Training Tuesday: 40 Days

Four zero. Forty. Those are all the days that separate me from the big dance. I remember when I signed up for Ironman Wisconsin I planned to dedicate the whole year to it. Swear off booze, subsist on egg whites and water and my own smug satisfaction. I planned to sleep eight hours religiously, shun television except on the bike trainer and spend my weekends pedaling towards glory.

Ha.

So instead I sit here with 40 days and 40 restless nights between me and what I hope will be my moment of glory. My only goal is to finish it, but man, that's looking a bit impossible. I had a great ride Saturday followed by an absolutely miserable 14-mile run Sunday in which I whined, got dehydrated, questioned the meaning of life, swore off running and did the whole run-walk routine back to the car for seven miles. It's so very me - some weeks I'm spot on with my training, and some weeks the wheels just fall off.

In the same respect, though, I feel like compared to some, I'm still doing a lot of training and have a solid base. Whether one can complete the Ironman on base alone remains to be seen.

Here's what I know: my training is subpar, but my desire to achieve this is off the charts. I am doing this race for me and to prove I can. If I don't finish this year, I will be sad and mopey and emo. But I will not be defeated. A set back is only a failure if you let it become permanent.

And hell, I already paid for the race. Might as well see if I can do it.