Here We Go!

It is monday. This time next week I will be on my way to Mcdonalds for my traditional post race splurge on chicken mcnuggets, a chocolate milshake and fries:) Yum!!!!!
I have noticed that over the past week, I have had problems explaining to people why I "fear" the Ironman distance. Here it goes...Ironman does not care if you have raced well all year. Ironman does not care if you have already doen 4 of them. Ironman does not care if you are confident. Ironman does not care if you have been training all year specifically for this day. Ironman is a force to be reckoned with. It will take the strongest of athletes down, and at lightening fast speeds. Ironman decides what will happen to you on that day. It decides if you will get a flat, it will decide if you will get sick on the run and it will decide if you qualify for Hawaii. I can't say that I fear Ironman like I fear God, but I can say, that it is bigger than me. It takes a lot of money, a lot of time, a lot of hard work and a lot of patience to get to the start line. My biggest fear, is dissapointment in myself. My next biggest fear is having to explain to all of my friends, family and coworkers why I didn't have a good day and how bad days just happen. Those are just conversations I don't want to have.
Going into this race, I know I am extremely fit. No, I am not at my potential and I am not as strong as I wanted to be. But, I know, all things constant, that I will have a great day out there. I thrive at this distance because I want it, I long for the pain and I can tolerate it for a very, very, very long time. That is what I do--I go long. So yes, I have the confidence needed to have a great race. Will that happen, I don't know. I do know, that whatever might go wrong, is out of my control. All I can do is race smart and fight hard until the end.
I can't wait to see my mom at the finish line. She means the world to me and she will be there until the end, even if it does take me 17 hours to finish! I also can't wait to see my friends, the ones who will be pushing me through the course...cheering me on and telling me to puke and keep going! I love you guys, you rock and I can't wait to see you there! I am pre apologizing for the 3 hours of nausia and puking that tend to follow each ironman performance. I tend to skip aid stations the last 3 miles.