Countdown

2 weeks to go, tick-tock, tick-tock. I learned that the transition area opens at 4am. Does the torture of this race never end?

We are at the peek of our workouts and will maintain this level for another week before we start to taper. Yesterday's training included an intense run/bike/run brick in the beautiful Marin Headlands.





To simulate race conditions, we went for a jog on the beach (there's a .5 mile run from the swim to the bike transition), then hopped aboard our stallions to conquer 4 Marin Headlands loops.

This is a tough ride to hate...it reminded me (4 times) of how breathtaking the area in which I live is. By the fourth loop, my legs were getting a little tired, but I started out on the run feeling pretty good.


The Miwok and Bobcat trails were new to me, and I didn't know that it would start to go uphill at mile 1. I also did not know that it would keep going uphill, and that uphill would get steeper and steeper for 2 miles. I asked one of my teammates if they knew where the turn around point was. She replied: do you see those towers off in the distance? Yes, I saw the towers. They were on top of a mountain that was off in the distance. I was pretty sure our coach was trying to kill us.

My run performance was anything but impressive, but I completed the whole thing and knew that it was about the level of difficulty as I'll find on race day. It all adds up to building confidence and I can truly say that I feel very well prepared for Escape.

So what's on the agenda for the next 2 weeks? Consistent training, a couple more open-water swims, lots of rest (I even skipped Bay to Breakers, which I'm a little sad about), and eating right. I was originally flirting with the idea of giving up coffee, but clearly that's not going to happen. Brian is now roasting his own beans, so this is one sacrifice I'm not willing to make for some stupid race. And let's be honest, caffeine or no, I'm not going to win!