doubts

Last night Husband said he was concerned that I bit off more than I can chew with the Mightyman Montauk. Maybe he's right. After all, I got terrible cramps and nearly hurt myself after a mere 40 minutes on the bike last night. How am I going to last at a HALF IRONMAN when I'll be out there for 6-7 HOURS? (Good question, eh?)

Husband is not doing the longer Tri's or the marathon with me. But we work out together, so he knows my level/limitations. We did a Sprint Tri together, and I finished near the very bottom of the pack. I think he's concerned that I'll need to be rescued on the swim. Or that he should be out there escorting me on his surfboard.

The countdown clock I added to the side of my blog is a source of motivation, but also stress. I've been scheduling some business trips this week in August and September, when will I have time to train? Also, I have basically been starting with my marathon training schedule, and just substituting some swimming and biking for some of the running. I haven't actually been ADDING the swimming and running. I've been realizing that I've been doing it all backwards, what I should actually do is start with a triathlon training schedule, and add some long runs. Basically, I've been slacking. Big time.

Anyway, I'm trying to make myself feel better. I learned some things from my first (Sprint) tri, and my training since then. I barely placed in that last race, but I felt good at the end, and I could have down more. So I'm going to break it down for myself (and my loyal readers).

Mighty Hamptons: 45 DAYS ("Olympic" distance)

• Swim is 1.5 K (.93 miles)
• Bike is 23 miles (38 K)
• Run is 6.2 miles (a 10 K)

Swim. That's 30 laps/60 lengths. I've never done that before - I stop for 10+ seconds after virtually every lap in the pool. But it almost sounds reasonable. Almost. I could backstroke a little if I lose my breath. 30 laps. 30 laps. 30 laps. In last year's race, it took between 21 - 64 minutes for this leg of the race. 30 laps in an hour at the pool definitely sounds reasonable. Of course, I can't hold on to or push off from the wall, but still. My wetsuit and the salt water make me "floaty". I won't nearly as freaked out by the other swimmers kicking as I was in my first tri. I will swim in a straight line and sight the buoys regularly. I will put anti-fog on my goggles. It's doable. 45 minutes would be nice.

Bike. I *think* I have gone that far on a bike at the gym before, but never on my real bike. I definitely haven't biked the course, but I know the area pretty well, and there are no major hills. There are farms and and a golf course, so maybe some rolling bits, but I think I am more worried about the ticks. Last year it took participants between 1 - 2 hours. That's a long time. Long enough that I need to get coordinated enough to drink from my water bottle while moving. But the good thing about a bike is, even when you aren't working very hard, you are still moving. It took me 31 minutes to go 8 miles in my sprint tri. I had "bike issues" that day and was still getting used to clipless. So maybe an hour and 15 minutes?

Run. I have run 6.2 miles or more at least 5 times, and it should be about 10 times by the time the race is here. I will obviously be tired, but my running is pretty consistent. 65 minutes.

In the race packet, it lists the start time (7:00 am), the estimated time of the first finisher (8:47 am) and the estimated time of the last finisher (11:00 am). So adding up the parts, plus a conservative 10 minutes for the transitions, I should finish the race at 10:15 (3:15). Based on last year's results, that would put me in 500th place, out of 633. Since my goal is to simply finish the race, I consider this to be respectable. Again, my goal is just to finish. Plus, I still have 45 days to do more swimming and biking. The course is pretty accessible and I should get to practice on it at least once. This, I can do.

Next Up --> Mightyman Montauk: 94 Days

• Swim is 1.2 miles (2K)
• Bike is 56 miles
• Run is 13.1 miles (a 1/2 marathon)

Swim. That's 40 laps/80 lengths. Never done that. That's like all the swimming I've done in the past month. Last year, it took participants 29 - 66 minutes to finish this legs, surprisingly similar to the times for the other race, which is 500 meters shorter. I can think of 2 possible explanations: (1) this swim is in a pond instead of a bay, so maybe it is flatter and easier, or (2) only very strong swimmers dare to enter this race. hmm. Also, they CLOSE the swim course after 1 hour. Gulp.

Bike. Haven't done that before either. Last year it took participants between 2.5 - 4 hours. Ouch. They CLOSE the bike course at 11:30. (Race starts at 7:00)

Run. I will have run 13.1 miles and more several times before the race in preparation for the marathon. I run slow in the best conditions. But I train on this course practically every weekend, so I will be ready for the hills. 2.5 hours. They CLOSE the run course at 3:00.

Yeah, this looks pretty hard. I might not make the cut-off times, and be a DNF. But I won't DIE out there. (Always looking on the bright side . . .)

My only hope is my training camp and training schedule. Hope they don't kick me out of camp! I repeat, my goal is just to finish.

Strangely, I'm not really worried about the marathon. My goal all along was just to finish; I don't mind walking through the water stops or whenever I need to. Also, I read somewhere that an Olympic distance tri is considered to be equivalent to "marathon effort". So, if I do these 2 events, it should be a piece of cake. I guess that's something.

This was a long post. Clearly, I am obsessed. But, I feel a little better. After all, my goal is just to finish.

Off to the pool!