What Else Can I Do?

It's what I go to bed thinking about every night. Did I do everything I could today to prepare myself for Ironman Coeur d'Alene? Did I do everything I could today to put myself in a position to score one of those Kona slots when I toe the line on June 26? Only 10 weeks away, I'm in the thick of it and every day is gonna count.

But this is it. I've tiptoed around it enough, and those smarter than me would probably never admit it until it happens, but yes, I'm going to Coeur d'Alene with the intention of earning a slot to the Ironman World Championships in Kona. My natural ability - dare I say, talent - ain't near enough to do it. What genes my folks gave me, coupled with some extremely hard work......4 months of extremely hard work and sacrifice.........still might not be enough. It's gonna take the stars of the Big Dipper to inexplicably stretch out and align themselves. It's gonna take a blessing from God. It's gonna take all I can muster up, and that's why I ask myself every night if I'm giving it all I've got.

I fully understand I may be setting myself up for failure. Think what you like whether I succeed or not, but gimme a chance at least. I deeply apologize to everyone around me (Angie!!!!) for the negligence this obsession is causing me. But, just a chance, please. Let me take an honest crack at this thing.

On Friday, the gauntlet got thrown down in a big way. My good buddy, who we'll call Frank.......Fisher, got his own miracle and got a slot to Kona through the lottery. I'm not exactly sure how many tries it took, but I think his wife.........we'll call her Anne........said it was something that ends in "-teen." My first reaction was congratulatory, and I texted him on the spot. I couldn't be more envious though, and as happy as I am for him, I can't let him go out there alone and soak up every drop of the sufferage, heat, pain and misery that is that glorious race on that hallowed ground without me suffering right along side him. I gotta make it there too. And that would make it all the more sweeter to be out there amongst good company.

So, I put everything I could into this weekend. A storm rolling in Saturday threatened to mess with my long ride and run. I figured I could get 2 good hours on the bike before it hit, then get on the trainer in the garage for an hour, and then quickly drive to the gym for an 8 miler on the treadmill to complete my Saturday brick. I needed to do the ride at a good pace - something that would bode well for the White Lake Half Iron in 3 weeks but give me the mileage to feel like it was an honest Ironman training day as well. I nailed the ride at 22.4 mph on an extremely windy day, and logged 71 miles in the process. Then I got on the trainer in the garage and rode 15 more on the RealCourse video of IM CDA on the Computrainer. Then, too tired to believe I could nail the 8 miler at my goal pace of 7:30/mile I set out to see how rubbery the legs really were. After 7 miles I was ahead of my goal, on fire about Kona, and telling myself I could ease in for the last mile at an 8:20 pace, still nail the goal pace for the 8 miles, and maybe even conserve a little sump' sumpin' for Sunday's 18 miler. So, that last mile went by in 7:19. I thought about Frank in Kona, suffering without me, every minute of the workout - all 5 hours and 15 minutes of it.

I had a leisurely evening and ate my dinner - a grouper filet and some wild rice, chilled with my feet up and rehydrated for the 18 mile run early Sunday morning. There was something about a bunch of tornadoes all around and evidently a big enough storm came through tearing up some buildings in eastern Carolina and taking a few lives with it. I saw nothing of it but a little bit of sideways rain, and I went to bed at 8 pm and slept soundly til morning. I thank God for sparing our home, and allowing me the frivolous luxury of preparing myself for a petty race that means nothing to anyone in this world. I don't mean to be a big dope my whole life, but if I could just hang on for the next 10 weeks!

I awoke to one of the most beautiful sunny mornings I've ever seen in Greenville, and had a glorious 18 miler. Again, I needed to nail the pace at 7:30/mi to feel confident that I could turn in a marathon worthy of a Kona slot on race day, which, if I haven't said it before, is looking like it will call for a maximum of 3:30. If I can feel a 3:15 is easily doable as a fresh marathon, that 3:30 should be in the cards. Anyway, the pace for today's 18 was 7:20 when it was all done. Perfect. And I had plenty of energy left.

I can honestly say I have nailed every workout since I opened up to Ironman training on March 1. When will I fail? It can't last forever.

So, what else can I do? I have a picture of an aerial view of Kona on my bathroom mirror, and I ask it the same question every morning and every night.

I have a list right here on my desk of all the things I'm doing differently this go-round compared to the last one in 2009 at IM Louisville (when I wasn't really going for a Kona slot). Maybe more, maybe less boring, but I'll post the list in a later entry.

For now, suffice it to say that I'm openly admitting that I am going for a Kona slot. Whether you believe I can get it or not. But if you have any ideas to the question at the top of this post, I'm all ears. Thanks for taking time out of your day to take a glimpse into this bit of an obsession I have. Sorry I have no pictures.