SalsMiles2

Aah, there is a trick to this my friends. Let's say you are the support crew, name of Lowly, or Mrs. Lowly as the case might be. Your athlete, the King or Queen, who is participating in the race, might be under some stress, which is totally understandable. It is up to you, Lowly, to be calm, cool and collected. Yes, an impossible task given your natural disposition, but still, it must be done for the athlete. Obviously packing your own clothes is necessary. But, use as little room as possible. More than one suitcase is not allowed! How could we ever fit the triathlon bag, wetsuit, bike, bike gear, cooler, bag of special triathlon foods, and running gear with us? Oh, who packs all this stuff you ask? Well, Lowly, your job is make sure the vehicle is prepared. Fill the gas tank, check the oil, the tires, clean it inside and out. You are the nutrition specialist. Wash the water and electrolyte bottles, gather all the gels, Hammer bars and special nutrition supplements. Lowly, you get ...

10. Faster, stronger on the bike than last year. 9. Better nutrition plan before and during the IM thanks to Hammer 8. Loss of 4-6 sizes in clothing 7. What else would a couple do to celebrate 30 years of marriage? 6. She wants a tattoo. 5. Jan loves swimming in the Ohio River (at least there are no alligators). 4. Jan is so hot in those goggles, swim cap and suit. 3. Faster transitions (no more milkshakes, fries and cheeseburgers - just kidding) 2. Mental strength - "Pain is inevitable, suffering is optional" 1. Tremendous support received from family and friends.

We are going to Louisville! I can hear it now, "JAN MCCULLOUGH, YOU...ARE...AN...IRONMAN!" (the announcer says the finisher's name like this everytime one crosses the finish line) Jan participated in 2/3 of the Sodus Triathlon yesterday. After practicing in Lake Ontario she opted out of the swim. Seems the two foot waves didn't agree with her. So she waited and was let in to the last two segments about 30 minutes after the swimmers began. Of course her times don't count, but it was still a good workout. We are taking an educated guess that the Ohio River won't have two foot waves. The next eleven days are for resting, sleeping (maybe not falling asleep on the couch at 8pm every night, but staying up until 10pm?), and a few shorter workouts.

I just started reading a memoir, "What I talk about when I talk about Running" by Murakami. This is a great statement that can be used by any endurance athlete, "Pain is inevitable. Suffering is optional. Say you're running and you start to think, Man, this hurts, I can't take it anymore. The hurt part is an unavoidable reality, but whether or not you can stand any more is up to the runner himself." page vii. Another quote, "most ordinary runners are motivated by an individual goal, more than anything; namely, a time they want to beat. As long as he can beat that time, a runner will feel he's accomplished what he set out to do, and if he can't, then he'll feel he hasn't. Even if he doesn't break the time he'd hoped for, as long as he has the sense of satisfaction at having done his best...then that in itself is an accomplishment, a positive feeling he can carry over to the next race." page 10.

What do you do when the thunder is booming and lightning flashing all around with only 22 days left until Ironman Louisville and you need a last long ride, maybe up to 100 miles? You put your bike on an indoor trainer in the basement, pull out the Lord of the Rings trilogy on DVD, and ride. This training method is also a good way to get caught up on washing the dirty clothes that seemed to be taking over our basement. How many clothes do two athletes use when each one is working out 10-14 times a week? Multiply this hamper by 4 and you might be close. In the spirit of being "green" we even re-use our bath towels two or three times before washing them.