Kelly the Culinarian: Training Tuesday: Truth Time

Tuesday, July 8, 2014

Training Tuesday: Truth Time

Post-13 miles this weekend
How do I even put this. I was gunho to tackle Ironman Wisconsin. I was ready to dedicate a year of my life to getting in the best shape of my life to earn the achievement of a lifetime.

Then life got in the way.

I know there are 24 usable hours in a day because the past few months, I've been using most of them. Between work and training and moving and the day-to-day, I've been burning the midnight oil and spinning my wheels for a while. What this all boils down to is I'm worried about my ability to cover 140.6 miles without breaking something.

The facts:

  • Biking 60 miles Sunday was hard. Really hard. The two-mile transition run afterwards felt like I might die.
  • I don't have my bike trainer yet (thanks, movers), so my ability to hop on for 30 miles before work is nonexistent.
  • Because I work on central time, I'm at my desk at 6 a.m. This does mean I'm done by 3:30, but I'm also wrapping up work at the hottest point of the day, and the most crowded. 

"But mom, I need
another medal"
  • The longest I've ran since the Vermont City Marathon was 16 miles.
  • My longest bike ride to date is 92 miles.
  • I've only worn my wetsuit once this season.
  • My longest swim has been two miles.
  • I haven't practiced open water swimming this season.
  • I have no other triathlons on the books.

The reality of the situation is that I'm nine weeks out and won't be reunited with my gear for another two weeks. Logically, I know I can finish the race. If I make all the time cut offs, I could walk a marathon in the time allotted, but it might be really unpleasant. And mentally, I'm not sure if I can overcome my lackluster training.

So, Internet, what say you? Do I try to scrape together a finish, or defer until I can conquer the race with confidence?

7 comments:

Katie @ Live Half Full said...

I would keep going. You will have 6 weeks after your gear arrives to tackle all of the things you still need to do- until then take the next two weeks to focus on your mental toughness. Rest is an important part of it and if you're burnt out, I don't think it's wrong to scale back and let your body and mind rest. Maybe the two weeks is the universe's way of telling you to do this. :)

Erica A said...

Can I offer an "option C"? Do a half ironman. Why? You are in great shape, your training won't go to waste and you can get a personal best (I bet). If it were a marathon, I would say "go for it," but IM should be taken seriously and going there and having a terrible experience or DNF would suck IMO!

Unknown said...

We all go through this! You can do it if you truly want, but if you can defer, this may be the time to get your mojo back.,, oh and figure out your new life!

Regan Jones, RDN said...

Since I've never been even remotely close to tackling something of this size, I have no solid advice... but I do agree with Katie. Rest is huge, and I find that when I'm exhausted and overwhelmed, decision making is tough. I'm proud of you no matter what you choose ;)

erin said...

You got it! It may not be as fast as you want, but I definitely think you can do it! If it makes you feel any better, I'm only doing one race, a 70.3, before IMWI this year, and I've only been in my wetsuit once this season, too. Keep moving forward… you can do it, Kelly!

Hope you're loving Seattle!

Anonymous said...

In the past...I would have said "suck it up and finish the race" because there was no deferment option for Ironman races. But now that there is...I think I would choose that option. It's one thing to head into a 70.3 (or even a marathon) somewhat unprepared, but an ironman is not something that I would want to walk into not feelinb my best. Why not defer to the race next year (or another race) and tackle a strong 70.3 right now for a confidence boost?

Unless you think this is the only time in your life that you'll be able to tackle it, it sounds like giving yourself a few months to settle into your new home/job is a good idea. Just my thought =)

Maggie W said...

I'm of the opinion that the race (whether it's a marathon or Ironman) will always be there. It's one thing to wing a half marathon or something, but the Ironman sounds insane, and requires a level of mental toughness that you just can't fake. You're going through some MAJOR changes in your life. No need to add on additional stress if you have the option to push it back. Listen to your gut.

And Erica's got a great idea, maybe PR'ing the half Ironman is the better goal - you'll still have something to work for and it'll still give you a sense of accomplishment. But financially if defering altogether is the better option, go with that and maybe find a local tri to do near your new home.

Whatever you decide, you're still flipping awesome.