That was my week… It was the biggest so far and quite possibly it will be the biggest week in this training plan. I did have to skip a 30 minute recovery run on Wednesday (I was having a rough day and just needed a break), but otherwise I nailed the rest of it.

I did two of my longest effort so far and I was so happy with each one.  On Saturday I ran for 2:30 and managed to hold a 9:30 pace YAY!!!!! I did exactly what I wanted to do and it gave me a lot of confidence! Then on Sunday I rode for 6 hours and managed to get 100 miles in. Cycling is my weakest discipline by far. When I did Ironman St. George in 2012 I spent over 8:30 on the bike! It was terrible! I have been hoping that this time around I would be able to get the bike done in 7:00; but my ultimate goal has been 6:30… Now, I think I may be able to do that! This feels a little bit like when I was training for the Portland Marathon in hopes of Qualifying for Boston. The closer I got to the race, the more confidence I had that I would be able to do it. Originally my goal time for Arizona was between 13-14 hours. After that bike ride I feel like I am knocking at the door of a 12 hour finish!

Swim 1:05

Bike 6:30

Run 4:30

Transitions :15

Total 12:20

This is exactly the confidence boost I need right now. The race is so close and it is all I can think of. I feel so bad for my family. I can’t focus on anything else. All I think of is the race! I am so lucky to have Stuart for support. Once again he is doing everything he can to make it so I don’t have to think about anything but the race. I couldn’t do this without him.

Not everybody is comfortable with putting down their goal times. “I just want to finish” is what you hear a lot. I find that when you put it out there, you have a better chance of making it happen. So I am putting it out there.