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IM MD - Making Lemonade
Hey IM MD peeps... let's start some making lemonade out of lemons and plan what's next. I'm looking forward to hearing from IM MD to see what they'll do for us, but I'm already thinking of a few options. I've always wanted to do IM Cozumel and it's still open (and my hubby already made hotel res today!), so... we're leaning in that direction... so far. Now about that more weeks of long runs / rides... ai yi yi!!
What are you all thinking? Take your time... I know we're all still processing today!
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I have a non triathlon related project I was planning to begin post race, so I don't really want to extend this thing past Oct 17. ugh.
fingers crossed that this thing will come and go, limited damage, water will receed and race is a go for 17 October. the question for me is how much less, more, or equal fitness will I have (what about those nagging end of season injuries that always seem to lurk around this time of year).
FWIW I think I'm set on an Oct. 17th race....did IMFL last two years, and was really looking forward to being done earlier in the year, so don't want to stretch it out any further. Plus, I can see my fitness carrying forward to the 17th(get in a good week next week....have reached out to coach P to see exactly what that week should consist of).
Soooo, my plan is to wait to Tue. To see if IMMD 2.0 is a go, and if not then get in on B2B.....hoping there will still by space available by then, and if not then I'll take it as a sign it wasn't meant to be this year I guess.
Full disclosure, I took yesterday off, ate a giant cheeseburger and had a few beers to drown my sorrows. Today I am back at it for another 2 weeks. I hope many of us get a chance to race together in 2 weeks. Only thing I am not looking forward to is another taper week!
For me IMMD is two hours away, so switching to B2B is harder. And I honestly really don't want to spend the $$ on another registration.
Waiting until Mon/Tue for an update from IM is gonna kind of suck.
My main reason for doing IMMD in the first place was to race with and hang with my Maryland friends. They are already booked Oct 17 so regardless of what WTC does, they won't be going back. They are actually hoping to get into IMFL if that becomes an option. So I have little motivation at this point to return to Cambridge. IMFL just doesn't work for me for several reasons (I'm out of vacation time and logistics for that race would put me in the negative, plus cost of travel, shipping bike, hotel room, etc is more than registration at B2B would be, and "been there done that"- IMFL was my first)
So, I'm considering B2B at this point. It's just a little over 4 hours away for me, I have friends going to do the half who have room at their apartment (free lodging), I know of 2 other friends who will be racing the full, and Friday check-in with Saturday race means minimal vacation time suck. So, it's my best "lemonade" option if I go with an Ironman.
OTOH- it will cost another $500 and with the weather, I have very little chances of getting in good solid training this weekend. So I'm a little worried about feeling sharp on race day. And finally, my original plan was to do a 3-4 day backpacking trip in the mountains with my hubby that weekend. So doing IM means sacrificing mountain time with sweetie, something I treasure.
Bottom line, I'm going to try to keep fitness up (see how much bike/run I can do in this weather) and let my head digest all this spin for a few days before I make a final decision. But at least I've narrowed it down!
Not sure about that one.
150 slots left for IM Coz - lodging is pretty cheap and plentiful; I think we're going to make a Thanksgiving vacay out of it. Hubby and daughter are really excited; friends who just did Coz 70.3 raved about it; I want to swim with the fishies & coral; I think I'm going to pull the trigger... too nervous to wait til IM MD makes up their mind next Tuesday. Hoping I don't regret this as I head out on another 6 hour race rehearsal ride(s) in the next 2 months!
I think for someone coming from CA, making a change like that is a reasonable decision. Best of luck. I saw you ask Rich how to approach your training. I would imagine there would be some tweaks from the standard plan as to what you need to do for the next 6 weeks. It will be interesting to see what he recommends.
Raining like crazy in VA. Ran 6 yesterday, Did a 50 minute bike this morning, running this afternoon on the T-mill, and mentally ready to do a long bike on the trainer tomorrow. Long run on Sunday. All of that will be with my fingers crossed that the race is a "go" for the 17th. I spoke with my Mom last night who I'm pretty sure is way more upset about all of this than I am. She's really bummed that she probably won't be able to attend if the race is rescheduled for the 17th. I talked her down off the ledge, told her I was ok either way.
I did read through a lot of Facebook comments under the IMMD announcement and was amazed at all the different perspectives. People want transfers to IMFL, People want it just cancelled and a roll over to next year, a lot of people who just won't make it for the 17th.
I had a funny thought last night. If you were a person trying to KQ, what would you do. Switch to Coz, switch to FL...
What if the top 24% of my age group doesn't show up and somehow I KQ by accident. Wouldn't that be a hoot.
Having trouble staying motivated to get up at o'dark 30 to get in workouts right now (the weather sure doesn't help). It's like the air has been let out of my balloon.
I think I've said it before, but I think the main impact of this cancellation and pending reschedule is Mental.
Re: tweaking plan, I wasn't sure where to post that question as I would love group input too. Suggestions?
Hang in there, you IM East Coast somewheres! Nate's right... major impact is mental; thank goodness we've got our awesome teammates to help get us through!
http://captiongenerator.com/62380/Hitler-reacts-to-IMMD-2015-Cancellation
Man, so sorry for the friction and disappointment that you're all dealing it but fun to how you're turning to beer, bourbon and ice cream for assistance!
Not sure what I would do in your situation, with so many costs associated with any alternatives. I have two local friends who only found out about the cancellation during their layover in MN on the flight out on Wednesday...that would suck!
When I finished that last RR and started the taper I was DONE! Totally thrilled to be tapering and ready to race. Having everything sorta reset back 2 weeks to the date of that last RR all of a sudden? Nooooooooo! Ugh. Thursday I did a longish run and it felt like crap so I was even more bummed, started thinking "forget it, I'm not going back". Friday I did a short hard/fast run to blow off some anger and suddenly felt great again "hey, this might just work", then today I went out to ride because the weather was surprisingly good only to find the roads covered in standing water. That just pissed me off (my brand new chain- ruined and it's not even a race) so I got mad again and rode hard for 1 hour then shut it down. Today I spent most of the day just pissed off and struggling with trying to decide what to do next.
From what I'm hearing- it's looking amazingly likely that they will do IMMD 2.0 on Oct 17. But my motivation to do that particular race (ie, racing with my BFF) is no longer there because she won't be able to do that date. So do I go to MD to do a race I don't have any real passion for? That doesn't sound ideal, but it is the race I've paid for, trained for and planned for and visualized for months. Or do I jump ships to B2B that same weekend and pay more money to do a race on the same day in another location on a similarly boring course so that I can have friends at the finish line (lots of OBXers going to do the half). Or- do I say F-that, time to spend my remaining vacation backpacking in the mountains with my husband -he's already sacrificed enough. I've already got Challenge Roth on the calendar for next year- and THAT's a race I'm really excited about doing!
All that said- I still think they made the right call and I'm glad they made it when they did. And I'm super glad I'm not stuck having paid for airfare or hotel fees that I can't get back. I am luckier than most on that front.
Good luck everyone during this next week, figuring out next steps! It's all good... we are fit and strong and will live to fight another day, and THAT is cool!!!
Wed: skipped all workouts
Thurs: Ran
Friday: biked 1 hour, felt weird: Ran felt ok
Sat: 4 hour trainer ride: felt good for 3 hours, and the 4th hour I faded. came in around 69% which is still above my goal pace
Sunday (today) was a 15 mile run. Felt good,
The truth is, I think I had screwed up my taper anyways. my legs were feeling terrible and even during todays long run by hamstring felt like it was going to cramp up on me a few times. I may actually come in for a better landing for a race on the 17th. I am hoping to get back in the water on Monday but get the chills just thinking about how cold that lake water will be.
But guys, you are fit, you've done the training, and with good execution skills, you can totally do this race. It doesn't just disappear after a few weeks. Even if we are all say, 5% less fit that only equates to some small amount of time on race day. Even if the swims have fallen off (like mine) we can all dog paddle through an IM race. Especially in a wet suit. Fingers crossed the water isn't too cold. Going into an IM bike more cautiously may actually be a good thing. So, instead of JRAing for the first 30 miles maybe we push that out to 40. Or maybe slow it down once you hit mile 100. Both of those things may set your run up even better. So if traditional IM training mojo is gone adjust to something else. At a minimum keep up the run frequency for the next 1.5 weeks. maybe do a few hour long trainer rides over the next 1.5 weeks. Good enough. I have a feeling once you are on your bike during the race the mojo will come back.
Nemo, I think the biggest mental hurdle you are up against is committing to one race over the other. You are stuck in the middle which is a weird place to be. The issue of taking vacation time may be helped a little by what they said in that last post about offering more flexible packet pick up times i.e. pick up packet and drop off equipment all on Friday.
And the truth is, we are all stuck, not knowing for sure until we get that email or FB post saying this race is back on. During my run today, I was thinking that the main thing I want, regardless of race goals, is that finishers medal and to say I've done it 4 times.
this is and could be all part of the challenge of doing this race...its just part of the story that we may all have if and when this race goes off and you cross that finishers line.
Totally can relate to the 48 hr period that Nate talked about above, and FWIW completely agree with him about the fitness being there...so much of this is mental, and how come the 17th the time difference (if any) will be negligible compared to what it might have been on the 3rd.
Like you too Nate, I think a 2.0 version on the 17th may actually be a blessing in disguise for me. I had been having, and am now starting to feel I'm getting over, a nagging "tickle" in the chest that had pretty much been with me all through the taper. Took Wed. and Thur. totally off, had a good session in the pool Fri. including 10x100 at 5 sec/100 quicker than it had been the last few weeks. Got in a solid 3hr. ABP trainer ride Sat. and plan on just repeating weeks 19 and 20 starting this Mon.
And again like Nate, really just want to cap off the year with a finishers medal (will be 3rd for me), with smart execution and the chance to see if I can improve my ability to keep pushing myself thru the hurt on the run......for me that was the big goal this year: be able to put together a "no damage" swim, smartly executed bike, and a more "durable" run(not so much from increased fitness, but from increased experience/confidence).
In addition to the above, while I totally agree with the sentiment that completing the training for an IM is a significant accomplishment in and of itself, I know that those in my family (wife first and foremost of course) who have sacrificed in my behalf will feel better for all they've done if I get to toe the starting line.....and get the finishers medal??
I was going to do a 3 hr trainer ride today but couldn't muster the enthusiasm. So I joined a running club run for a little over 6 miles of just social running. I haven't had that kind of run in MONTHS! It was good for my soul.
Julie- what you said about the indecision really struck home with me too. I realized most of my anxiety over all of this is the just not making a decision part. And Nate is right about being "stuck in the middle" too. So I've at least finalized one decision. I won't be doing B2B. Regardless of IMMD 2.0 happening or not, it simply doesn't really make sense. I'm not paying another $500+ registration fee to go do a race I haven't ever had a desire to do. If this were my first IM, I would probably feel differently. But it's my 5th. I can wait until Challenge Roth if necessary to click the 5th notch on my belt.
So now I wait until Tuesday to find out what they decide, and I'll figure the rest out at that time. The one thing I will admit that is starting to grow on me is the idea of being one of the few people who have ever done an Ironman that was rescheduled by 2 week. Like Nate said, having that as part of the story would be kinda cool. But like Scarlet O'hara said "I can't think about this now! I'll go crazy if I do! I'll think about it tomorrow." (or perhaps Tuesday).
My friend down there is really excited that they'll be able to pull this off. The town is pulling out the stops to make it happen.