It’s hard to believe it was over a year ago I qualified and registered for Kona. And now here we are. Two weeks away from my first Ironman World Championships. It’s been a long year of training and I’m so stressed out and ready to be done that if you want to just do an Ironman tomorrow and call it the world championships, I’m down.
Since the double race Pacific Grove-Dipsea weekend back in June, things have been busy. The whole summer passed in a blur of training and racing and trips. In July, I raced the mid-season North American World Championships — also known as Vineman 70.3. Even though I think of it as my local race, Vineman has gotten insanely competitive and intense. I had to be happy with third amateur on the day (and third in my age group, speaking of insanely competitive) — though I wasn’t super happy with getting run down in the last half mile. Better then than now, I guess.
Then I headed up to Whistler to stay with Freeplay teammate Christine. She qualified for Kona in the full Ironman! And I got second overall in the 70.3, and then had quite a few beers while cheering her on.
It was full in to Kona training then, with a detour to race TriCal’s Alcatraz. My husband had never done the swim from the Alcatraz and TriCal’s event was a lot more tempting than the $750 version. While I got lost somewhere out in the Bay, the husband managed beat me out of the swim — which was not encouraging (for me) and which has prompted him to offer me many “swim tips” — but I came around to cross the line second behind Freeplay ambassador pro triathlete Emily Cocks. Somehow I ended up third overall, but what are you going to do.
The husband and I then headed to Australia for a race-cation, even though I hate that word. He did the 70.3 World Championships and I rode my bike and rode my bike and rode my bike. Also, I got to hold a koala — in important non-triathlon goals.
Since then, I’ve been in Hawaii. House-sitting in the middle of a rainforest and putting the final touches on this Kona craziness. You can read a day-by-day rundown of me going insane, which (hopefully) will all come to an end, whatever happens, on Oct. 8.
