And The Tapering Begins!: 3 Weeks Until Ironman Cozumel!

It's coming up so fast.

I can't believe that months of running, biking and swimming are finally culminating into one big event that could either go well or not-so-well. I'm hoping to fall somewhere between "well" and "really good." Hoping.

This weekend I ran one last race, a half marathon in Outer Banks, North Carolina. It's getting chilly, so it's not great beach weather, but the cooler temperatures made for fantastic running weather.

My friend Allison and I drove out to the coast on Saturday, picked up our race packets, stopped at a pirate-themed restaurant for dinner and then got a good night's sleep in a nearby hotel. In all honesty, I really hadn't thought much about the race beforehand. I knew that I hadn't planned to go "all out," but I still wanted to see if I could improve my only other half-marathon time of 1 hour, 45 minutes (at the same half marathon in 2007).

Allison and I started out together at an 8 minute/mile pace (which averages out to an approximate 1:45 half marathon time). However, we ended up splitting up and I decided to try to hold a faster pace. I really wasn't sure exactly of how to pace myself since I hadn't really done a 13-mile run for time during training, so I decided to stay at about a 7:45 min/mile pace. Looking back, I definitely could have gone faster. The run itself was fast and flat and I would have loved to have broken an hour and 40 minutes...which is exactly where I ended up. Still, I shaved five minutes off my previous time, so I was happy.

Today I met with my triathlon coach, David Williams. I honestly wish I could have had more time to fill out his training logs after each individual workout, but I never really had the time to be consistent with it. Nonetheless, he's managed to plan my workouts very well. Today we met at a nearby coffee shop so I could ask him some more "last minute questions": what to bring to Cozumel, packing and unpacking my bike, what to wear on the bike and run, how to pace my nutrition, a run strategy for going through the aid stations, adjusting to the heat (it will be in the 80's in Cozumel), etc. He gave me a LOT of good information and I feel more comfortable in formulating a race strategy.

He also asked me if I had a goal time in mind. Generally and most importantly, my goal is simply to finish. I would like to be under 14 hours, but I really don't have much logic behind that number. Dave guessed that I would finish around 12:30-13 hours. Anywhere between 12 and 14 hours, he said, depending on how well everything goes during the race.

I'm nervous about the race, but undoubtedly excited.