September 12, 2011

Excited AND Scared

In 6 days I will be be doing my first Olympic-distance triathlon, the San Diego Classic Triathlon. This 1500 meter swim/40k bike/10k run is more roughly double the size of the sprint triathlons I've been doing (in the case of the swim, it's triple the distance).

I am getting excited. And very, very nervous.

I have been training very hard for this. I know I can cover each leg on it's own, but I'm worried about doing it all back-to-back-to-back:

  • I'm worried about the swim. I can easily do 1500 meters in the pool, but doing it in open water, when it's cold and I'm trying to avoid other swimmers from kicking my face, is a different story. I already had one panic attack in the water during a triathlon, and do NOT want to have another. A few weeks ago I did another open water practice, and while it went ok, I was shocked at how tired I felt afterwards (and my practice swim was only half the distance of what I'll be swimming this weekend). For me, it's always tiring swimming in open water in my wetsuit.
  • The bike ride is going to be very hilly, and while I've been practicing a lot on hills, including TWICE riding the actual area where the course will be, I'm still apprehensive. I've come a long way on the bike since I started triathlon last year, and am doing much better, but hills are still not my friend. And 24.8 miles of hills after that swim should be brutal. On a good note, I can officially change a bike tire---I timed myself at 7 minutes--so if my nightmare happens and I pop a tire during the race, I can take care of myself. I may not be able to do it as fast as I've done (I'm sure I'd be sweaty, shaky and nervous) but knowing that I have that bike knowledge under my belt makes me feel more empowered.
  • I can easily do a 6.2 mile run, but again, after the swim and bike, I will be exhausted. Not to mention the fact that I've been injured with plantar fasciiits, which, while it's getting better with treatment, can still be painful.
I am starting to doubt my training, am worried that I haven't done it right. I need to remember the awesome brick I did a few weeks ago, which essentially was the bike and run portion. It was hard, but I did it. On race day I will have to channel all my strength and get adrenaline from the race itself, from the other triathletes, volunteers and spectators.

So, with all that I have to be nervous about, why am I also excited? Because I CAN do this, and I WILL! I signed up for this race for a challenge, to push myself beyond the distances that I had previously done. I wanted to see how far my body could go, how much I could improve. I wanted to see WHAT I'M MADE OF.

We'll see this weekend!

9 comments:

  1. You can Sugar! Don't doubt your training. It is a big mental game! If you done all the individual sports and done some bricks then just hit it hard and do the best you can when the time comes. The best thing to do is not have any expectations since it is your first Oly. When you are not quite meeting your expectations is when people start giving up and having a difficult time. If you focus on each leg seperately and put your mind into at that time to do your best, you will do awesome!

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  2. Remember your awesome brick and the fact that you have done everything to prepare for this race! You will kill it!
    And you have me beat! (it would probably take me 20 minutes to change a flat!)

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  3. The bike leg is your best opportunity to fuel and hydrate, so make sure you dial it down enough that you are 100%, or close to it when starting the run leg.

    Don't attack the hills, it won't make much difference on your time. Do ride over the top, and try to star downhill with some speed, then taper or coast. Unlike swimming and running, wind resistance on a bike is logarithmic with speed. Stay out of zone 5.

    The low-med end of zone 4 is probably the best average, given you'll need time and blood flow for fueling and hydration. Less is more. Walking instead of running will pile up a LOT more minutes.

    On the flatting fear, if you're riding clinchers, Michelin Krylion are pretty bullet-proof, only add ~ 30 grams, and roll almost as well as full racing tires.

    We'll be rooting for you, so soak in those vibes!

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  4. EEEE so excited for you! You are going to rock it!!!

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  5. Am I going to have to fly out there and slap you!? You will do GREAT! You have done the training so the race is merely a formality. Try and relax and enjoy it. We're all behind you (because you're fast and we support you!)

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  6. This is very, very, VERY exciting! You are going to be the queen of HTFU after this!
    Just take it one event at a time, when you're swimming, think about swimming only. Breath.
    When you're biking, think about bitch-slapping those hills only.
    And then when you're running, think "PIECE OF CAKE!"
    Can't wait to hear about it! GOOD LUCK!!

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  7. Don't be nervous! You can totally do this!!

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  8. You got this...no worries!! I can't wait to read all aout it!

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