Initial Thoughts

Well, I said “Yes”……..again……..not sure why…….but I did.  Ryan must have some pretty persuasive powers because I just officially registered for the Boise Half Ironman. 

 The last three weeks have been up and down for me mentally.  After telling Ryan I was in for the race, I experienced a short period of excitement followed by a long period of overwhelming dread.  I felt as though this race was my impending doom.  I went through two weeks of having no desire to exercise, eating a bunch of junk, and, yes, even crying about it.  I appealed to Ryan for help, and he sent me a long email with some powerful words of motivation.  That email will serve as motivation for me throughout this process.

I realize that many people look at me and think, “Oh, that’ll be easy for her.”  But I’m here to tell you that this race feels almost insurmountable to me.  I have some pretty significant physical and mental challenges to overcome to be able to compete:

1. I hate swimming in cold water.  Ok, let’s be honest…..I hate being cold, period. Last year’s race was in rainy weather and water that was only about 50 degrees.   This past winter, I did conquer running outside in the bitter cold as I trained for a half marathon, though.  So maybe there is hope of conquering the cold swimming as well……then again, maybe not…….we’ll see.  It will be a while before I have to face that challenge, though as all my swim workouts will be in an indoor pool until summer.

2. I am a weak biker.  Not just a weak biker physically, but mentally as well.  When I am on the bike and my quads are screaming at me to stop, I give in.  In my mind, I start scolding myself for getting into these things where a bike is involved.  Don’t misunderstand me, I love doing triathlons……..I just hate the bike portion.  However, if I can conquer this biking thing, I will be able to significantly improve my standings as I am a strong runner and swimmer.  Spinning class, here I come!

3. I have heart problems.  During my training for the half marathon, as I started running longer and longer miles, my heart problem occurred more and more often.   For those who don’t know, one of my electrical nodes that controls the tempo (the word is rate, but I couldn’t think of it at the time and my piano terminology took over) of my heart misfires which causes my heart rate to rapidly increase to above 220 bpm.  Initially, I was concerned and annoyed that it was happening more frequently.   To control the rapid heart rate, I have to stop all activity, sit down, and wait for the heart to return to normal.  It typically happens with one hard beat, nothing, and then it resumes a regular heart rate.  In the past, I have been in a place where I could stop all activity and then just walk home.  However, while on a long run, I was six miles out when it occurred and walking home would take too long.  So I was happy to find out that after stopping and controlling the problem, I was able to resume running (at a slower pace) and finished the training session with no more episodes.  If you’re wondering, yes, I’ve been to a cardiologist and, yes, we have run numerous tests.  The problem has been catching and recording an episode on one of their special monitors.  Maybe all this training will give me the opportunity to actually record an episode.  The cardiologist has assured me it is a quick fix with surgery to sever the electrical impulse that is causing the problem.  We just have to know which one is misfiring.  One of my biggest fears is that it will occur during a race.  Previously, it has threatened to misfire, but has never happened on race day.  Hopefully that trend will continue.

4. I am competitive.  When it comes to athletics and racing, I have to be at my best every time or I am disappointed.  I tasted some victory this past racing season and now hunger for more.  I won’t be satisfied to just finish this Half Ironman, I want to finish well……like in the top 30%.  I don’t know if this competitive spirit will be an asset or a liability as I prepare.  And I have to beat Ryan in the run! J

        5. I am worried about the time commitment.  Thus far, I have spent 30-45 minutes a day, 4-5 days a week exercising.  Preparation for the Half Ironman will require 60-120 minutes a day, 6 days a week.  This will be a significant challenge for me as I am raising five children, working two days a week in a real estate office, and teaching a thriving piano business of over 20 students.  I already feel as though I have no time for anything else.  

Let's Do This!!