Countdown's on to "Long Course"

This week I have two races, the first is Wednesday. It's a sprint, in Middlebury. It's one of the best races in CT, and that's one of the reasons why I'm doing it. Additionally, one of my good friends, Kristin Paradis, is also doing it, and this is her first race, so I wanted to be there to support her. I wouldn't be able to stand on the sidelines and cheer, so I registered last week. On Sunday, the real test is on, Ironman Providence 70.3. This is exactly half the distance of Louisville, although it is a very long and grueling race. 1.2 mile swim, 56 mile bike, and then a half marathon run. To make this even better, a lot of my friends are coming to watch the race, and that makes the whole effort so much sweeter. My time goal is 5 hours and 30 minutes, but my real goal is to be comfortable the whole time.
Training wise, did an 11 mile run in the heat today, and it's not exactly effortless, but it's much less difficult than it used to be. 11 miles now feels like 3 miles used to feel to me. A half marathon feels like a 5k now. Also, this past Thursday, July 3rd, I did my first 100 mile bicycle ride with my friend Rohan, who recently climbed Mt. Everest. We started in Rocky Hill, went through Middletown, and took the back roads to the beach, Hammonasset State Park in Madison. From there, we went past the Clinton Crossings shopping outlets, and then through Killingworth, Haddam, Chester, and then back through Middletown, Cromwell, and then a full loop around Rocky Hill. It took us just over 6 hours, and I feel like I could have done it faster. Rohan had some hard workouts the day before, and he was struggling a bit to keep up with me, but I'm so glad I didn't do it alone. Nutritionally, I was spot on, I took in a total of 6 Powerbars, 4 bottles of Accelerade, a flask of Hammer gel, and one bottle of Gatorade Endurance formula. I made it a point to eat and drink every 20 minutes, and my body felt sufficiently fueled the whole time. We finished up around 12:30 PM, and I literally felt fine. This ride was easier than some of my 50 mile rides, and we averaged over 18 mph. I have to say, before the ride, I was a bit nervous, not knowing what to expect, but I'm not afraid of that distance anymore, and I do think I can run/walk the marathon after the ride in Ironman. If I can do the 112 miles in less than 7 hours, that will give me at least 8 hours to finish the marathon, and I can do that, I know I can. I've run a straight marathon before, and did that in 3:42, so even if I run a 16 minute per mile pace, I will finish the Marathon in Ironman. I feel like I'm on track and I'm not slacking. Mentally, there have been days when I dont' feel like training, but they're few and far between.
We've still been getting random donations in the mail, and it's crazy to me. The director of the soccer league I used to play in, The Hartford Industrial and Insurance League sent out a mass communication to all its players and coaches with our story. It's incredible people that don't know me or anything about Jared are caring so much. I even got an email from someone that went to prom with Jared's cousin like 10 years ago, saying that he wanted to donate, and he actually even met Jared once, about 8 years ago! What a small world. We will be sending out a communication via email and US Mail very soon, so be on the look out for that, and if you'd like to be added to the distribution list, please send us an email at jpgscholarship@gmail.com. Thanks again everyone!