Registration Complete!

This mornings registration went well, ULTRAman means ULTRA goodie bag.  For those of you who know me well, you know that I love presents!  This morning was like Christmas, we got a backpack, Hammer nutrition products, a first aid kit, T- Shirts, coffee mug, goggles, etc...

After registration we had a mandatory meeting where all athletes were called up to the stage, which I thought was particularly cool, because in Ironman it took me placing  to get on stage.

 There are some truly amazing athletes here that I will have the privilege to race with, including Jason Lester who just won the ESPY (ESPN) award for an athlete with a disability.  Pretty amazing since he was going up against 3 olympic gold medalists.

Tomorrow will begin at 7:00, but they bumped up days 2 and 3 to a 6:00 am start because of the high heat.  

Thats all from me, the next post will be from Rob.

Time for a nap :)  BB

T-2 Days!!

Well Friends, it's about that time.

I'm feeling good and ready for the challenge.  The training obstacles are behind me now and my focus is on this 3 day adventure.

Last night we picked up Duane and Dorette and now all 3 members of my support crew are here so I can turn my mind off.

Duane will be the captain, Rob the driver and Dorette the DJ and all will be supporting me in pacing (on the run), giving me food and water and keeping my spirits up and legs moving.

Please check back for race updates each night, starting with Friday after registration.

Let the fun begin!!!!!

I can't thank you enough for your support!

Beth

T-2 Weeks!

I can't belive it's less than 2 weeks away! I'm typing this email from Salt Lake City where I enjoyed my last long pre Ultraman run.

I felt a bit like the Terminator this past week, you know, the guy who keeps getting shot down and you think, "what's going to take him out???" I had an emergency dental procedure for a root canal gone bad/bad infection last Thursday....Everythings cool now but there were a few rough days in there, accompanied by a 6 hour bike ride, 4 hour bike ride and some running.

Its been an interesting 6 months of training, and all of it has made me stronger for my big day (or 3 days). Tomorrow I will swim in an oudoor 50 meter lap pool, to a Seattle-ite, that's pure heaven. When I get home I will have a couple light rides and runs. then its off to Penticton.

I woiuld be lying if I said I'm not experiencing any anxiety but thats totally normal at this stage.

Thats all for now as it's 10:30 my time and I have a swim to wake uo to.

Thanks for reading!

Beth

T-3 Weeks

Remember when I spoke about how nice it was to have my last long training weekend behind me? That was a premature statement, but I think it’s safe to say that now. This past weekend consisted of another 100+ mile ride and a long run. When I realized saturday morning that I put my bike shorts on inside out, I did get a bit concerned about the ride but it actually ended up going well (minus the flat tire).

I got my last round of injections in my leg last week and its feeling super strong. I’m still

playing it safe by not pushing it too hard and I’m icing a lot. I think something that has helped me quite a bit is doing single leg mini squats after every run (150-200 per leg), I have noticed that each leg feels stronger than it ever has.

This experience has confirmed to me that “everything happens for a reason”, sometimes its hard to find reason in tough situations but it’s always there. I learned a lot through this leg injury and in the end, I will come out stronger and overall more healthy.

I have my last pre Ultraman work travel coming up and fortunately it will be in Salt Lake City which is a nice place to run. My goal there is to stay away from sick people and get lots of rest. Easier said then done at Outdoor Retailer.

I’m doing pretty good on the eating front and while I was worried about gaining weight, I have actually lost a couple lbs, so I will need to keep an eye on the calorie intake. I don’t want to go into this thing too lean as I will be burning tons of calories over the 3 days.

Many people have asked me, “what’s next?”, “what comes after Ultraman”. Well, I really can’t be sure but I do know it will involve an ice cold beer and some sand to sort it all out. I learned from Lorraine Molner, that events like this are more of a “Heros Journey”. Its important to think about how you achieved your goal, analyze the things that made it hard, remember what helped along the way and use the experience to help you get the most out of life and as fuel for your future adventures.

Well thats all for this week, thanks so much for reading and sorry for the late post, guess I’m getting a bit lazy in my final Ultraman hours.

see you soon,

Beth

T-4 Weeks!

I just completed my final big Ultraman training weekend. Each day I felt like I could go forever but I held back to give my quad some more healing time. Mentally it was great to ride for 7 hours and feel like I had 7 more left in me.

I am optimistic about the race but I have learned through all my years of doing ironman that you need to be open to anything. All of the preparation in the world does not prevent last minute hic ups. So if you go into the race knowing that they are all a part of the experience then you just take it all in stride which is a lot better than adding panic to your pre race anxiety.

So the hard work is behind me, now it’s about staying healthy, maintaining my level of fitness, sleeping, eating and leg rehabbing- which will of course involve a few massages J

The one area where I will continue to put in some distance is the water. I will maintain 4,000+ yard swims and long open water workouts. I will also maintain my every other day core work and everyday stretching routine.

The taper period is also tricky in relation to eating. I don’t want to gain any weight which is tricky when you’re used to eating a ton. Although, since I have given up sugar, dairy and wheat, I don’t have too many food choices to get me into trouble.

That’s all for this week, BTW, this blog will have race day coverage with video for each day of the race. I will do my best to put on a good show for you!

See you in a week, thanks for reading!

Beth