The Countdown Begins - 10 Days till St. Anthony's

So, the countdown begins.  We are now in taper mode.  We peaked last week.  This week, the amount of time we are running, biking, and swimming will drastically decrease in order to conserve our energy and heal our bodies for race weekend.  My special goal this week is to focus on diet and sleep.  That means no beer or alcohol, at least not a lot, no pizza, and no junk food.  That also means, trying to get about 8 hrs of sleep each night, and prepping my body to wake up at 4am in the morning.  So far so good.

Adjusting the diet is the easier part, believe it or not.  Sleep is the tough part.  My only suggestion to people on this front is, take it slow.  Changing sleep patterns in one day doesn't work.  My normal schedule before was sleep late (midnight - 1am) for 5 to 6 hrs.  My goal - sleep early (9-10pm) for 7 to 8 hrs.  This takes a lot of discipline and pushing yourself to get out of bed in the morning.  Your goal, should be to get out of bed earlier and earlier each morning by 15 to 30 minutes, baby steps.  Additionally, sleep and wake up at around the same time each day, don't eat too late, and avoid caffeine a few hrs before sleeping.

T-minus 13 days: 45min Interval Run

T-minus 12 days: Timed 1 Mile Swim

T-minus 11 days: 60min Interval Bike, Chiro/Stretch courtesy of Dr. Morris at Vitality Chiropractic

T-minus 10 days: 60min Swim, 60min Long Run

Race is quickly approaching!