Two words...hot and hilly! Today, 200+ cyclists came out to participate in the Tour de Cure event at Ballentine Park in Irmo, South Carolina. The goal was to raise as much money as possible to support research for diabetes. The Bobby's Biker team, the team that I rode with, had 80 members and raised over $10,000. Pretty impressive I think! I am very proud of the accomplishments of the team that I rode with.
During the course of the event, my training partner and I got to ride with another IMAZ participant. Rick, who I quickly realized is absolutely awesome, shared many insider tips about participating in the event. He has completed two Ironman events, one feeling good and one not so good. The most important thing he said to us is that when you step off the plane in Arizona, "you have to be hungry for it!" Riding today after a week out of commission has just reinforced the importance of overall health in my pursuit of being hungry for it. It was very tough, at one point, my HR was 206 as I tried to breathe (nasal breathing today was out of the question). It wasn't my best performance but I completed the ride. Afterall, Ironman is about pushing ourselves beyond our limits. It's pushing through the pain to hear those words, "Tonya Lewis, you are an Ironman!"
Rick also stressed the importance of "not peaking too soon". I told another IMAZ participant just yesterday that "I am a different kind of fruit; I peak later in the season than you." I am learning how important it is truly to race YOUR race and not be completely and totally preoccupied with what everyone else around you is doing. It's very easy to want to keep up, be competitive, hang with crowd. I think that this will be one of the most invaluable lessons I will learn over the next 6 months. I WILL RACE MY RACE! Thanks Rick for an awesome day of cycling and knowledge shared.
During the course of the event, my training partner and I got to ride with another IMAZ participant. Rick, who I quickly realized is absolutely awesome, shared many insider tips about participating in the event. He has completed two Ironman events, one feeling good and one not so good. The most important thing he said to us is that when you step off the plane in Arizona, "you have to be hungry for it!" Riding today after a week out of commission has just reinforced the importance of overall health in my pursuit of being hungry for it. It was very tough, at one point, my HR was 206 as I tried to breathe (nasal breathing today was out of the question). It wasn't my best performance but I completed the ride. Afterall, Ironman is about pushing ourselves beyond our limits. It's pushing through the pain to hear those words, "Tonya Lewis
Rick also stressed the importance of "not peaking too soon". I told another IMAZ participant just yesterday that "I am a different kind of fruit; I peak later in the season than you." I am learning how important it is truly to race YOUR race and not be completely and totally preoccupied with what everyone else around you is doing. It's very easy to want to keep up, be competitive, hang with crowd. I think that this will be one of the most invaluable lessons I will learn over the next 6 months. I WILL RACE MY RACE! Thanks Rick for an awesome day of cycling and knowledge shared.
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