It's time to put my training to the test

A blast from the past - my first Half Ironman in Augusta 2010.

So the pedal is finally going to meet the medal this weekend when I race Rev 3 in Knoxville. This will be a half ironman race which includes:


1.2 mile swim
56 mile bike
13.1 mile run


As the name implies, it is half the distance I will be doing in August at Ironman Canada.


I talked to Coach Mary last night and confessed that while I feel physically stronger than I have going into either of my previous half ironmans I feel mentally uncertain due to:


1) HEAT - it's going to be a really hot day and I have had very few truly hot training days. Heat can absolutely wreck your day, particularly when you are not acclimated.


2) HILLS - This is quite a bit hillier half than I have done in the past. I love the Augusta Half Ironman but it is truly one of the easiest half ironmans you can do. My best time at those races has been around 6:30. It will take me likely 30 minutes longer to do this race.


3) SLACKING - I have a bad habit of slacking off when I get a little uncertain. I don't want to do this for this race particularly on the bike where I'm feeling strong. I want the run to go well but as noted above, the heat might put a real crimp in my style. :)


The best I can do is look at this as a long, hot training day. I want to just be happy with my nutrition plan and fitness coming out of the day.


So I'm hoping for a 7 hour race - I will give you the full report after this weekend and maybe share a picture or two from the weekend. 


Wish me luck!