The Final Exam
I leave for Lake Placid in a few hours and I am barely packed! The last couple days have been crazy at work and in life, and I've hardly even taken a second to stop, breathe and realize I am about to embark on my final exam that I've been working towards non-stop for the past year of my life. I'm not sure what the internet situation is in Lake Placid, so this may be the last time you'll hear from me until after the race.
Most people that ask me about the race lately ask me how I feel or if I’m ready. I have to say that these questions are impossible to answer. During this week I have felt a full range of emotions from fear to confidence. And how about the question of being ready? How the heck do you answer that one? How will I know that I'll be ready for what my body might do after 10+ hours into the race? My longest day of training is just under 8 hours. Everything over that will be unchartered territory. With that said, I do know that on an isolated level all of these distances are doable. During my IMLP recon five weeks ago I swam 2.4 miles in Mirror Lake. I also rode the same 112 I'll ride this Sunday five weeks ago and last November I toed the line at the Philly Marathon. So all of these disciplines are doable. There is some comfort in that. The real question is whether or not I have prepared myself to do all three in one day and within 17 hours. I can say with a mild level of confidence that the swim and the bike ride are doable (pending no injury during either discipline on race day). I have visualized myself getting off the bike and feeling strong. The 26.2 that follow the first 114.4 are what really keep me up at night lately. I suppose the best one can do is have faith in the body of work that they've put together up to race day and hope for the best.
At the end of the day, this is all about having an enjoyable day. I will do my best to smile every chance I get. I feel so fortunate to be living this life and to be able to attempt a feat like this at all.
Some of you have asked me what my goal time is. I have to say that I do not plan to publish my goal time explicitly on this blog. I think it puts unnecessary pressure on someone who's doing an event like this for the first time. With that said, if you want a general gauge of how I think I might do, you can entertain yourself with the following observations:
- I swam 2.4 in Mirror Lake 5 weeks ago in 63 minutes. I'd like to go a couple minutes slower than that on race day.
- I rode 112 on the bike course 5 weeks ago in 7 hours 11 minutes. I'd like to be just a couple minutes slower again in this discipline on race day.
- I ran the Philly Marathon last November in 4 hours 13 minutes. This is the big x factor. My estimate is really just a rough guess, but I'd like to be about one hour slower on the run compared to my stand alone Philly Marathon.
- Tack on 20 minutes total for T1 and T2 and I'll let you do the math.
With all of those estimates listed, I'll be honest, as long as the clock says something below 17 hours it'll be a total success in my book.
One other noteworthy mentioning…I reached and exceeded my fundraising goal today for my Janus Charity Challenge. Thank you to everyone who pledged their support. Your generosity is way beyond my wildest expectations.
I would be honored for you to track me in real time on http://www.ironmanlive.com/ on Sunday. My bib number is 292. If I can't pop online before the race, I would like to say thank you to everyone who reads this blog and has given me encouragement over the past year. Hopefully my race on Sunday inspires you even one fraction of the amount that you inspire me on a daily basis.
Catch you on the other side of 140.6.
Most people that ask me about the race lately ask me how I feel or if I’m ready. I have to say that these questions are impossible to answer. During this week I have felt a full range of emotions from fear to confidence. And how about the question of being ready? How the heck do you answer that one? How will I know that I'll be ready for what my body might do after 10+ hours into the race? My longest day of training is just under 8 hours. Everything over that will be unchartered territory. With that said, I do know that on an isolated level all of these distances are doable. During my IMLP recon five weeks ago I swam 2.4 miles in Mirror Lake. I also rode the same 112 I'll ride this Sunday five weeks ago and last November I toed the line at the Philly Marathon. So all of these disciplines are doable. There is some comfort in that. The real question is whether or not I have prepared myself to do all three in one day and within 17 hours. I can say with a mild level of confidence that the swim and the bike ride are doable (pending no injury during either discipline on race day). I have visualized myself getting off the bike and feeling strong. The 26.2 that follow the first 114.4 are what really keep me up at night lately. I suppose the best one can do is have faith in the body of work that they've put together up to race day and hope for the best.
At the end of the day, this is all about having an enjoyable day. I will do my best to smile every chance I get. I feel so fortunate to be living this life and to be able to attempt a feat like this at all.
Some of you have asked me what my goal time is. I have to say that I do not plan to publish my goal time explicitly on this blog. I think it puts unnecessary pressure on someone who's doing an event like this for the first time. With that said, if you want a general gauge of how I think I might do, you can entertain yourself with the following observations:
- I swam 2.4 in Mirror Lake 5 weeks ago in 63 minutes. I'd like to go a couple minutes slower than that on race day.
- I rode 112 on the bike course 5 weeks ago in 7 hours 11 minutes. I'd like to be just a couple minutes slower again in this discipline on race day.
- I ran the Philly Marathon last November in 4 hours 13 minutes. This is the big x factor. My estimate is really just a rough guess, but I'd like to be about one hour slower on the run compared to my stand alone Philly Marathon.
- Tack on 20 minutes total for T1 and T2 and I'll let you do the math.
With all of those estimates listed, I'll be honest, as long as the clock says something below 17 hours it'll be a total success in my book.
One other noteworthy mentioning…I reached and exceeded my fundraising goal today for my Janus Charity Challenge. Thank you to everyone who pledged their support. Your generosity is way beyond my wildest expectations.
I would be honored for you to track me in real time on http://www.ironmanlive.com/ on Sunday. My bib number is 292. If I can't pop online before the race, I would like to say thank you to everyone who reads this blog and has given me encouragement over the past year. Hopefully my race on Sunday inspires you even one fraction of the amount that you inspire me on a daily basis.
Catch you on the other side of 140.6.
posted by Jeremy at 12:58 AM
6 Comments:
Jeremy,
Have an awesome race out there! You've done the work so no worries there.
If I can give my .02cents, make sure you stay on top of your hydration & fueling on the bike...definitely a key to race success!
I'll be tracking you online bro!
Based on your training, I'd say you're definitely ready. You can do it. Have fun and have a great day! I'll definitely be following online.
Hi Jeremy... best of luck to you! I'm doing my first IM here in Lake Placid as well. I'm bib # 797
I'll be watching for you! My IM blog is over at ironfeathers.ca. Sadly, with all the training, I didn't get nearly as much chance to update it as I would have liked. I think I'll go post something now...
Cheers,
Derek.
Great post, Jeremy! You're ready to do this! I'm really excited for this challenge and it's been a blast following along with you.
Looking forward to meeting up tomorrow AM.
Josh
Rock on dude!
Congrats on the fundraising! I wasn't sure you were going to get there, but you did. Goal-setting and goal-achieving! Great work, D
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