Are we there yet?

So many levels to that question this Friday. Top Three?

1. Is this surgery going to work for Mo?
2. Will I go crazy during the 30+ hour 190 mile Ragnar Relay with five others in a Suburban?
3. How will the EvoTri vote end?

The doctors convinced each other and then Mistress that this surgery is going to be a good thing for Mo. He is having his tonsils and adenoids removed and scraping and restructuring his sinuses. Its a long painful procedure that will have him recovering for over a week. The debate was how individually the procedures are 'routine' but when done all at once and considering he has zero immune system without drugs it is considered experimental. This does nothing for his more dangerous colitis issue.

Ragnar will be a long day for me. I don't sleep well when traveling. I haven't met three of the six in my vehicle before. Its one thing to have a kick ass 7 mile run workout but when you repeat it every 6 hours and then just sit in a car seat for the time in between and not getting normal food, who knows what will happen. I do look forward to this race. It was my idea for us to do it. I think it will be one of those very memorable races of my life. Gee, maybe us bloggers should do one next year. Only need twelve per team and there all over the country.

I have really been stumping for EvoTri votes this week. In some regards I am glad it is a week of voting as it takes time to plan and execute such a campaign. But not knowing what place I'm in or how anyone else is doing, it can make you think to much about it in a unhealthy way. I always tend to look at it as I am in the back of the pack, don't take anything for granted, obstacles will come up, just work as hard as I can to finish strong. Gee, maybe a life lesson there. Believe it or not the part that I dwell on the most right now is that regardless of the outcome I won't be able to do a proper thank you or congratulatory post until the end of the weekend; after the relay, after taking a turn with Mo and after my century ride on Sunday.

No matter how it ends, though I hope and prefer it ends well for me, I am so humbled and appreciative of all the people that took the time to vote for me and send the messages out. I received so many emails from people saying, "Hey Comm's, heres a response from so and so about voting for you."

Have Fun.

Heads or Tails

Yeah I noticed my Bloggerheadz custom site header is missing. Don't have much time to work on it for the next several days. Have a pal checking it out though.

The Heart of the matter

In my pocket is a folded piece of plain paper. It hasn't left my pocket since it was created Tuesday afternoon. Along the left edge in blue ink are dates running all the way through the month of March. Next to each date is my workout for the day. The most aggressive, sustained three week program of my triathlon life.

Why?

Because I chose to do a race called Ironman in April. Not for glory. Not for redemption. Not for bragging rights. I chose to do it because every time I am out there on that course I learn what kind of man I am.

I think all of us look forward to races because their ultimately so simple. Give it all you got and cross the line. There is nothing to hold back for tomorrow. There is no pressing appointment conflicting with time. The day is sublimely perfect in its purpose. It is there for you alone.

Its off the course that it gets all muddled. Distractions to health and wealth. Family and work. The payoff seems so far away and there is so many miles of training left to get there. Compromise comes into play. 15 mile runs at a sustained heart rate of 10 miles of rolling hills? 35 miles of up and down riding of a 4% grade or a century ride at a steady state?

Equivocation.

When a Common Man like me trains with people who have clear athletic ability, like pretty much all my training partners, equivocation and compromise take place to maintain the pack. But really I need the long endurance training that I do in base work, just farther because of my goals. I can't just do a dozen 60 mile rides and expect to do well at an Ironman like many people can. I need several 100 mile rides.

In my pocket is a plain piece of paper. On it is a plan to I will stick to. Along the left edge in blue ink are dates running all the way through the month of March. My next race is here today when I started a 3 hour ride at three o' clock this morning. I have another one every day through the month of March. The most aggressive, sustained three week program of my triathlon life. Ironman is where I find out what kind of man I am. I forgot that the training is WHO I am.

bring the heat

after starting off in the whole at work, i have clawed myself up to point where i will get some great training done tonight. in my pocket is a piece of paper that has every day of training between now and April and i intend to hold myself to it. I can still have a good solid ironman showing.
It's 80 degrees today and why people come here for vacations right now. I can't believe I get to train in this weather. Todays practice is one loop of the IMAZ run (about 8.5 miles) and then about 1.5 miles in the pool.
Been rallying the troops at work and hope each of you will stop three more people each day and have them to vote for me for the evotri sponsorship.
have fun

So far, So good

Mo is at home now, resting but beat up. Things were worse than expected upon examination but the operations were a sucess. Mistress says his face is a swollen, black and blue mess and his jaw and neck are non-existant. Am told he's throwing up blood but was to be expected. thank you for your prayers and well wishes.

Ragnar is going well. I ran 7:30 miles for 5.5 miles. Nice surprise for me. Our whole van ran at or under pace. We're done now until my next leg around 8:30 pm

Ragnar Relay

This Friday myself and 11 of my friends (male/female) will hop into two suburban SUV's and partake in a 190 mile running relay, the MyoMed Ragnar here in Arizona. Each runner has three legs of varying distance and elevation. I volunteered to do one of the hardest legs for the team running a total of 18 miles and having a 'hard' or 'very hard' designator.

The nice thing is that once I get in the SUV to drive out to the start very early on Friday morning, I can forget about just around everything in my life and focus on making the next 30 hours pure fun. Except for EvoTri voting, that will stress me out regardless through the deadline. Someone will need to call me or send me an email or text to let me know the outcome as I won't have immediate access to the results Saturday morning.

Apparently yesterday Mo's primary doctor (he sees several physicians that are all specialists) raised a flag over the operation and wants more information before she would be comfortable with it. So Mistress has to sort through some more medical stuff today. The surgery is still on, but by the end of the day maybe not. Mistress and I made a conscious decision to consolidate Mo's surgery, all upper respiratory procedures, on this same Friday because the alternatives were all mid or early week. This just seem to fit with our schedules best. I will be missing work on Friday for Ragnar and then working from home on Monday and Tuesday.

You know when I said...

Time never stops. No matter how many times we sleep in or not. Eat right or not. If you have the balls to set a goal, it looms. As you get closer it really looms.

Part of me says, "Your training for your fourth Ironman in three years. You didn't sign up for the first, it was just a test of balancing life, but you did the distances over one full weekend. You finished #2, you got pulled for medical 2/3 through #3, and #4 is really only three weeks of training away. You've had the flu and a concussion and assumed two other peoples work responsibility in the last five months. But your been here before an ironman, others doing it for their first time are freaking out and your not."

The other part of me says. "..your not freaking out. You may get through this race but its going to be ugly. Your training level is mid season half iron level. Pathetic. You looked better before the concussion in November and thats not an excuse that you."

So I am torn. I had a mentor admonish me today for my training level. I deserved it. I have been mentally distracted by a lot lately, more than I have even put down in the blog. Add to that everything above and trying to get on EvoTri and its disappointing I have allowed myself to get here.

So I have to make changes that I wish I didn't have to make. I have three weeks to get back to a respectable Ironman condition. That means I will be eschewing much of my team training for solo work. Most of them can find results on less effort but I can not. I have to focus on my weaknesses and that right now is my bike and my distances.

I am never one for discouraging other triathletes. But for those of you thinking of doing an Ironman and your on the fence, this is the post you don't want to have to write six weeks before the race.