"A" race right around the corner

I can't believe I am already lining up for my "A" race this year, Ironman Couer d'Alene, 1 week from today.  I've had a pretty busy summer thus far having raced 2 half-Ironmen (Oceanside 70.3 and White Lake Half in NC), organizing Boise's newest off-road triathlon the Les Bois Off-Road Triathlon (http://www.lesboistri.com/), having a Wattie Ink weekend at Boise 70.3, and prepping for IMCDA. 

White Lake Half Bike



One of our more favorite things to do when
I get a visit back to NC is to see the Petty Boys!



For a quick brief, the White Lake Half was 4 weeks after Oceanside 70.3.  I have raced this race a few times, but it has been quite some time since I last raced here, I think it was 2008'ish.  It is always fun to go back where you started triathlon and I had raced in the Set Up Events race series for nearly 9 seasons before I moved here to Boise.  Long story short, I had a descent swim, good bike (PR for avg bike power for a half) and gave myself an opportunity to win by leading into T2.  However, didn't really have the run legs that I had at Oceanside, more than likely due to the effort I put on the bike and ended up 4th elite. 

Since that time, I have been a busy "bee" getting the Les Bois Off-Road Triathlon off the ground.  I finally was able to get the city permits approved to put this race on.  It has taken me 2 years, but I think it was well worth it.  The venue at Lucky Peak is perfect and I think it is a course that will be fun for everyone.  If you are looking for a late July race and a reason to travel, Boise is a great place!!!



The best weekend fun I've had all summer was this past weekend at the Boise 70.3  I didn't race this year as I had already punched my ticket to Las Vegas for the 70.3 World Champs and a bit too close to IMCDA.  We had an awesome contingent of Wattie Ink Elite team here and when we all get together, there is only one thing on the agenda.....HAVE A GOOD TIME!!!  This we did indeed!!  Even though the Boise 70.3 turned to be less than desired by many, it didn't "rain on our parade" the evening after the race.  I'll leave you with the picture below.....the pic says a thousands words!  Triathlon is a special sport.  I can't think if of any other sport where you make lifelong friends that you only see once or twice a year.  The Wattie Ink team has created exactly that.....to many more parties!!!

Things when from this........

.......to THIS!!!

The White Lake Half was 8 weeks out from IMCDA, so I had a couple weeks to fully recover from Oceanside 70.3 and WLH to fully put all my training "eggs" in one basket.  6 weeks out, I started the build and had a great training boost for the first 2 weeks.  At the end of the 3rd week, I had a little hiccup in my training after a 2hr training run.  I came up with a good bout of Achilles tendinitis that put me in a "boot" for 3 days straight and not running for 9 days.  I have to say that I have been quite lucky in the past 12 years as triathlete to never really have any injuries, so going through this was something new, especially 4 weeks out from my "A" race.  The good news is after 2 weeks of patience, a bit of rearranging of my IM prep block and a bit of consistency, I think I have skated by this injury and feel back to normal.  I ran my last long run today of 1.5 hours feeling as peppy and strong as I would have hoped to be prior to any other IM prep, no pain and back to normal training pace.  My swim the last 2 weeks has been as fast as I have ever been, my last longer swim session with Guy and Kate at 50 LCM (doing 300's) is as fast as I have swam.  My bike has been relatively strong all year.  The work is done and now the hardest part is left, execution.  I'll toe the line Sunday for my 10th IM distance race......my 5th in 19 months.  Looking to race one more IM this year........... :)

As always, my "trusty" partner in crime and better half, Heather, will be there tweeting and keeping the race as live via twitter and facebook.  I have also ordered My Athlete Live tracker to help with live coverage.  I'll update everyone later this week with how to tune in.

As my coach would say, "Keepin' my eyes on the fries!"

J