Tuesday, July 29, 2014

If I Can Do That…

The RFO (Race Freak Out) has finally settled in. I knew it had to come sooner or later. Up until this point I was feeling more excitement than nerves, but now things flip flopped.

My son Sam asked how I was feeling.

Him: How are you feeling?
Me: Excited. But, nervous.
Him: Why are you nervous? You know you can do it.
Me: Yeah, but I also know I’m going to suffer. <(which is funny that I’m scared of that because that is kind of in a sick way why I do it. To suffer, challenge myself then to be victorious!)

I think I am also putting a certain amount of pressure on myself to beat my time from Ironman Florida in November, which was 12 hours, 50  minutes.

IMFLfinish

I don’t know why I think I have to do that. Settle down you damn over achiever.

The two courses are so different – as in - apples and oranges, pee and poop, beach and mountains. Boulder will be much more difficult, particularly the 112 mile bike which is the bulk of the day (4,400 feet of climbing). I think it would help a lot for me to let that go and just do what I can and take it as it comes. That sounds very mature, doesn’t it?

I got this email from one of our coaches today, and it came in the nick of time (<where does that expression come from? How come it is not the “Beth of Time” or the “Sam of Time?”).

Final Words of Wisdom

Have courage.  This distance is challenging, but each one of you has it inside of you to have an amazing race.  You've done all of the hard work, and all you have to do now is put yourself out there and believe.  Believe that you have it in you, believe that you are capable, and believe that it will happen.

I also watched this video of the Florida ridiculous swim start and it got me excited. If I can do that I think I can do most things (I am the one in the pink cap):

5 more days!!!! More to come on goals, indigestion, etc later this week.

SUAR

35 comments:

  1. Victory is yours!

    And also, I always took "in the nick of time" to be... nick = like a small cut when you shave your legs. In other words, just a small bit of time left.

    Curious, I just googled it. Apparently, it's all about nicking sticks to measure time?! Weird!!

    "in the nick of time"
    def: at the last possible moment
    Usage notes: A nick was a mark on a stick which was used in the past to measure time.



    ReplyDelete
  2. That video is insane! You'll do awesome!

    ReplyDelete
  3. You CAN do this! Just be careful about putting too much pressure on yourself; this is supposed to be the hardest course, especially because they are doing it in the middle of the summer in Boulder. Why would they do that after a week of straight 90+ degree days? I have a friend doing it and I may be up there cheering, so I will look out for you!

    ReplyDelete
  4. You are such an inspiration to me! I know you can do this and you will kill it!
    Also, that video reminds me of a bunch of newly hatched sea turtles trying to make it out to sea. Not sure I could ever do an ocean swim like that!

    ReplyDelete
  5. you are amazing and a rock star!!!! that video scares the crap out of me...... as much as i'd LOVE to try an ironman... i don;t think i could handle the crush of the swim...... i really admire you... such an inspiration... thanks :)

    ReplyDelete
  6. You are strong and have trained hard for this. You are going to kill it. I can't wait to hear your thoughts on the course. I am considering Boulder for my first IM next year (your input may sway me one way or the other). :)

    ReplyDelete
  7. You got this!!! But you know this already!!! I do BELIEVE I saw you at 1:12 in the video....heehee

    ReplyDelete
  8. You can do it! Go out and kick some major Boulder Asphalt!

    ReplyDelete
  9. Thanks for that posting. I'm heading to Montreal on Friday for the World's Masters Swimming Championships. I was excited for months and am now scared to death. Reading your blog made me think...OK...I can do this. It's normal to go through this freaking out stage.

    ReplyDelete
  10. Excited for you, Bethie! It's going to be a great day; you've done some super hard training and now it's time to shine. Will be cheering from you all day!

    ReplyDelete
  11. You are iron, you will do this. Try not to think about time comparisons, just enjoy the day. The finish time will take care of itself.

    ReplyDelete
  12. I am excited for you and nervous for you (just in the sense that I hope you achieve your goals!) I hope you have a great race day and finish happy in spite of the suffering!

    ReplyDelete
  13. OMG that video was equal parts terrifying and exciting to me. How do you keep yourself from panicking with all of those other swimmers on top of you?

    You are such a rock star, Beth! You are going to own the race because that is what you do in your pursuits. You always seem to give your best effort and this race will be no exception.

    ReplyDelete
  14. Good luck! I keep sharing your post with my husband, who is training for a half in Sept. He has a goal of doing a true Ironman soon. I will make sure he reads your race report! Carol- WV

    ReplyDelete
  15. No doubts that you can...and I think that nerves are part of what show you give a shit and probably the adrenaline a lot of us need to not back out!

    ReplyDelete
  16. Do you know your bib number yet?

    ReplyDelete
  17. You are ready and can do this. Looking forward to seeing you in action. And SO glad it is not today, it would not be fun in this weather, but Sunday is looking good! Good Luck Beth!

    ReplyDelete
  18. You know you will be suffering, but you also know that there is no doubt that you'll finish! You got this! And I know what you mean about race nerves. I just ran the San Francisco marathon on Sunday, and I really wanted to as well as I did in the marathon before this one, where I PR'd. But the courses are completely different - hills to no end in San Francisco versus flat as a pancake in the prior marathon. It's easy to lose perspective on things - that I should be grateful that I am physically able complete these tough challenges. Not everyone can say that, whether it is their choice or not. Then again, I didn't bust my butt in training for a mediocre performance!

    ReplyDelete
  19. Holy crap, that swim start is crazy. It makes me nauseous just watching. You've definitely got this!!

    ReplyDelete
  20. Wow that video!!! You are going to ROCK that race!!!

    ReplyDelete
  21. That swim start was crazy. You can do it, Beth. Good luck!

    ReplyDelete
  22. Instead of trying to beat your time from Florida, how about trying to beat your relative placement? So if you finished X% overall in Florida, aim to finish higher than X% this time. That cancels out any differences due to the course or temperature. Good luck!

    ReplyDelete
  23. Thank you for sharing your inspirational messages. Have "fun" this weekend!

    ReplyDelete
  24. It IS a sick/twisted sense of torture what we put ourselves through during a race but I will take it any day over never having experienced it. Anxiously awaiting to see how you do this weekend but most of all ENJOY the ride. Good luck!!

    ReplyDelete
  25. Good luck! You have provided me with much motivation and humor along your journey. You can do it! When you start dragging, just remember that a day will come when you can no longer do this and race day IS NOT THAT DAY!!

    ReplyDelete
  26. Wishing you THE BEST OF LUCK this wknd!!! Go kick some girl ass!!!!

    I read that Chrissy Wellington read Rudyard Kipling's "If" before every Ironman.....it's pretty amazing: http://www.poetryfoundation.org/poem/175772

    ReplyDelete
  27. If you need to hire a real hacker to help spy on your partner's cell phone remotely, change your grades or boost your credit score. Contact this helpline +1 347.857.7580 or the email address expressfoundations@gmail.com

    ReplyDelete
  28. If you think your spouse may be cheating, you can contact PHONESPYAPPS1@GMAIL.COM
    He’s a real hacker and was very reliable in helping me spy on my cheating husband’s cell phone remotely.

    ReplyDelete