Tapering and Pre-race build-up

Thought I'd update this while I play the Supernanny game AGAIN before I can get on the turbo. Somewhere in my infinite wisdom, I thought moving Dora to a junior bed in the lead-up to Ironman would be a sound idea. Big mistake. Aside from probably the first night some 5 weeks ago, she's been in and out more times than a fiddler's elbow. This has meant many a late start on the turbo and tonight is no exception. The key, Supernanny tells me, is to keep putting them back with no conversation and no eye contact until they get the message. But our daughter's a determined little thing (can't think where she gets it from). Anyway, so as relaxing and light-touch as I'd hoped and longed for the taper to be, really it hasn't at all. Firstly, the number of hours haven't reduced that significantly and, secondly, there was no chapter in Don Fink about important milestones in your child's life!!!! There was one exception and that was last Saturday's run. Dropping 3 to 2 hours made it suddenly seem like a breeze. Loved it and had a good pace going all the way round.

Breaking off for an hour. Don't like to speak too soon but I think I may have to concede that Supernanny is onto to something! 8.30. It's a record!!!!

Back again. Great session tonight. Really enjoyed it even though I thought I might not. So, back to tapering and pre-race update.
It's certainly been a case of ups and downs this last week:

Ups (in no particular order):
* my brother hand-delivering my Blueseventy WTC-legal swimskin during his whistlestop visit to the UK. They are so rare you can only buy them in the US at the moment.
* trying out said skin in the pool during the 'family swim' hour at Virgin on Friday. Cut through those little cherubs with no lane discipline like
a barracuda!
* dear Liz looking after Dora at short notice so I could do the above
* tri club awards dinner. Lots of fun with the Kingfishers and even won one of their comedy awards which made me feel really welcome
* spending Saturday night with Alice and Paul talking about Ironman and lots of other lovely stuff. Paul also lent me his lush Evoc bike box so will endeavour to guard it with my life and Alice gave me a lovely good luck card with the words from a stamp I bought her in Austria after her race stamped inside. They're in German but translate as "no road is long with a friend at your side". I will be taking lots of people with me in my head next Sunday and Team Austria is no exception.
* finally, a real highlight was a turbo session I did whilst Dora was watching 'Waybuloo'. Not ideal for either of us but it was literally the only opportunity to get a session in. Halfway through, Dora leaves Lau Lau, Yo Jo Jo and the rest and starts coaching me!! "faster, faster" she kept saying and then "ironman". Bless her! Not sure if this link will work but I recorded her



Downs:
* reading too many Ironman Cozumel race reports and ending up in tears. Though all have had happy endings, they have all sounded brutal and unenjoyable and a far cry from the European ones I'm used to. The wind, which I knew about, sounds pretty bad but the humidity and swarms of mosquitoes and "bodies by the side of the road" (no, there was no further explanation?!) do not excite me in the least and far too
many of the people were doing 6-hour run splits.
* being a moody cow and horrible to my husband
* finding or imagining niggles all over my body (tonight is my right foot)
* negative head space and inner demons telling me I haven't done enough training and I don't deserve to be on that start line.

Good to get that all off my chest and Alice summed it up today by telling me not to worry and to remember that it's all supposed to be fun!!!! So from now on, it's looking forward with excitement. Aside from anything else, in a week's time, we're leaving foggy, chilly, gloomy UK to head to the Caribbean. That's worth getting excited about!!