well the good news is that you really want to train. hold that thought, but don't let it eat ya up. consider these three days as taper time, which is what you should be doing anyway. you're not a slacker, you're balancing life and training.

now might be a good time to incorporate those stretching routines that everyone seems to be talking about. when I was travelling for 10 weeks and had zero chances to ride, I used an exercise band ( i think it was meant for pilates) I was able to work on legs, arms, core stuff, all in the hotel room or balcony. after a while it really helped with the sanity :)

hope that helps

So my question is, exactly what workouts have you missed three days before the race that would alter the result? The probable answer is none. If the homework has not been done in the weeks and months prior, the grade can't expect to rise with a cram session. Sort like school.
That is unless of course divine intervention had been scheduled. Tried that, didn't happen!
Don't worry - be thankful your child will be fine and that you did the right thing.

You're going to be great!

Don't worry, relax.

and savor the moments of feeling so fit and full of energy,

Control your chakra, focus on the now..

Be at peace.

now repeat after me,

"Ommmmm..."

PoC

it's the Mighty Hamptons... 1mile swim, 23 bike and 10K run out in Sag Harbor.

Ant,

...luv ya!

thanks for your kind words of wisdom!

i'm cleaning out another closet today ( this is the 4th one this week-FUN FUN!)

God willing... i'm gonna try to get an easy 5k in to sweat off the bloat from staying in the house all week. (been eating too much!)

Amy Lee-- How did it go? The race that is????!!!!! I am sure you did super! :D Thought about you this weekend.
-Britt

ok... here goes!

PRE- RACE: friday night i had a good night sleep- a whole twelve hours believe it or not! that's practically unheard of in a house with 4 kids unless somebody ties you down, gags and puts blinders on you. saturday i had to drive an hour and a half out to the hamptons to pick up my race packet. i thought it would be fun to take the whole family. maybe hit a pumkin farm or a good LI corn stand along the way? 10 minutes in to the ride my two older boys started bickering in the back seat of my conversion van. " Mom... he touched me" ... " he started it ...he gave me a wedgy." My three year started crying "Mommy, i have to go pee pee." "i'm hungry... this is the worse day ever..." :mad: Grrrrrrrr...NIX the pumpkin farm- let's get the hell home!

it was getting late, so we grabbed a pizza to take home for supper. about 7:45 i ran upstairs to start putting some of my gear together. all of a sudden the lights started flickering and gradually simmered down to a very soft glow. "this can't be happening to me... no power? i'm not packed and i have to get 4 kids to bed!" so i ended up packing by candle light. it took forever. i tossed and turned all night because i was worried the power would shut off completely and my alarm wouldn't work. oh well, who sleeps the night before a race anyway?

SWIM:
The water was really clean and warm. a few jellys here and there. i felt strong and confident (thanks to my coach.) it took forever to find "a spot" because the race had a mass start with just two waves. the water was really calm at first but then at about the 1/2 mile mark the waves started churning and the current picked up. i only breathe on one side so ... the first half of the swim i was chugging a lot of water. after i turned the opposite way i was free and clear of those stinking waves but then my right shoulder and hand went numb. now what's that all about? i finished in 36 minutes...the race director called out my name as i crossed the timing mat and told the crowd that i had just learned to swim 6 months ago and recently had a baby. that was waaaay cool!

BIKE:
the course was very scenic with rolling hills. i LOVE hills because i'm originally from pittsburgh. i felt good the first five miles. i then decided it was time for some GU. ( now the whole GU thing is new to me!) i chose chocolate cause i love chocolate pudding. so the Gu went down well and i tucked the foil in my back pocket ( or so i thought!) i tried to wash it down with berry gatorade but realized this was disgusting combination. i i only had that one foul bottle of gatorade on my bike. At mile seven the bottle of gatorade took a flying leap from my hand and landed dead center in the middle of the road. i asked a guy who was standing on the side of the road to help me. he just looked at me like "DUH? i'm not getting that bottle for you... are you out of your mind?" so i had to get off my bike and dodge the oncoming cars and cyclists to go get it. took down some more gu, put the foil in the back pocket and a nasty swig of gatorade. i whizzed by alot of my teammies on the bike but then my lower back started to ache and i had to cut the speed for a while. finished 1:19:44

RUN:
i started the run and immediately got a stitch in my side. with pressure,a slower pace and leaning in to it, i was able to keep it at bay the whole way through. at the end of mile one i felt a sharp foreign object traveling down my front right thigh inside of my tri-shorts. moments later i realized it was an opened packet of chocolate gu. i guess i missed the back pocket! so as i'm running i'm trying to guide it through and i create this sticky chocolate mess all up and down my thigh. YUUUUCK!

the course was fast, flat, shady and scenic. my legs felt so good because of the taper that was forced upon me last week. if my belly hadn't been upset from the gatorade/ gu concoction i could have really smoked. at mile 5 i felt another opened gu foil traveling down my backside. now how do you deal with this situation in a ladylike fashion? especially as you are quickly approaching the finish line and the crowds are forming along the roadside? hmmmm... i just let it slide! :o finished the run in 53:11

FINISH: i was thrilled! my overall time was 2:54:42 my goal was to beat 3 hours. i came in 11/30 in my age group. no podium this time but someday i will get there.. i finally won my first raffle! hey that's a plus... i got a lot a really cool TYR stuff and some yummy chocolate chip cookies!

lessons learned...
1. picking up a race number is not a family event!
2. if you wait till the last minute to pack ...your house could go up in flames.
3. gatorade/ gu combo...call posion control immediately!!!
4. always carry 2 water bottles unless you want to be a human dodge ball mid course.
5. know the difference between your jersey pockets and the top of your tri shorts!

thanks for all your support guys... especially through that difficult taper last week! do i smell a 1/2 IM next season?

AMY

Congrats Amy! Way to go. All tris have SOMETHING go wrong/out of place. It's the norm. The thing is HOW we deal with the situation that makes you strong and you did very well. I know what the kids can be like, got 2. Sounds like you also had a fun time. That's the important thing. Keep it up!
BBB

Congratulations~ AWESOME job!! :D

Good work Amy! Sounds like it was an awesome race!

half!, half!, half, half!, half! half! Yea bring the bar higher. You will be surprise when you complete one. The training is quite different, you will have to prep a plan and follow it thru. Since the distance is longer you will have to do more aerobic effort, plan your food and water intake and be mentally ready. There are good post on these and many in here like to write better than I when is about training advise.
Go for it. It does not take much more of what you already have.

A half IM is a big difference on race day but not so bad training wise.
You already have a good base and commitment to training.

Go for it next year!!