It’s been a few months since my last post, even with everything going on around the world and in the US, I’m still training!  No swimming, but still running and biking just in case there is some race that might happen and also for just plain old sanity.  I really need the routine of training to help keep my head clear and calm.

This past weekend I turned a year older (sigh) and decided to treat myself to a big weekend of training for ‘fun’.  I took Friday off work and ran 18 miles, Saturday I did a small socially distant 30ish mile group ride with some Team Zooter’s, and then Sunday I rode 100+ miles solo.  Nothing crazy like EPIC weekend, but it felt great to just get in some long hours… my anxiety has been ramping up lately and I just needed to wear myself out a bit!  It worked, because I was tired by Sunday night 🙂

In other exciting news, I had been eyeing Ironman Muncie 70.3 since December, it was a little too early as a good 70.3 prep for Ironman Wisconsin, but I also wasn’t feeling like doing Route 66 Half again at the end of July.  I didn’t sign up for either, but was keeping them both as possible options.  Then the pandemic happened, and all races were getting cancelled so I lost all hope that racing would happen this summer or maybe this year.  However, as counties starting publishing their re-opening plans, Indiana looked to be opening up on July 4th, and Muncie was still on.  No way!  Last week the race really seemed to be a go as Ironman published new race logistics to comply with social distancing as well as the option to not do the swim, as many people (myself included) haven’t been able to swim for months.  Granted if you skipped the swim you weren’t eligible for age group awards, but I don’t think people care, they just want to race and if they aren’t ready to swim, they are skipping it (at least that’s the tone I was reading on their race FB page).

Once it was seeming to really be a go, I struggled with deciding if it was worth the risk of possibly being exposed to the virus and then bringing it back to those that I am around.  However after reading all of the race information, Ironman seems to have a good plan in place that I feel comfortable with that really reduces any possible exposure if you are following the rules.  The changes will make it a little more challenging as we will be more self supported while racing, but if that’s what it takes to race and be safe, I’m all for it!

And the last bit of good/fun news is that this morning I GOT TO SWIM!  Our pools opened today, with many protocols in place to adhere to social distancing which make it a little bit different, but it didn’t matter, I got to swim!  The clocks on the pool deck weren’t working and my watch wasn’t either, so I have no official recording that this swim happened, but I have goggle marks to prove that it did 🙂  Hopefully by the time Muncie arrives I will be able to finish the swim without being fully out of breath, lol.

So the next four weeks are 70.3 focused, with this week being a rest week after the big training this past weekend.  Happy Monday!