We're a mere 10 days out from my first half ironman of the year and I'm a little nervous. My open water swimming is not where I need to be, I'm feeling tired on the bike and run, I'm starting to feel a little run down. I know this is normal for the training block and I'll feel better after I taper next week going into the race, but I have no idea how I will perform. I have no estimate which is scary.
This is the earliest I've been ready for a half ironman ever. Usually at this point of the year I'm just getting into base building and open water swimming and I'd hastily choose a July half ironman and go in undertrained. I can say that I feel just as fit going into this race as I did after a whole season training going into last year's full ironman.
I'm feeling good, just not confident. I'm fighting hard against the "I can'ts" and the "I'm not fast enough". Truth is, I've been working hard and have been diligently training and I need to get past comparing myself to everyone else. I will be happy with the results because it's not the "A" race, it's just a gauge. It's a benchmark for later races. Once I see how this one works out, I'll adjust the training.
Last weekend I was thrilled to watch my daughter run her first 5k as the culminating event to the Girls on the Run program. She had trained twice a week in this program for 10 weeks. The program that also covers running, body image, self esteem, healthy habits and a host of other good things girls Norah's age should be familiar with. All things I wish I had in a program growing up. Norah ran to finish and did spectacularly well in the cold, driving rain. She did it in 37 minutes and was so proud of herself at the end, and I was so incredibly proud that she toughed it out and finished.
It took me back to my first races and that feeling of completion and accomplishment. It was so special to share that experience with her doing something I love so much. To see her face at the end with everyone cheering her name, arms up, smiling and soaking wet but all done... It's something I'll never forget. We congratulated the girls who came in before us and stayed to the end and cheered her friends and other racers in because that's what a good sport does. Trying to start good habits now.
I will also never forget to not race a 5k smack dab in the middle of half iron training. It was like a well placed anaerobic bomb. I did well, I pretty much ran flat 7:30s in terrible conditions. I won my category and came in fifth overall. I won a Fuelbelt which I let Norah pick out since I have one. She's now the proud owner of a purple and green Revenge series. She was super happy, that's all that matters.
My bike mileage per week is out of hand (easily 120+ a week in addition to all the running and swimming when I can), and I should probably spend more time trying to get out in the pond/ocean. Being on the Kestrel team has made me a little bike crazy in I want to see major results, so I'm building a lot of volume now and lately the speed has been catching up. It's really good in a way. I want to make the team proud and I always want to push myself to do better. Being on the Kestrel team has really helped keep a lot of the doubt away. Someone thought I was good enough to represent the brand in a uniform, so I am good enough. Seems silly, but it helps.
I'm close to breaking the 20 average miles per hour on that torturefest we locals call a time trial course. I'm getting there. I'm stronger on the bike this year (thank you winter of TriFitLab) even just going into base building.
I'm looking at doing an Olympic distance duathlon the Sunday after Patriot just to see what it's like. It sounds painful, and I like the idea of the distances. I will get crushed, but duathlon may be something really good for me in the future.
I'm trying to set up some travel for Columbus in September and Dallas in October to race with more of the Eleonore Rocks team. Olympic distance racing kind of scares me, it's a distance I think I'd be good at in theory, but I will definitely not be fast for those races when they come up. I've almost even dabbled with just doing 70.3s this year and maybe opting out of the full at Cedar Point. Maybe racing the half they hold there and then supporting Kevan as he races the next day. I've got a lot to think about.
In other news, a friend and fellow triathlete super-mom blogger Marie mentioned me on her blog (totally flattering), and I'm pretty excited that others may find it this way. I was pretty sure no one read it until very recently. So if you're here from there, welcome aboard! Hopefully you'll gain something interesting in the process of reading.
1 comment:
Hi Kate, Marie here. 20mph on TT course????? Holy sh*t, that would be my downhill speed :) You're gonna rock the Pat next weekend.
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