20 Hours

As I sit at my computer trying to get some last minute work done I find myself going over the check list for my race in my head.  I get the occasional email from FGLB and Nacho that reminds me of something or makes me laugh. As the title says 20 hrs from now my wife and I will be getting on a plane to head south.  I am excited to get down there and relax.

My game plan at this point is to smile and have fun.  Lat week I was asked, "How can that be any fun"?  Well i am going to do something that most people feel this way about.   And there are even people out there that would like to do some thing like this but can't.So for all those people I am going to smile and smile and smile, even though deep down my body may be crying.  I do not plan on setting any records with this race, but this will let me know if there will be another in my future.

2 weeks

I fly to Cozumel 2 weeks from today and the nervousness is setting in.  It seems like yesterday that I was signing up for this race which has been over a year.  At the time I had huge aspirations for training and finish time.  But as life catches up with all of us and we make excuses to not workout for just today, the tough part is getting out and doing it the next day.  I don't feel under trained, but I wonder with those workouts that I did miss if they are going to cost me big as far as finishing.  So my goal for the 140.6 mile Fun Day, is to have fun and make sure that I smile as much as I can.  I am going to have awesome support.  I started doing triathlons to stay in shape for wrestling during the summer and FGLB also gave me a nudge as his uncle was an awesome triathlete.  So why not try to do something that most people can only imagine?  As I have read by many Ironman participants, the mental aspect is always the toughest to overcome.  My support from friends and family will be huge and I definitely  want to make their trip worth while.

So as Bone Thugs N Harmony starts to play on my Slacker radio I think back a few years to listening to this song in FGLB's Bronco our senior year of high school.  How time does fly!

Next Step

So I woke up this morning and decided that if Feelin Good Lookin Better won't update his blog then I would start my own.

We are 22 days away from the longer/biggest triathlon that I have ever competed in.  Three of us signed up a year ago this past August and at first I thought, Cozumel, what an awesome place.  So living in Des Moines, I thought what better place to train than with the two guys I am competing with.  So I spent a few hours that winter on my bike and in the pool.  I ran a little, but who likes running on treadmills.  As the weather got nice I bought a new bike(black and gold).  It reminds me of sunny mornings and crisp morning air, along with the feeling of vomit in my throat and thoughts of having to run when my legs want to fall off.
And as April came I started to look at a new career path.  See, my wife was living in St Louis where she was going to OT school.  Its the best in the country for her program and I did miss her.  So I jumped at the chance and left all my friends to head south.  It is awesome seeing my beautiful wife everyday, but my training has definitely suffered.  Its not easy to get on my bike or go for a run alone.  But with that said I have done quite a bit if training and feel confident.  I am not going to break any records but I do want to hear those words, "Scott Kauffman you are an Ironman".
So with Nacho battling a broken shoulder and Feelin Good Lookin Better with a bad ankle, we are set to go to Cozumel this Thanksgiving.  Its going to be an awesome trip as my brother and his wife, Amy and her parents are all going to join me for the race.  I am very happy to have so much support for this event. Nacho is still unsure if he will compete but I hope that he does as he is always a joy to have at any race, even if he wont camp and sleeps in his car(Kansas).  So heres to the next step.
Its been a summer of fun and a few races!