We are now down to nine weeks to go before Ironman Arizona (IMAZ), and things are really ramping up this week. Last week was a little bit lame for me, as my hands were still too injured from my fall last weekend – so I couldn’t do either of my pool swims or the open water swim (OWS) I wanted to do. On the good side, I did more running and a fair amount of cycling.

This weekend, we rode 70 miles of a course we will ride in a race next weekend. We followed that with a short 4.5-mile run. And the next day, we extended our long run to 14 miles instead if 13. This week now is all about getting rest/sleep before next Saturday’s ChesapeakeMan aqua bike. We are doing the swim and bike portions of an ironman-distance race. So, this will be a good test and benchmark for us – to see where we’re at and practice our race day strategies, nutrition, etc.

I’m a little nervous about the swim. I think I always will be that way. I wish I could have done more swimming the past couple of weeks. But, really, it might not have made a big difference. We have been really consistent with our swim training. And, although I’m still not very fast, I feel like I’m pretty strong. I just need to stay calm, keep my bearings, and ‘find a way’ as Diana Nyad would say.

As for the bike portion, I’m not too concerned. I know the last third of it could be grueling. It’s a flat course, but the wind can be brutal, as it was for us on Saturday. I do have some concerns about my position on the bike. I tend to get a pain in between my shoulder blades and in my lower back while in aero position for so long. It was really bothering me more than usual on Saturday. I’ve had both pains before, in years past. But this year, it didn’t seem so bad until now –like it’s an accumulative thing: once I get so many miles under my belt for the season, it kicks in or something. I know I could get re-fit on the bike, but I sorta don’t want to change things this late into the process. I’ll have to think about it… And do more ab exercises!

I guess we will see how this week goes. I’d like to do everything like I would for IMAZ week, but I don’t feel organized enough yet. I’ll have to do my best. It’s all a learning process. What will I learn this week? … Since I cant answer that, I’ll leave you with my horoscope for the week just for the fun of it… I love Rob Brezny’s Free Will Astrology. -Not because I believe in astrology, but just because it’s fun and whimsical, and he gets so creative with each installment… Here goes:

“Scorpio: the cosmos hereby grants you poetic license to be brazen in your craving for the best and brightest experiences … To be uninhibited by feeding your obsessions and making them work for you … To be shameless as you pursue exactly and only what you really, really want more than anything else. This is a limited time offer, although it may be extended if you pounce early and take full advantage. For best results, suspend your pursuit if trivial wishes and purge yourself of your bitchy complaints about life.”

Until next time… -ookgirl