Thoughts with 10 days left

Current #mugmood:  I’m 10 days from Ironman Santa Rosa. Ahhh

I’m looking forward to race day and a weekend in wine country.  My thoughts are all over the place and the race day dreams and “nightmares” have begun.  Last night I dreamt that I was late to packet pick up as they were closing down.  When I went to enjoy what was left of the expo it was all make-up and fashion clothing: completely opposite of who I am!  But you better bet I picked up my free blush.

So as I’m winding down to the last few days of taper and Ironman prep, I often get asked two questions: 1) Are you ready? 2) What is next?

1)  Yes, I am ready! I’m excited to see how I perform on race day.  I signed up for Santa Rosa with the intent to try to qualify for Kona – 1st place.  However with how this training cycle started and the brutal courses I chose for my B and C races, I’m less confident in the speed that I had hoped to gain.  In addition, I pinned myself against some fast ladies, including a fellow Eagle Bicycle ambassador Katie Tommila.  None the less, I will finish and I will shoot for that PR and a better placing that I had at Ironman Arizona.

2) What is next?  This is the ever daunting question.  One that makes you feel the high expectations that everyone has for you.  One that makes you want to reach for greater things, because people are watching and they do care.  One that makes you want to push to be a better you.  The answer: I don’t know.  There are a lot of things that are “next”  and what that order is, I have no idea.

– I still want to qualify for Kona.  So if I don’t do it this year, I’ll try for next year and the year after if I need to.
– I want to do a multi-day bikepacking ride: maybe southern Utah or the Pacific Northwest.
– I want to travel: Maybe that includes a race, maybe it doesn’t.
– I want to help people in their triathlon journey.
So there are a lot of “next” things, many things I still haven’t mentioned, but I’m not going to worry about it until after Ironman 10 days from not.  I’m not going to even worry about it when I’m sipping wine the day after.

Until the next Great Adventure!

Cheers!
Maria