Monday, August 18, 2008

Iron Girl Countdown


Es and I went out with a co-worker this weekend for one last ride of the Iron Girl bike course. It rocked, for me it was fast, I felt good and in control. The mantra, don't worry, just spin. And spin I did. I didn't worry about riding fast or passing people, I tried to concentrate on feeling good and having fun and it worked. It didn't hurt to see a person or two walking a bike and knowing I wouldn't have to do that. I finished in 1:11 and for race day I was going to give myself 1:30.

Then we came back to the park and ran (and in my case walked). As good as the bike was the run was not. It was a bummer but again, I just tried to relax and enjoy. There were lots of other women out there, everyone was encouraging each other and my friend D kept circling back to keep me company, she is a chatty runner. It was fun, until the last quarter mile when my foot hurt. A lot. Finally I ended up taking on my shoes and walking to the end in the grass relieving some of the pressure on the bottom of my foot. I spent the afternoon and much of yesterday trying to find solutions for my foot that would get me through the weekend. The woman at the running store and my internet research say I probably have a Morton's Neuroma.

This week I am taking it easy, tonight I rode 3 miles to the pool, swam 500 yds and rode home. It was all nice and easy and meant to remind my body that we'd be doing those things this weekend. This week will be about resting, hydrating, and carb loading.

I have been in a few interesting conversations this week about Iron Girl being demeaning to women. Why is it Ironman and Iron Girl, not Iron Woman? Ironman is a very specific distance, 140.6 made up of a 2.4 mile swim, 112 miles on the bike and 26.2 run. A woman can be an Ironman but a man can't be an Iron Girl. It is a series of women's only events meant to empower women to challenge themselves. There are tris, duathlons and runs. Its about doing it and finishing it and girl power. Just watching last year made me believe I could do it. The encouragement of all those women for each other was amazing. Training this year has been much of the same, women encouraging each other on the bike and run courses.
I may never be an Ironman but I will be proud to be an Iron Girl.

3 comments:

Tree said...

I am so excited for you!!!

Vodka Mom said...

I am exhausted just reading about your workout. Whew. Can I lose weight while reading about YOU burning calories? I'll give it a shot and let you know!!

Builder Mama said...

Goooood luck! Can't wait to hear all about it!