I'm Tired...

This is not about me complaining, but more about me being tired...of training. Ironman training began in mid-February and I am in month 6 of this endeavor. As with all training, it begins slow but amps up to where I am today.

So, basically, I am tired of the long rides, the long runs and the always boring swims. During the 6 months, I have sprinkled in a 1/2 marathon, long course duathlon, 1/2 iron distance triathlon and an olympic distance tri. Racing on a regular basis allowed me to gauge my fitness and helped me get excited about racing.

You see, with Ironman, there is a lot of training, but very little racing. You can add some extra races, but you have to be careful to maintain your "long" training while staying sharp. In this area, there are a few long course events that you can do and even with those, you need to space them out accordingly.

I think last year, I was in a different place. All of this was really new to me and I was more anxious about training. I felt (and still feel) I needed to complete every training. The nervousness, I think, kept my mind more refreshed and ready for the next day of training. Each training was a new and different challenge, while this year I understand the process more.

Back to being tired. Getting out the door to swim, bike and run has become increasingly more difficult. I am not sure if it has been the weather or just overall quantity, but mentally I am fried. Luckily, I have been able to get out the door and get it done, but it has not been as enjoyable. I can't figure out why, but it is a struggle.

I am tired of the following:

• The same music on my Ipod, even thought I have 150+ songs
• Gatorade Endurance Orange and Lemon-Lime
• Never thought I would say this...riding my bike
• Runs over 8 miles
• The tri-tan...you know, the sleeveless jersey, bike shorts to socks tan, white chest and back
• Clif Bloks
• Power Bars...all flavors
• Getting up early to swim, anywhere
• Saddle sores
• Crappy roads to ride on, beating on my bike
• "Watching" what I eat...which I do very little of
• There's more, but...

I think you get the idea. I know everyone goes through this type of tiredness but this seems to have hit me more than ever. I have been reading what others have been doing and am totally amazed at their work and progress. Are they tired too? I wonder.

Am I ready? Honestly, I'm not sure. We'll find out in 11 days!