My husband just surprised me with some race wheels for IMW… my first IM… I feel like such an imposter. I have a Kalibur and now these (modestly priced) race wheels…
AND, last night, my 14-yr old daughter showed me her Freshman English writing assignment, which was to write a “This I Believe” essay a la NPR. She wrote it about me, and how despite my epilepsy and the totally bizarre uterine prolapse (posted about it on ST in June) and then a bike wreck 3 days after that —which messed up my Half-Iron Lubbock race, and derailled training for a month— AND being middle aged (47), I am about to do an IM and how that has shown her about determination, etc. (seizures well controlled with Keppra so that kinda doesn’t count now). All along I thought I was messing up my kids and that they would write a David Sedaris or Augusten Boroughs book about their weird parents!! (well they still could I suppose, those poor Tri-Orphans)
Good grief, one day into my taper and I am falling apart with emotions! PMS I do believe is at play too. Jeez.
Also, I just finished two non-fiction books: The Worst Hard Times about the people of the Dust Bowl days who STAYED BEHIND AND DEALT WITH IT, and the other book about the survivors of the whaling ship The Essex, called The Heart of The Sea. Talk about putting an IM in Per-Spect-Tive!!!
It is my day off from work and training, so it sounds like I need to do some aerobic housecleaning… LOL
Wish I could bottle these crazy emotions and let 'em rip at mile 90 of the bike leg and really fly down the road. I already know how to reach down to where “Pissed Off Chick” lives to harness that type of energy!! LOL
~Callie (shootin’ for a plain ol’ vanilla 13:30 finish. BTW, crossing the finish line ALONE. No entourage.
“Wish I could bottle these crazy emotions and let 'em rip at mile 90 of the bike leg”
You can! Remember these truly fine inspirations are fuel for your fire- they are the mental ammunition you’ll look back on when the race becomes really challenging- and I wager they will serve you very well on race day.
During your taper try to take some quiet time to think about this positive energy that surrounds you. Soak that up. You are like a rechargeable battery and this positive reinforcement will confirm something that is already true:
You belong there on race day. You will have a good day. You will use the training you’ve accomplished well and have a good day.
When I am passed by a powerful locomotive while running I imagine absorbing the strength and durability of the train. I always take that as a good omen. I have a run course called “Zone of Power” that runs next to a railroad track- named for the freight trains that run up and down next to the sidewalk. I get a lot of positive vibe from that for some reason…
In any case, we’ll see you in Wisconsin is a week or two.
Have you ever been to an IM event as a spectator? If so, just remember that feeling, remember that energy, remember that power that seems to flow everywhere.
If not, take a moment to think about 10,000+ people, who have no idea who the hell you are, cheering FOR YOU! Think about what it will be like to cross that line and hear your name. Think about your family waiting for you to share your joy.
Focus on what an incredible experience this has been and is going to be. Think about the fact that you are about to embark on something that only a fraction of the population can even comprehend. Remember that you have already completed the hardest part of this entire journey and now all that remains is the reward.
Opinions may differ, but IMO, no one who does an Ironman is an imposter, so lose that feeling right now!
Obviously, to your kid and your husband, you are already a hero. So, all that is left is to get out there on Sept 9 and bask in the glory!
You are going to have a great day, no matter what the outcome (remember, any finish will be a PR, since you’re an iron virgin!)—savor every moment of it!
