Well, well, well.  15 weeks of training flew by in the blink of an eye.  Training for a big race is a funny thing on so many levels – the way it consumes your life, the way it warps your perception of a ‘normal workout,’ the way your plan initially seems so long and daunting but the weeks positively zip away when you’re actually in the thick of it.

I have been reading Meghann’s Miami 70.3 recap non-stop.

How am I feeling? Pretty good. But truthfully – a pretty nervous, too.  Alright… I actually just puked a little in my mouth. I may have done a dozen or so sprint and Olympic triathlons, and I may have done a handful of half marathons, and I may have biked a few metric centuries… but I have never, ever swam 1.2 miles, biked 56 miles, and ran 13.1 miles all together. The idea seems crazy and somewhat frightening. I’ve entered the point of taper when I start to second guess myself, to wish I had done more, to wish I had pushed myself harder.  But at the same time, I feel pretty confident that I’ve done enough.  I had a great coach guiding me, and I know that helped a lot.  All in all, despite the nerves, I am really, really excited.  And I’m truly looking forward to Sunday.

My race isn’t about who is in front of me or who is behind me (as long as it isn’t a shark). It’s about me.  Just me.  And I don’t care about the time on the clock as much as how I feel when I finish.  I want to feel strong and capable and confident and happy.  I want to prove to myself that I can do something that I previously believed was impossible. I think it’s fine to derive a positive emotion from a certain finishing time (and I’ve certainly been in that mindset, too), but this race is about something much more basic.  It’s simply about… me.  From the inside-out.  I do it for that moment when I think, “I want to quit!” and then I keep on going. That sweet spot. It’s an incredible feeling.

I think we all need a way to test our limits, to push our boundaries, to discover how far we’re willing to go.

What does it take to get to the starting line of a Half Ironman? Well, for me, it took:

in race fees, travel costs, a new (but very much needed) bike, gym childcare, fuel, and other triathlon supplies. My head hurts just looking at that number.

long but totally awesome weeks of training.

My lovely readers. <3 You get that it’s more than a workout, it’s more than a hobby, it’s more than a medal. The support has been awesome and tremendous.  Thank you, thank you, thank you for all the kind comments and e-mails. It really does mean a lot to me to have your support.  More than anyone, I understand that behind every comment and e-mail is an actual human being, and I deeply appreciate the time it takes to write a kind word.  Thank you so much!

very awesome triathlon coach. I couldn’t have done this without Coach Marni – who I finally get to meet in real life this weekend!

super supportive husband. When I decided that I wanted to do a Half Ironman, I knew that I had to ask Kristien for his support. Kristien really stepped up emotionally and logistically to support me in this race.

happy baby boy. Dear Henry was such a trooper over the last three months!

of episodes of Breaking Bad, Orange is the New Black, and Downton Abbey, all of which I enjoyed watching while riding my indoor trainer.

yards of swimming (about 30.75 miles).

miles of biking (about 45 hours of total saddle time).

miles of running.

In case you’re wondering, that works out to approximately 100 hours of exercise in the last fifteen weeks.  Holy shit.  No wonder my house is in shambles.

And now… it’s time to do this.

Fingers crossed for a wonderful race experience. Ready or not – here I come.

See you in MIAMI!