Back To The Future...

Did anyone else LOVE these movies as much as I did?

I seriously watched every single one of them, multiple times. I even STILL watch them when they come on TBS or some other channel (when I used to pay for full cable!). The newer ones were cool, but I have to say, I like the original with Marty going back to 1955 and seeking out Doc Brown to find a way back to 1985 while narrowly escaping kissing his own Mother! It sounds strange, but you have to see it if you haven't.

Anyway, I guess I started thinking about how many times I'll actually "see" myself doing Ironman Cozumel before I actually do it. Let me tell you, with no racing in sight for the next month or more, I'll be seeing it quite a bit. My guess is, by the time I arrive at the starting line, I'll have seen myself in the race approximately 200+ times. Pretty hard to believe isn't it! Visualizing myself racing is one of things I just love to do. It helps me to not forget why I'm slogging through the dark rainy mornings like I was yesterday at 6:30am.

The same goes for those Kona athletes next week. How many times do you think THEY have thought of the day they would swim up to the starting line before actually doing it. I bet, for most of them, it's way more than 200! It may be over years and years that they've had the dream...but next Saturday, it will come to fruition!

Visualization is such a powerful tool. If you aren't using it, trust me, you're missing out. I see the ocean calm, clear and ready for me to dive in and pull effortless strokes.. I see the pavement flying by me, sun on my back, wind in my face.. how will I cut thought it.. stay small Kim, easy gears.. high cadence... I even see the run, fans cheering along the side, legs churning away feeling light.. humidity clinging to my skin.. all of it I see now. When I get there, it will be a bit like coming home to place I know.. Success doesn't just happen.. you have to feel it happen first.

This week I have 21ish hours on the schedule.. that's a lot of time to feel..

I ran Tuesday (60 mins), Wed (60 mins) and Thursday (1 hr 45 mins)... Thursday was the big one.. I had some really tough intervals and when I woke up in the dark, it was raining.. hard. It was the LAST thing I wanted to do, but I put on my stuff, strapped on a headlamp and headed out. For the first repeat I kept thinking "I'm going to kill it, I feel great!" But after some time, I realized my legs were aching, sore, and tired.. and I was not only not going to feel great, I was not even going to feel good. It was going to be a sufferfest, and I had a front row ticket to my own pain. After the first one, I had a decision to make, was I going to just do a crappy job and not give it my all since it wasn't the workout I was hoping to have, or was I going to push through, endure a little pain and hit the heart rates and intervals that my coach had prescribed. I thought about bagging it for about 10 seconds, then I decided I was going to go down trying.

The fog started to rise around me as I bounded up the rolling hills, legs screaming, wet clothes hanging off me, shoes filled with water, legs covered in road dirt... No letting Up I thought.. this is the last six miles in Cozumel, do you think you're going to feel good then? Will your legs be peppy? I don't think so.

At times, I felt like I might be snarling I was trying so hard to push the pace. My body did not want to participate, I was trying like heck to show it who was boss.

I finished the workout soaked, legs hurting with ever step, and with a big old smile on my face. I did it.. I freakin did it.. Cozumel or bust.

We all reach those places where we have a decision to make.. how will we handle something.. what will we do.. You have to "see" yourself getting to that place, and then you have to put in the work to get there. No one else is going to do it for you.. This one is all yours.

I ended the day with a 2 hour bike.. and even though I was dreading it, it turned out to be the best part about my day.. hands down. Wind rushing by me, beautiful sky above.. and I was once again thankful I get the opportunity to train and race.

Here are a few pictures from the bike!

End of first hill repeat

Turkeys!

Last hill repeat, time to go home!!

Hope everyone has a wonderful weekend!