Cedar Point Race Preview

I can hardly believe I am just a few days from racing an Ironman distance at Rev3 Cedar Point.  About 7 weeks ago I thought I was done for the year.  I certainly thought there was no way of doing a full in September.  I have hardly backed off training because I don't have much to back off of.  I've run and swam less for this race than any other race I've done in the past few years except for Steelhead a few weeks ago.  Part of me wonders if I should really be doing an Ironman right now.  The other part is super excited to find out.  I have no pressure on myself.  I'm really looking forward to the race.  I've been feeling tremendous on the bike lately and know that is probably my strength going into the race.  The run is a big unknown for me.  The pro race begins at 6:50 am on Sunday, September 9th.  The water temperature is borderline wetsuit and I'm hoping it drops to allow them of course.  My goals for the race are first and foremost to enjoy it and feel like I'm racing much like I felt at Steelhead.  If all goes well I'd like to swim under 1 hr. 5 minutes if we are in wetsuits, 1 hr. 10 minutes if we are not.  I'd like to ride the bike course under 4 hrs. 55 minutes, and complete the run under 3 hrs. 15 minutes.  For a total time I'd be satisfied if I could go under 9 hrs. 20 minutes.  I do feel like if my body is feeling good I could go faster.  My yearly goal is to go under 9 hours and I'd like to do that at Ironman Arizona but if things are going well on Sunday I'm prepared to make myself suffer if that goal is in reach.  The pro field is now at 28 which is a huge increase over the past couple weeks so a top 10 may not be in the cards but it's still something I'm aiming at.  Mostly I want to be competitive and not ride 112 miles alone.  Adam and I are heading out there together.  He's going to have a tremendous race.  I'm excited to be on the line with him in his pro debut.  I hope we cross paths out on the course at some point.  I don't know if my excitement to race has ever been higher.  I'm really looking forward to pushing the bike portion hard as my bike workouts lately have been better than I can ever remember.  Say a prayer for me if you get a chance.  You can check the Rev3 site for race updates at www.rev3tri.com  Thanks for reading!  DREAM BIG!