Made it....

So the first leg of my journey to becoming an Ironman is complete.

The Drive.

Two days of driving has resulted in me and Delaware meeting my parents in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho at the house we have rented for the week. It was after dark when we arrived, so I can't really comment on the alleged mindblowing beauty this place has to offer, but if the drive here was any indication, I have no doubt we won't be disappointed.

Oh. My. God. You. Guys.

My earlier status indicated as much, but Wyoming is basically like if they took the Flint Hills of Kansas, made it the size of an entire state, and added mountains. Holy crap. Absolutely breathtaking. And Montana? Shut the hell up. Easily some of the most beautiful countryside I've seen in my entire life...and I've seen a lot of what this country has to offer in that department.

So I'm here. I'm in bed and winding down before I go to bed.

The last two days of driving have been pretty enjoyable, catching up with Delaware, listening to good music, reliving some of the joy of our road trips to far-off climbing destinations back when that's what we did. A lot of movie quotes thrown around, as always. Occasionally discussing/joking about the race has been nice(ex. Someday when I'm a real hardass, I'm gonna do a full Ironman using only beef jerky as my fuel).

My attitude for the past few days of driving has been surprisingly positive and unworried. I have a large amount of confidence right now, which is great. I am worrying less than I have been the last week or so, which is good and bad(maybe). It's good because at this point worrying won't do me much good unless it is productive, problem-solving worrying. It's bad because I feel like there are still some details about my race plan that aren't quite set in stone, which is worrisome. In a short race, you can leave some of those nitty gritty details undecided, up to chance. In a long race, the small stuff can punish you if you don't pay attention. In a REALLY long race, the small stuff can end your day.

Seasoned Ironman triathletes have these things Ironed(ugh....pun) out weeks in advance. I failed to do so. My hydration and nutrition strategies for this race are still based largely on previous race experience and are highly theoretical, instead of having been repeatedly proven to succeed in training sessions. I think my plans are good enough to see me through, but there is room for doubt, of course.

With so many X-Factors in this race that are out of my control, it seems silly to worry about them, so I'm trying to make an effort to only spend time thinking about the things I can control. These are the things that make triathlons so different from any other sport. The sport I have quickly fallen in love with is such a cerebral experience. There are so many things to pay attention to...attention paid to each individual event during training, choosing your race gear, choosing your fuel, balancing exertion between the three events throughout the course of a race, and managing transitions between them. I'm not a golfer, but it feels like I'm learning a golf swing that lasts an entire day. So many little things to remember in order for it to work. Forget one thing....just one thing.....and you slice it into the woods. A good example: In Texas, I forgot to stretch in T1 before I got on the bike. Result? Halfway through, my right quad seized up and I had to stop for about 3 minutes to stretch it out.

I like that triathlon is constantly a mental challenge. Training isn't just mindlessly grinding out mile after mile; it is a constant exercise in problem solving, time management, and mental toughness.

I'm done rambling for the night.

I'm fucking ready for this race. If I figure out a few more things before Sunday, they will either help or hinder me, but I know that barring something out of my control, I'm going to cross that damn finish line, even if I have to crawl.

3 days + 6 hours until I have the distinct pleasure of standing and facing the greatest challenge of my life, thus far.

Good night.