Six Days Away!

My Half-Ironman is only six days away!!  To say that I'm freaking out is putting it mildly.  It's actually equal parts of excitement and terror.  Looks like I'll be finding out if all of those hours of training actually did anything!!  Here's hoping!!

Inspiration

Just wanted to mention a couple of cool exercise-related things that inspired me over the past weeks:

1. While racing the Franklin Classic 5k, I noticed a man with two prosthetic legs participating.  While this is inspiring in and of itself, there is more to the story.  You see, the day of the race was cold and rainy - which was perfect running weather for me, but this also made the road very slick in parts, especially where the road was painted with road markings.  I'm sure you can see where I'm going with this.  After a race a slipping almost the entire way, the gentleman fell about two blocks from the finish line causing one of his prosthetic legs to come off.  Rather than quitting the race right there, the man crossed the finish line while being pushed in a wheelchair by one of his friends.  Everyone standing in the finish line area clapped and cheered for this man as he crossed the line.  I'm sure I was probably crying too.  It was pretty emotional and inspiring.
2. Several of my friends who I coached in the East Nasty Potato-to-Tomato training program have all signed up to run their first Half-Marathon together!  I'm so happy and proud of them.  They're a group of awesome ladies who, if you had told them at this time last year they were going to be all running a Half-Marathon together, would have laughed in your face.  I'm so excited they're taking this journey together.
3. I got to run with my friend Roy last Wednesday.  To put it mildly - Roy's year has sucked.  He's had to deal with the death of his beloved father, as well as coming back from a heart attack.  I'd still be hiding under the covers if I were him, but Roy's out there running again.  He's much tougher than I am.
4. My Dad told me this past week that he's planning ahead to when he's 80, which is in four years, because USA Cycling has an 80+ division for their road races.  He's already thinking about what kind of bike he's going to get.  Here I am just trying to get through the next week, and my Dad is planning four years out.  He's awesome.

What inspires you?

TAPER!

   I can't believe it, but I'm at the point in my training where I'm tapering.  For those who have never trained for an endurance event previously, "taper" is the part of the workout schedule when you recover for 1-2 weeks prior to the race.  In my case, two weeks.  I still have to train, but the hours won't be as long.
   And I have to say, it wasn't a day too soon because I am SPENT.  This past week was very high mileage, ending with a 66-mile bike ride on Saturday and an 11-mile run on Sunday.  For the first time in a very long time - I'm sore.  I'm not sure if that means I haven't been training hard enough or if I just overdid it this weekend.  I'll be fine tomorrow, but I'm SO GLAD I'm tapering and don't have a scheduled workout today.
   Of course, this means that my race is only a mere two weeks away so that has me freaked out.  But that's a post for another day!

Ode to a Honey Stinger Waffle

Oh Honey Stinger Waffle
You are so not awful.
But this poem is so I'll stop.

   OK, so I suck as a poet, but as anyone TRIED these things? They're awesome! Granted, it could be that I'm so burnt out of every other kind of energy / protein bar that cardboard would taste good, but I'm pretty sure it's more than that. Seriously - Honey Stinger Waffles are G.O.O.D!!
   What makes them different? Mainly texture and density. They're more like a wafer than a bar. Sometimes, when eating another brand of bar while racing/working out, I take one bite and almost can't swallow it because it's just so dense. Not good when you're in the middle of a race and HAVE to eat. The Honey Stinger Waffles? Light and thin! You can eat the entire thing without feeling sick for the next half-hour. Plus, because they're thin, it's easy to carry several of them in your jersey pocket, bento box, whatever. Very portable and, another benefit, because they're a waffle they don't melt!!
   And the taste?  I've only seen two flavors at local stores - Vanilla and Honey, but I've had both and they were both pretty dang tasty. There is also a Strawberry flavor, which is available on their website.  Here's something else that is cool - the Waffles are certified organic so no crazy chemicals were used to create the product! Considering I'm addicted to Diet Dr. Pepper, it's obvious I don't pay that much attention to things like that, but it's still pretty cool.
   After discovering I loved the Waffles so much, I ventured out and tried Honey Stingers' Organic Energy Chews (cherry flavor). And guess what? They're JUST AS GOOD! Seriously - like candy.
   I know what you're thinking. Sure, they taste good, but do they do the job when you're in the middle of a run / ride / race?  As far as I can tell, they do. Though I haven't eaten them in a race yet, I've used them on several 40 + mile rides and was surprised how far that little wafer and a few chews could take me. These will definitely be my go-to energy food from now on.