Practice Makes Perfect

Our Ironman Triathlon is only four weeks from today. I can't believe how close it is. This is our last really hard week of training which will include a 100 mile bike ride, a 17 mile run and a two mile swim...and then we start to slowly taper so we can be relaxed and ready for the race...I am not so sure how relaxed I will be but I do know I have done everything possible to be ready. Last week we decided since we weren't able to compete in an actual half-ironman triathlon during our training, we would put together our own and do it the best we could. So Saturday morning we headed up to Rockport Reservoir for the swim. My brother had reserved a camping spot for us so we could park our car, swim 1.2 miles and then grab our bikes and head out on a 56 mile ride. We had it all planned out, a gas station on the bike course where we could fill our water bottles and a place to stash a water bottle for our run. So, with Tom as our support team, we started out on our swim. Tom paddled alongside us in his kayak so we were safe from motorboats and he had our sandals ready for us on the beach. I struggled a bit on the swim...my goggles kept filling with water so I couldn't see where I was going which made me panic a bit. Note to self, don't put sunscreen lotion on your face before swimming. It will make your goggles slide right off your face...not a good thing. After the swim we headed out for our ride with Tom shaking his head and repeating over and over, "you guys are nuts". I knew we had a lot of hills ahead of us and I knew it would be very hot but I didn't anticipate the wind..and I am talking about killer head winds...in our face while we were pedaling uphill...oh well, what doesn't kill us makes us stronger, or so they say. It was a tough ride with over 3500 feet of elevation gain but we made it back, changed into our running shoes and headed out...into the same dang wind we had just ridden out of. Just an FYI, it is no more fun to run in the wind than to bike in it..and it was soooo hot! We got to the 5 mile mark and I was pretty sure I saw water coolers from an earlier bike race sitting on the side of the road but to be honest, as hot and thirsty as I was, I thought it was probably a mirage. Thank heavens it was real. I hurriedly filled my water bottle and started to dump it on my head when I realized, it wasn't water but lemon Gatorade...so now, I was hot, I was thirsty and I was VERY sticky..you gotta love it. There were a couple of jugs filled with water so I rinsed off, drank some water and headed back down the road thankful for the angels that left that water there for us. I seriously thought we would see them floating back up to heaven. The final few miles were tough, hilly and hot but we made it and I can't say that my first thought was, wow, that was fun! Let's do it again one more time. Bring it on." The fact is, It is much better if I dont post what my first thought was...but here is the short edited version. @#*€#%?