More or Less ...

Post 38

Weeks of training complete: 24 weeks, 2 days

Time remaining until Ironman: 7 weeks, 5 days

Miles swam: 103.551

Miles biked: 1,695.96

Miles run: 409.58

Goal: $5,000

Total raised: $2,440

I can't shake the exhaustion of the last few days. A few weeks ago, I wrote about chronic dehydration, now I have chronic exhaustion. I am so tired by 8:30, it's hard for me to keep my eyes open. And it's hard for me to get up in the morning. My left foot is killing me; my tendons in my right arm hurt - and after the Half Ironman I'm doing on Friday, I have the four most grueling weeks of training ahead of me.

I need a mountain retreat soon - to get out of this neverending heat. This is about the time that people that live in the Valley start to get angry. For most of the summer, we accept our fate. But when these obnoxious high pressure systems stall over the desert and bring multiple consecutive 100+ degree days into October - which happens every year - we just (pardon the French) start to lose our shit. I mean - enough is enough already, okay?

The air condition still beats well into the night, trying to keep us cool ... It's 8:59 p.m. and it's still 92 outside! 92! Geez ... I want to go fire a handgun in the air at nature. Make her pay.

I get the sense a lot of people wear down about this point in the Ironman training. It's very hard to keep your commitments to your family, your job - and then throw all this external chaos from the news and everything else going on - and well, it's a lot. Work, travel and training consume 13 of the 16 hours I'm awake right now. That doesn't leave time for much else.

Add the fundraising, blog requirements, party planning, play time with kids, chores ... well, you can see how the old 5 pounds into a 2 pound bag sceanrio is really at play.

But it'll be over soon ... 7 weeks, 5 days ... the end is almost near and yet, still pretty far away.

- Ed