I started the 10 weeks to Augusta post, resolving to put in positive affirmations of real tangible success points I’ve had along the way. 

The first thoughts about going long in a triathlon came to me sometime after I finished my unexpected unplanned sprint triathlon last year. No, I didn’t go any faster than my always snail pace, but I was taken aback by how much I’d enjoyed myself, and how I’d been prepared for it without really training at all. And then when Ragnar and Dopey training started, I always had the thought in my mind and I took everything that the training threw at me knowing that I was building a base.

So this is week 10 on the countdown to Ironman 70.3 Augusta and I’m shelving away  MY JOURNEY so far into my mental library.

I Learnt to Run.

I was a run-walker until July 15th last year. I could not imagine running anything more than 4-5 miles straight out. I essentially had to re-learn running and now I can run without having to take walk breaks. (Nothing against the walk breaks that I used to love – but I was using it as a mental crutch and stopping to walk when I didn’t really need to).

I Learnt to Focus

I was a complete crossfit girl when that triathlon opportunity knocked. I didn’t think I’d ever want to leave crossfit – I loved it so much! But in the back of my mind, I also knew that crossfit and running with a goal/triathlon didn’t go together. It took a LOT of effort to give up something I loved and focus on the one main goal.

My body has been learning what to do

Towards the end of the Dopey training program, I had 5hr runs on Saturdays (about 20 miles for me) and then a 2.5hr run on Sunday. It was not just legs that were tired, my mind was tired. I remember sleepily rolling in on one Sunday morning at 8:30am and being greeted by chirpy happy people and I had the feeling of being hungover. But I still got through it and that’s when I realized – my legs were on autopilot, they could run by themselves while my mind took a mini-nap.

I still have 10 weeks to go, but those weeks will only strengthen what I’ve been doing and will only teach my body to do what it is supposed to do on September 27th. 

My mind has been learning what to do

Everytime I doubt myself, I’ve had pushback from friends and mentors to take a step back and see what I’ve accomplished on the journey so far. To see where I started from and where I’m heading towards. 

And through every tough training session, through every struggling workout, my mind has been learning to just chug ahead. It still worries, but it is not afraid.

Taking a photo with the bike at the “tunnel” is a rite of passage (amongst my friends) for first time bikers on the Silver Comet trail. And that day was not just a distance milestone with me, but a mental milestone as well – learning to ride aero, learning to drink and learning to eat.  There are still a ton of stuff more to learn about (like holding steady for 56 miles), but as that breakthrough day showed, and as every day has been showing – I’m moving in the right direction. 

And through all this I KNOW that I’m DETERMINED, COMMITTED and FOCUSED. Every workout and every challenge is strengthening myself to meet September 27th. 

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