Hi TE Friends,

I had a really crazy work schedule for a long time and wasn't able to spend any of my spare time here. I missed you guys, and am just now making a point to catch back up. I know, it's been a while... a long while. If you combine that with the 15-20 hours of IM stuff per week, I was just flat out out of time.

I am on a "middle of the road" training plan that is based on time, not distance, since I know I'm not going to break any land speed records. I really just want to make it, but with plenty of time so I'm not chasing cutoffs. Next year, if there is a next year, I'll make some changes and get more aggressive now that I know what the commitment is like and how to make it work. Nobody at work except my husband and "wife" (close friend) know about Ironman, which is getting harder and harder to maintain every day.

I have been on a long saga of hip and shoulder problems. I was swimming twice a week but reduced to once a week in order to keep the shoulder in check - the longer my bike rides got combined with the swimming twice a week, the more my ol' rotator cuff cried. I had some minor problems with my right hip that got amplified when my chiropractor sucked at adjusting it, so I switched to a new (awesome) guy that has got me back on track. This week until I reminded him about Ironman, he was ready to start spacing out my visits beyond once a week.

This weekend before my long ride, I was considering my options for the bike, having been logging miles on my roadie and feeling I was missing something (fit? extras? love? kisses?). I knew it was pretty much the latest point I could possibly consider making any changes, so I went to shop new aero bars, this, and that, to get more comfortable. I went to the shop and a few hours later, left with my small new friend, Lucy (best link I could find):
http://www.bikesportmichigan.com/bik...R-Lucero.shtml

The difference is amazing, not so much on my speed (not that I'm complaining about increases in speed!!), but on my hip and shoulder pain. The shop folks were great, many of them doing the same Ironman themselves and offering a few tidbits. They shortened a few things for me, did a fitting, and tuned a little bit. They stuck around late to get me set up and made us (my husband and I) feel super welcome. We also fitted new shoes and pedals (speedplay light actions), my Sidis were squashing my toes (and heck, we were on a roll). Amazing what you'll put up with at 2-3 hours that you just can't at 5-6.

Despite my proximity (15-20 miles from the course), I have not yet rode the full course (only half of it), but will be doing so from here on out. I have actually been riding TO the course, then riding one part of the course, then home, plus logging some additional miles (have had to make extra trips home for water stops about halfway through). I'm also planning on running the course on the rest of my weekend long runs, too. The better it's all burned into my skull, the more likely I am to pace better and recall where the heck things are going. Time to buckle down!

I'll be catching up on posts for a bit, but wanted to say hi. No questions here, but that won't last long...