Ignorance is the only thing making this possible

That's part of a hill. I climbed it this weekend! And now I'm all about self congratulation. Here, look at it like this!:
Yeah, I dunno! You can tell there's the ocean on one end and a mountain on the other, and from what I know about oceans being low and mountains being high, I reckon that's a real ride.

Somewhere in the middle of the 10 mile climb, I figured out the key to training for Ironman: don't pay as much attention as you should when they explain what you're about to do. I didn't realize it was a 10 mile climb, or that it was around 2000' up, or that I'd be climbing for a solid hour and change - although all of those facts together still probably would have found me mostly in the dark. At some point, you just get on your bike, and decide you won't get off it until you get to the top. That's how you climb Latigo Canyon.

I also want to give the first ever Gnarly to the Max Award to my coach Paul, who biked up behind me, said I needed to pedal harder, and then PUT HIS HAND ON MY BACK AND ACTUALLY MADE ME GO FASTER. By pushing me! While he also was on a bike. Going up hill. W. T. F. Amazing.

Other things I learned / figured out:
-standing up in your seat IS really helpful, for the 20 seconds I can manage it
-going downhill at 25 - 30 mph for 10 miles is really. really. fun.
-don't not take a water bottle on the hour-long run after the bike ride

Aaaaaand as a little icing on the cake, the free masseuse that rubbed me down after the work out told me I have one of the tightest IT bands (the helpful tendon that connects my knee to my femur / hip along the length of my thigh!) he's seen recently, and that he thinks it could snap. I need to talk to my coach.

I still have a permanent personal Chemical Brothers soundtrack going in the back of my brain after doing that climb though. I'm rawesome!