Another wonderfully sunny day here in the Canadian prairies. I'm in the process of packing the camper to head out sometime in the next couple days. 2 triathlons in the next 2 weekends. Hubby and I getting away for a bit without kids was our anniversary plan. Always makes me both excited and nervous at the same time.
Nailed the last long ride of the training plan this past weekend. Didn't nail my hydration/nutrition plan though. Big bonk that took me almost 20 miles to get back on the good side. But I covered the 100 miles I wanted to, it was hot and I needed to find a way to pull myself out of the bonk. Lots learned and experienced. And as always, lots of mental hurdles to overcome.
My goal is always to empty my hydration bottle every 1- 1/2 hours. It has a combination of Generation UCAN Hydration, HydraMag and BCAA powder. I also planned to empty my nutrition bottle of Generation UCAN Superstarch 2x for the ride. I had a banana, peanut butter honey sandwich and quest protein bar. So what did I actually do and what would I do differently?
I didn't feel like eating before leaving in the morning and I should have had something. Terry ate some overnight oats. Should have had some too. I also needed to get on the hydration right away until the first stop almost 2 hours into the ride so that bottle was empty. I didn't eat my sandwich until the 1/2 way point and that was also too late. Needed that second stop sooner.
I did bring along a cooling cloth for the back of the neck and it worked awesome. It really helped me from overheating during my slump. It didn't get me over the wall but it did keep things from getting worse. We stopped 4 times to get water/bathroom. I did eat at each stop but needed to have had more right from the beginning I think. I should have also had a gatorade at our last water stop. I think that would have helped also.
Still planning to get 1 last long open water swim in today or tomorrow.
With my health being so uncertain the past couple months, I wasn't sure what to expect or hope for going into these next 2 weeks. I felt like I turned a corner to the good side about 10 days ago and so far it has been holding. For the first time, I have felt like being able to race both these triathlons is a very good possibility. I use the term "race" very loosely. In some ways, I am better prepared this year than for the ironman last year and in other ways, I feel less prepared. I do feel very confident though that for me, I am better a bit under trained than over trained. My energy is good, obviously there will be tough moments mentally; this is Ironman Canada which has 5000 ft of elevation change. My ride on Saturday was 3000 ft, pretty good for a prairie ride.
My goal is what will always it: enjoy the journey. Savour every moment and not wish time away and not let what is before me get the best of me.
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