T-10 days!

After today the countdown to Ironman Arizona is in the single digits. And only one more weekend before race weekend. It is starting to seem more real! I'm full on mid-taper as although I'm eating well and getting a decent amount of sleep, I'm still feeling a that tired feeling during the day. But all that is normal as my body adapts to all the training I put it through!
Today started with a 7am PT appointment for more dry needling. It's actually really helped my range of motion in my shoulders as my pecs and traps have been released. And it's great on the glutes and hamstrings, although leaves my calf feeling like it was hit with a baseball bat. I think in the near future I'll write a more specific post on my experience with the dry needling. Then I had a full day of work...
I left work at 5pm and made it home around 5:40. My goal was to be on the bike at 6, and I was close. I got my bike (Tachyon) set up on the trainer, filled my bottles, grabbed a gel and my mp3 player. My bike workout was as follows:
15 minute warm-up
3x10min Over-Under (4min Steady State / 2 min Climbing Repeat / 4min Steady State)*
with 10min recoveries.
10min cool down
*SS is just under lactate threshold, CR is just above
then I had a 30minute run, so I bundled up a bit and hit my standard neighborhood route.
I was really glad my legs were able to hit my power zones during the intervals and actually felt good! And my legs really flew along the sidewalk during the run! It was chilly and breezy, but I felt amazing. During my run, I got to reflect on a few things.
1) I just did a taper brick workout that took me the same amount of time as my first triathlon in 2006 (1:52).
2) I was running an "endurance run" at a pace faster than my first sprint tri where I was maxed out.
3) I was thinking how I want to enjoy my experience at Ironman Arizona, and I might go through ups and downs on race day, I've really enjoyed the training for it.

So while I might go through mini-"freakouts" (don't we all before we do something new?) I'm excited for the experience and journey! Stay tuned as we get closer!