Internal Mono(b)log

I’m still having a hard time believing it’s here, but tomorrow afternoon I board a plane and head South to “Big Easy” for the 2012 Ochsner Ironman 70.3 New Orleans.  I guess it started feeling real a week ago when I dropped caffeine from my diet, and a little more so on the weekend when I picked up the bike case, but today I started day 1 of pre-race taper and tonight I pack.  Of course, landing in New Orleans and being issued my bib number will definitely bring it all home.  Heh! Writing this I feel the pre-race tummy flutter and skin flush.  Funny!

It’s also funny: I spent so much time training and specifically prepping for IM Panama that NOLA seems minor by comparison – I had mentally put a lot of emphasis on Panama, perhaps a little too much, and ended up injured and not completing.  I’m coming into NOLA with a much more relaxed feel, I still plan on going out and pushing hard, but a lot of the inappropriate self-stressors seem to not be around this time, which is good.  Ian’s been working me hard and I’ve continued to build on the fitness I had going into Panama.  Coming into this race I feel really solid: my health is good, no injuries, my new bike is amazing(!!!).  I just need to get myself down there, recover from the travel, continue my taper and then on Sunday, go out and have a blast!  I’ve already connected with some locals, so, with luck, I’ll have some company for taper runs, swims, and rides.

For Panama, just a few months ago, I did a big pre-race blog build-up, I won’t repeat all that material here since so much of it is the same (diet, carb loading protocol, etc.).  Packing a little lighter for this trip since I’m only down in NOLA for a few days and because the odds of finding anything I need in NOLA are much higher than they were in Panama.

I’ll post my bib number and results tracking link as soon as they’re available.

Wish me luck!