That was the brain fodder on my ride today. I felt the strongest I have ever felt on a bike today. I have now posted that al least 3-4 times in the last year. I had my checkpoint time 3 min faster than last week. Next checkpoint 2 min slower than last week. The headwind was miserable. I felt stronger though. I recovered faster on my climbs than last week but I had to climb in a smaller gear than last week. Hmmmm, so different. I feel so different than last week. What will be different for my race on saturday? I have been thinking about how much better trained I am and how much lighter I am and blah blah blah but that can be taken away if its so damn windy. But what if its absolutely calm? How much faster can I be? Did the last couple of days of nutrition influence my ride today? I do this before I race....think, think, and analyze. What will happen in this chapter? My second triathlon race season. I am so competitive yet I havent mashed when I want to. I havent mashed as long as I wanted to. The only place I talk about this is this journal. Should I talk to others about this stuff? I feel so different. Much more confident yet still over analyze some things. Funny.
As I read the posts last year leading up to this race (last year it was my first Olympic distance race) I crack up. I was so concerned about the length of the race. I was happy to finish. As I sit here I not concerned at all about distance. SInce this race last year I have raced in 2 other triathlons including a half Iron, 4 half marathons, and a full marathon. I guess what I am worried about is all that fitness improvement, all that race experience, and what if it isnt faster?
Thursday-Long swim. 2000 meters. Total: 51:38. Per 250 meters 5:50, 6:23, 6:15, 6:23, 6:43, 6:39, 6:32, and 6:50. 6:27 avg. Felt strong. Starting to remember how to swim fast. I had no fatigue post swim. Rage last year was 38 min. Can I do it in 35?
Friday-Rest
Saturday-Softball, 3 games new team.
Sunday-Bike/run brick. Started out wanting to do the whole route and a 4 mile run. I cut the bike short to get out of the effing wind. Last years training spoke of a lot of wind prior to rage. I wanted to kill the run though. I didnt. The landscape around the lake has changed and the dirt road portion of the race was very soft sand today. Baby giraffe legs + soft sand = trouble. lol. I was more wobbly than ever. Negative split by 4 min. Head wind out, tail wind back helps. 4 miles complete. I think I need 2 runs this week. Can I do the bike in less than 1:30? ( a 17 min improvement from last year) Can I do the run in 55 min? (last year was 1:04). What will be the mix of factors influencing my performance on one day, race day?
“And above all things, never think that you're not good enough yourself. A man should never think that. My belief is that in life people will take you at your own reckoning”
Isaac Asimov
BELIEVE that you are good enough.
5 comments:
"You have learned much young one...[Ron], you do not yet realize your [potential]. You have only begun to discover your power. Join me, and I will complete your training. With our combined strength [and endurance], we can end this destructive conflict and bring order to the galaxy."
I do the analyzing before the race. I look back on my previous race reports and look at what I wanted to improve on. Did I meet those goals? I am sure that you will race well.
I always analyze (and over-analyze) and very much look forward to looking back at old race reports. Your training looks fab!
I believe you will surprise yourself with the new PRs you'll get this year. If you feel stronger, you'll race stronger.
it is funny to look back at old posts to see how far we've come!... love the last line!
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