It's hot.
I'm hot.
As I sit here I am well aware of my hotness.

This week's track work out was so hot I sprinted away from it, to a nice 8km loop in the shade.
The heat combined with a sinus infection has also made me quite the dork as I now swim, bike, run around with my asthma pump... not so hot! ;)

Summer is upon us, and I don't do well in the heat. It's not that I don't enjoy the short summer months; I do. I'd take summer over winter any day. Running half naked is much more comfortable than running with grips under my Zoots. However, with Timberman coming up in 3 weeks, I've started to get nervous about the one thing we should never be nervous about - the weather.
What if it rains? Yes, I know, I faced that fear at the Coteau race and I came out alive & running. But New Hampshire has hills; I'm not to certain downhill in the rain is a skill I have mastered.
What if it's hot & humid? Last year's race was, and all I got from friends were reports of serious 'heat induced' nutrition problems. I ran a summer half marathon one year - all my Gu Chomps melted in my pocket. What if I get out of the water on race day and all my food has disintegrated to form a massive sticky mess around my asthma pump?? (paint the L on my forehead right now)
What if it's perfect race weather, the run course is shady, and I have the amazing time I have envisioned for the past year? What if in my attempts to simply finish, I simply have so much fun that I make friends with 70.3 miles, and decide to do it again? What if? Perhaps I'll enjoy it so much I'll slow down (I can't go much slower, but let's pretend...) so I slow down to enjoy the race & get the most out of the scenery & the crowd?

I am a bit nervous about the weather. Looking at my history I've also become super fixated on not getting injured. I had flips flops waiting for me as I exited the swim yesterday; can't risk stepping on a rock in transition! Today might just be my final ride out in the wild- I can train just fine in the air-conditioned, squirrel and car free zone of my basement...

Ok, so I'm more than a bit crazy....I'm even more excited though, that the goal I set 1 year ago is now 21 days away. Even the sinus infection from hell right now cannot wipe the smile off my face. Just speaking about Timberman gets me all teary eyed. 70.3 miles might seem like only a Half to some... to me it's 70.3 miles to freedom. Even the weather won't stop this dream from coming true...

Train safe...