at the pool and we all had a good time.

Cooper and Tate enjoying the bubble machine waiting for the next game to start.

That's Tate doing a little "beach combing" while I took a break on the hammock.  Life is good, my friends.   

Let the taper (soon) begin.