Ironman Arizona

OMG, 12 weeks!!!  Our (Doughboy's and mine) coach gave us this week as a recovery week before hell weeks begin on Tuesday.  We have been ramping up in a build phase for the past several weeks.  Last weekend was a 2 hr run on sat and a 3 hr bike on sun!

We have our weekends planned out until race day and it's insane!  I will probably log more miles on the bike by April 13th than I did all of last year!

This is the first IM for us both.  We are coming from North texas (DFW area)!

I am really starting to get excited!! 

GULP!   Coming from L.A., my first IM.

I was in a bit of a groove before new years, but took a week off and have not really settled back in yet.  Even with the break I had my biggest bike/run month in Dec., just trying to lay down a big base.  My swimming is taking a back seat to biking and running.  I am pleased with the bike, last weekend we rode L.A. to Santa Barbara (98 miles), bricked, then rode home Sunday morning.  It was a good experience, you go through the range of emotions during the course of two long rides like that.  Also learned a lot about nutrition in a dry windy cliamte.  I actually felt better on Sunday.    We're actually planning on doing this a couple more times before IMAZ.   I am lucky in that I have a group of 8 or 10 people doing IMAZ that I train with, so there's always someone on the same page.....

My run is OK, always a struggle, but I'll get it done.... at least that's the plan.

My first IM as well.  I guess things are going about as good as I could have asked for.  I'm getting all my workouts in, if that means anything.

13 hours and 45 minutes. 

Big ole brick yesterday, and a medium ride today. It was just too cold and threatening rain to go long today, so some trainer rides are in my coming week.

Training has been going pretty well so far. I'm getting into that scary zone where the training distances could lead to injury if I'm not careful. I'm sure some of you April IMAZ'ers are too, so everybody be careful out there.

It's been great to live here near the event. This will be my 2nd IM, where last time I did CDA while living in Ohio. It's a totally different experience doing all your training on the course vs. not knowing the course until the week before the race. If anyone wants to come out here and check it out we've got a great big group here in the Phoenix area that'll be willing to host you, run the course, and show you around. Just say the word.

You are lucky to be able to ride and run the course.  I ride it on the computrainer, but that is not nearly the same thing. 

We have gotten really lucky with the weekend weather.  It's weird, all week it is cold and windy and have gotten some rain, but the  weekends have been spectacular

I think that beard may actually weigh more than the rest of your body.

Yeah, you might be able to double your power-to-weight ratio if you shaved that thing.... 

Any Arizona locals have an idea of how strong potential winds might be?  I know this is a very vague question, but I was just hoping for some ideas.  Did a little searching on the internet for average wind speed for specific locations, but I'm coming up with nothing...

Yep. Friday of race week of last year a crazy dust storm rolled in followed by rain. Saturday it was sunny and warm and no wind. And you've heard what happened on Sunday.

The best you can do is be prepared for the worst.