Race week is here. After 9 months of dedication, sweat, and tears, I can taste the start line. And I have this weird FLAT feeling. Don't get my wrong, I'm excited, I want to leave NOW and feel ready and mildly terrified and scared shitless about the whole thing all at the same time. But I know in my heart that I can do this - I think I am still holding myself back from getting too excited bc my body is not totally there yet. My mind is ready, my swim is coming around, and hopefully my legs will be there come Sunday.
I know I have put in the work: the long days, the early mornings, the sacrifices necessary. I have come to terms with my race goals. They are process goals, not time goals. And it's a strange thing to wrap my overly competitive, former-serious athlete mind around. I'm not RACING. I'm not racing the clock or other friends who have already tackled the distance, not racing the person next to me, the girls in front of me, or even myself. The only battle will be in my head and between my own two ears.
Unrelated to my goals, it's no secret that I really want to swim under an hour. I think I could come out anywhere between 58 and 1:02. Do I think a 56 is possible? No. Will I freak out if I come out and see a 1:05 or slower and make excuses about what happened? No. 5 minutes in the course of a long day is not worth any amount of stress.
I have created my race plan around one solid goal, which my coach requested not be time related. I want to finish happy, satisfied and with a smile on my face. But I know myself well enough to know that crossing teh finish line alone will not make these things a reality. What will make this happen? RUNNING the marathon. Yes, I will walk as planned, but I want to execute the run I have trained for. Again, this is not time related. So the approach over 112 miles on the bike is to totally to support this goal.
No time goals. And I really am OK with it [This is about 89.4% true and am hoping this will be as close to 100% as I can get over the next 5 days]. 3 weeks ago was I OK with it? No. I was stressing about average MPH and pace and strategy and my finish time. But I am at peace with what I have defined as what will make me the most happy and the most satisfied when I cross the finish line. I am not wearing my Garmin on the bike. I have biked enough miles that I know what 'easy' and 'faster' and 'strong' feels like and I know where in the 112 miles I want to feel these efforts. A simple Timex will beep every 15 minutes to keep me on top of my calories. I will put my Garmin on in T2, but autolap will be turned off. Mile splits don't matter, especially when I plan on walking roughly every 2 miles. Running matters. And that will be my singular focus.
I know I have put in the work: the long days, the early mornings, the sacrifices necessary. I have come to terms with my race goals. They are process goals, not time goals. And it's a strange thing to wrap my overly competitive, former-serious athlete mind around. I'm not RACING. I'm not racing the clock or other friends who have already tackled the distance, not racing the person next to me, the girls in front of me, or even myself. The only battle will be in my head and between my own two ears.
Unrelated to my goals, it's no secret that I really want to swim under an hour. I think I could come out anywhere between 58 and 1:02. Do I think a 56 is possible? No. Will I freak out if I come out and see a 1:05 or slower and make excuses about what happened? No. 5 minutes in the course of a long day is not worth any amount of stress.
I have created my race plan around one solid goal, which my coach requested not be time related. I want to finish happy, satisfied and with a smile on my face. But I know myself well enough to know that crossing teh finish line alone will not make these things a reality. What will make this happen? RUNNING the marathon. Yes, I will walk as planned, but I want to execute the run I have trained for. Again, this is not time related. So the approach over 112 miles on the bike is to totally to support this goal.
No time goals. And I really am OK with it [This is about 89.4% true and am hoping this will be as close to 100% as I can get over the next 5 days]. 3 weeks ago was I OK with it? No. I was stressing about average MPH and pace and strategy and my finish time. But I am at peace with what I have defined as what will make me the most happy and the most satisfied when I cross the finish line. I am not wearing my Garmin on the bike. I have biked enough miles that I know what 'easy' and 'faster' and 'strong' feels like and I know where in the 112 miles I want to feel these efforts. A simple Timex will beep every 15 minutes to keep me on top of my calories. I will put my Garmin on in T2, but autolap will be turned off. Mile splits don't matter, especially when I plan on walking roughly every 2 miles. Running matters. And that will be my singular focus.
Good luck! I hope you have so much fun and finish with that smile on your face. I'll be stalking you. :)
ReplyDeleteGood luck! You're gonna do awesome!
ReplyDeleteI'm so excited for you!! I'll be up there cheering, volunteering and making waffles :)
ReplyDeleteWhen u hit a dark place, just think about waffles!
ReplyDeleteAlso, can I draft off of you in the swim? Thanks!
Cya up there!
<3 from all your girls, especially me. Bitches got your back.
ReplyDeleteMake the sub-hour swim a reality. Remember, happy feet. SO EXCITED to track you and text Dan about how you're doing!!!
ReplyDeleteHave a great time this weekend! Keep your plan in mind and you'll enjoy the experience AND have a great race!
ReplyDelete