Well, it's 14 weeks to the Ironman.  I just watched two friends complete the Lake Placid Ironman.  Lori looked great crossing the finish line and Mike didn't look so good.  As I watched the race on my laptop, it occurred to me that I would be putting myself through that same hell in 15 weeks. 

 Was I going to be ready?  Would my body mahe the 140.6 miles in one day.  What could I possibly do from now until then to make this as pain free as possible. 

Well, as I continued to watch them cross and seeing happy faces, sad faces, exhausted faces and bodies collapsing, I realized I could only do what I was planning to do.  I have the training plan I want to follow.  I need to stick with it and hope for the best.

 I can now get through a half Ironman without it hurting too badly and feeling as if I could do more.  That has to be a good sign, right?  So how do I build on that base these next three months to make sure I am fully prepared for the long road ahead of me.

 My theory, continue to live on the bike.  I'm confident that the more time I spend on the bike, the easier the run will be.  I'm just coming off a major calf injury and I haven't had a run yet that has felt good.  I continue to push some longer mileage in hopes I will build my leg up to where it needs to be in November.  I'm not worried about running the marathon quickly.  I just want to make sure I can run.

Lori completed several 100 mile bike rides followed by 15 mile runs in her pursuit of a 12 hour Ironman.  Right now I have one of these on my schedule and I'm trying to decide how many more I should add.

However, I have an issue to deal with that most don't.  I have Lupus.  My biggest worry is that 100 mile ride and 15 mile run will push my immune system into shock and I'll crash and burn before the race.  With that in mind, I'm trying to do long reverse bricks.  I'll be running long and follow it with a long bike ride.  I'd rather be tired on the bike and get the time in than being tired on the runa nd injuring myself.  We'll have to see if my theory works.

 I keep reminding myself that I knwo my body better than anyone else and I need to listen to my body when I can.  By doing that, I'm confident my plan is best for me and my situation.

Stay tuned as my mileage begins to pick up dramatically thsi weekend with my first 100 miel bike ride since the beginning of June.