Less than 2 weeks

So last week was the first of three taper weeks which will see gradual reductions in workout times each week.  Today as I write this, I am done with the first week and basically have two more to go until Ironman.  I must say that this last week really didn't feel too much easier because most of the weekday workouts were about the same in distance and intensity.  However the real noticeable difference was the sizable reduction in the LONG weekend workout.  On Saturday I "only" did about 4 1/2 hours of endurance work whereas the prior couple of weeks had Saturdays in the neighborhood of 8-9 hours of work.  My workout this past Saturday was a 2 hour and 20 minute bike ride, a 1 hour run, and a 1 hour swim.  Then, the real treat was on Sunday when I had no workouts at all.  I believe I have had workouts on both days (Saturday and Sunday) every weekend since May so this was definitely a treasured treat.

To make my Saturday even better, I had the pleasure of linking up with a couple of great Donkey Peeps who did Ironman Wisconsin last year (PCS602004 & DJDavey).  We got out on a nice bike ride as well as a ride.  I'm glad they invited me because it was good company and exactly what I needed to help break up the monotony of my traditional longer weekend workouts.  Not only did I get to ride and goof around with these fellas, but as a bonus I also got to do half of my brick run with DJ (I was doing 7 miles and he was going 15).  I always enjoy working out with others when the opportunity arises!

As I enter week 2 of taper, I will see further decreases in my hours and I suspect I might start feeling the taper blues.  I have a feeling this will cause me to think more about things like Ironman gear bags, the transition process, nutrition plans, hydration, bike set up, hotel logistics and all the other things that make an athlete stress over one of the hardest endurance events IN THE WORLD......

Me!!