It's Ironman Week!

It's hard to believe it's been a year already since I finished my second Ironman and felt like I was on top of the world because I crushed my time from the previous year.

I've been feeling a little emotional about it since yesterday since Thursday evening is usually when my journey to the finish line begins.  I did the same Ironman (Coeur D'Alene) two years in a row, so I think that if I had signed up for a third year I would've done the exact same thing I did the previous years.

Thursday- Catch the 9pm flight to Spokane, WA that arrives at 11pm. Arrive in our rental house by midnight.

Friday- Wake up, have a hearty breakfast. Head out to the beach, sign my life away and pick up race packet.  Buy souvenirs, jump in the water for a warm-up. Go for a 10min run.

Saturday- Wake up, have a hearty breakfast. Head out on my bike for final check, run 10mins. Head down to Ironman Village, drop off my gear and take the rest of the day to rest. Stay off my feet and hydrate.

Sunday- Give it my all. Smile. Enjoy.

Monday - Start a week-long vacation at the cabin with my man.

Things have been different this year, and honestly, I'd been relieved that I didn't have to train.  And honestly, I'm relieved I'm not there.  It's so much work.  But given that it does bring back some memories, I'd like to share the good, the bad and the ugly.

THE GOOD: 
1. Crossing that Finish line is the best feeling you'll ever experience. It's unreal and inexplicable.
2. You will never be more fit in your life.
3. It is acceptable to eat a full pizza at midnight, and have a full blown breakfast at 4am. And another at 6am. No one will judge you and you will not feel guilty (and you will wonder if you can eat a second pizza).
4. Champagne tastes better after a 14 hour workout.
5. If something goes wrong, you probably won't remember 2hrs later and in the end: IT DOESN'T MATTER. You always have time to recover.

THE BAD: 
1. As good as you think you are with your nutrition, it's hard to fuel your body during a 14hr race. Something WILL go wrong.
2. Your run never goes as planned.
3. If you feel good at any point in the run, it's probably a bad thing.
4. You will get blisters.
5. The first 1000m of the swim is like attempting to swim inside a clothes washer, so just go with the flow.

THE UGLY: 
1. The swollen ankles the day after.
2. Eating 16 GUs in one day
3. After you complete an Ironman see how long it takes for you to get back into swimming (I haven't swam since August 2012) or into your bike (I haven't been on my bike since January 2013), or running shoes (ok, I've been running and it only took me a week, but then again, I'm a runner at heart).
4. Naked ladies in the changing tent... covered in salt from their own sweat.
5. The porta-potties on the run course. Here's a piece of advice: DO NOT GO IN THERE UNLESS IT'S A MATTER OF LIFE OR DEATH. Because the people in front of you did the same... so go figure.