Race Previews

The Celebration Dance...

Thursday, 13 November 2014 00:10

By Cathy Yndestad (trigirlcathy.blogspot.com)

It’s been four years since my last Ironman, and as a result, I’m bursting with excitement and pure enthusiasm for this coming Sunday. I haven’t been this excited for a race in a very long time and it certainly helps that I’m feeling healthy, strong and content.  Now it’s simply getting out there, executing my plan and smiling along the way. Pretty simple right? Ha, I’ve been coaching and around Ironman long enough to know full well that unexpected and random things can leave even well prepared athletes looking searching for Plan B and Plan C. The ups and downs of IM day are always part of the challenge,  so I’m doing my best to prepare mentally for that balance as well.

I’ll have several friends and a few of my athletes in Tempe to cheer which just warms my heart beyond description. My friends mean so much to me, and having their support is extremely special. My mom who travelled from Newfoundland will also be their to spectate and experience her very first Ironman....

After racing for 12+ years, I’m constantly seeking new and exciting challenges to keep the fire burning. I registered for this race last year with the primarily goal of breaking the 10hr mark. My current Ironman PR is from IMFL (10:12) and I’m confident that if conditions are “normal” in Tempe on Sunday, I have a solid shot at hitting that target. It’s historically a fast course, but I know that conditions can certainly make IMAZ ‘interesting”.  Forecast right now looks optimal, but we’ll just have to wait and see what Mother Nature has in store for us.  Although my goal for the race is primarily time based, I (of course) took a quick glance at the start list last week and quickly recognized a few very talented and speedy women in my AG (W35-39), including the reigning 70.3 AG World Champ and another gal who’s pretty much won every 70.3 she’s done this year. Once I saw those names I stopped looking at the rest of this list, knowing full well that in order to podium in the is field it will require my absolute best -  AS it should be!! READ MORE