Let's do it.

Get excited!! It is almost time to turn into a popcicle!!

All systems are a go for the tri this Saturday. The past 2 weeks there has been speculation as to whether or not the tri would go on considering lake temperatures were a ripe 53 degrees up until this past Monday when it hit a season high of 55. And now we're sitting pretty at 59. Maybe we'll luck out and it'll be in the low 60's in 2 days? At least we're supposed to get into the low 70's during the race.

This is the part where I thank my lucky stars I've got a full-sleeve wetsuit. Huzzah!!

Last year, I essentially got myself all worked up over this race...literally to the point where it made me sick. I first dropped from the tri to the du...and then eventually pulled a DNS as I had this whole "woe is me, I can't do hills" mentality. Totally pathetic...right!?

This year, I've embraced the HTFU mindset. Sure, I may have only done 2 outdoor rides (neither of which were on hills) and just 1 brick workout...but that's not going to stop me from going out there and simply getting it done. The reality is...I am in such better shape and a better place mentally than I was last year. I'm actually looking forward to taking on this challenge. And I guarentee you there will be folks out there who are less trained than I am. But we're all out there grinding it out at the same time.

I just need to remember that we're all in this together (shame on you if you ended up singing a line or two from High School Musical right there...you know who you are). Everyone has to ride the same set of brutal hills out of the canyon to get to the other side. Everyone will be feeling some level of pain and exhaustion. This isn't a me thing. It's a we thing. And as long as I remember that, and draw energy from the other participants, I'll be just fine.

As Coach Amy said yelled at me in her southern twang last week...just because the water is cold, doesn't mean you're not going to do it. And just because there are headwinds and crosswinds strong enough to blast Toto and Dorothy back to Oz, doesn't mean you're not going to do it. And just because there are ridiculous hills that never end, doesn't mean you're not going to do it. You can't change the conditions and you can't change the course...so quit freakin' out and just do it already.

More truer words have never been spoken.

I'm approaching Galena as a solid training run for Kansas.
- Galena has 1800 feet of climbing over 16.8 miles.
- Kansas has 2800 feet of climbing over 56 miles.

If I can handle this...I'm pretty sure I can handle anything.

I'm ready for the beast.

The hotel is confirmed. The packets have been picked up. And really, the only thing left to do at this point, is a bit of light speed work on the track tonight...followed by packing, unpacking, and repacking again to make sure I've got everything I need.

Let's do it.