Taper is the Devil

You heard me.

Taper can take any mild mannered person (not that I am claiming to be that person) and turn them into a raging lunatic. As someone who is used to working out for at LEAST 1-2 hours per day, I am now expected to sit on my couch for hours at a time. This is boring. My back and ass are sore from freaking sitting. I have pent up energy out the wazoo and I can only imagine what I am like to be around right now.

On Saturday, I had a meltdown. I slept in, did my recover ride in the morning, showered and put actual real clothes on with the plan of running Ironman-related errands during the afternoon. I hopped in my car to drive to Triple A so I could pick up some maps of Wisconsin for my upcoming road trip. Triple A is less than 1 mile from my house. I pulled into a parking spot behind a Triple A driver's ed car, and my car would not go into park. It also wouldn't go into reverse. I was stuck. I ended up putting my car in neutral, engaging the emergency brake, and left it running to go inside.

Is it irony that this happened at Triple A, or is it the universe mocking me?

A Triple A guy was there in 15 minutes and he showed me how to "unstick" the shifter using a small button located next to it. I had to stick a key or another long, skinny object into the hole (that's what she said?) and push down on this button in order to move the shifter. While the Triple A guy was fiddling with my car, I started crying. Of course. I am leaving for Ironman Wisconsin on Wed. morning, which I am driving to. It was Saturday afternoon on Labor Day weekend. Most garages were closed until Tuesday. I drove home, crying, while the Triple A guy followed me in his truck to make sure I didn't get stuck. Worst case scenarios were flashing through my mind. Having to forgo my errands and wait for a tow truck to take the car to the garage. Having to pay for an SUV-sized rental car for a week. Having to ask my parents to drive their Honda-CRV up to Rochester so I could borrow it. Having my car die on the way to Wisconsin.

Cue:  emotional Alexa pre-Ironman car-triggered freakout.

An hour of sobbing later, I started calling garages and couldn't get ahold of anyone. I then figured that my car was drivable, just annoying, and I wasn't sure if this problem was serious, but I had things to do (bike shop, running store, etc.) so I set out. I got to the bike shop and my car fixed itself in the parking lot. It was fine for the rest of the day and all of Sunday. On Monday, it was sticking again, on and off throughout the day.

I think my car is possessed.

Apologies to the people who had to deal with me while I was crying - those include the Triple A guy, my dad, and my friend Ari. To those of you who didn't answer your phones, consider yourselves lucky! Thanks for the advice from the Train-This teammates!

I have the WORST car karma when it comes to freaking Ironman. I also almost got rear-ended by a truck today after going over my race plan with Mary. If I make it to and from IMOO in one piece, consider me happy!

On a positive note, besides my car being crazy, I am basically prepared for my trip! I only had to work 1 overnight this week. My race wheels are reserved. My car's oil has been changed. My nutrition has been purchased. The majority of my suitcase is packed (the rest of the clothes need to be washed first). I have obtained some audio books from Kim. I have gone over my race plan with Mary. My bike has been cleaned and new decals have been applied (I will have a separate post on this soon). Four good luck hugs have been obtained.

Exciting!

Moooooooooo!