Week 17 Wrap-Up (aka Kari meets the IM Course)

Week 17 was pretty cool in that two main things happened--my great-aunt and great-uncle (who have basically filled the role of grandparents on my mom's side) celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary, and I rode part of the IM WI bike course for the first time. Clearly the wedding anniversary is the more impressive and more important of the two, but the bike ride was still pretty monumental in my little reality.

Having driven the course way back in September of last year, I sort of remembered what to expect--I knew there were some big rolling hills in the first part of the 40-mile loop and that there were some pretty crazy downhills followed by some pretty brutal climbs in the second part. But...nothing that I saw last fall actually prepared me for biking the course--memory is a pretty powerful thing, but it's a lot different behind the wheel of a car than it is with a death grip on Tack's brake hoods. It was also fairly surreal to look down and see the road markings for the course--without them, it might have just been a pretty hilly training ride, but to look down and see the blue m-dot markings drove home the point that this was the actual course.

All in all, it was a pretty good first trek out on the course. We had a pretty stiff headwind for a big chunk of the first half of the loop--unfortunately, that's where the rollers are, and with the wind, I had a tough time generating enough momentum to keep the uphills in check, but I managed to get through it. The climbs on the second half went OK as well--they're tough, to be sure, and I'm not really looking forward to finding out how the climb up the hill with the cell phone tower feels on loop #2 on race day, but I'll get through it. I had to laugh, though--as soon as we crested over the top of that hill (which, in my opinion, was the worst climb), there was one of the digital speed signs that cops use to slow people down (the ones that show you how fast you're going). I was cracking up at my whopping 8 mph speed being broadcast to anyone who could see the sign--but at least I don't have to worry about breaking the speed limit...

The day was a great confidence boost for me--even with the wind, things went well. I know I have more work to do to get ready for the two loops and the out and back portions, but I'm darn sure I'll get there...

Here's the weekly roll-up...

Swim: 3:04:00 / 8500 meters
Bike: 5:13:35 / 85.12 miles
Run: 3:50:55 / 24.45 miles
Total: 12:08:30 / 114.86 miles