These last 2-3 weeks have been difficult to say the least. I have, once again, had my share of ups and downs during my training. I have had good training days and also some bad, actually very bad. However, things always seem to look up as I get closer to an event. For some reason, the closer I get to the event, the better the training gets. Maybe it’s because I am more focused and realize that time is a valuable asset as the event date nears. Not too sure, but maybe that’s it.
I have been trying to run during daylight hours so I can try to get accustomed to the type of heat that I will probably face during my events this summer. I have been putting in more time on the bike/spinning to give myself more endurance during my ride. And lastly, I have been trying to get into the pool more often to get more endurance during my swim. All of these methodologies have seemed to pay off in some way. I feel strong and confident when I run; I feel more comfortable on the bike, and as far as the swim is concerned, I am just trying not to drown during the open water swim.
Not only has my training been tough, so has the non-training part of my life. My mother was recently diagnosed with breast cancer and went into surgery to remove the cancer, but while in surgery, the doctors found more cancer in her lymph nodes near the breast cancer and had to remove that too. Basically, it was pretty tough to have to tell my mother what happened later that day. But this is my mother’s fourth bout with cancer and she has gotten pretty tough since her first diagnoses many years ago. She has beaten cancer three times and I am sure this time will be number four. She was out of the hospital in two days and was at the YMCA five days after her surgery riding three miles on a stationary bike. Like I have said, she is a tough woman all the way through. Shewill be going through some aggressive chemotherapy and I hope that she gets rid of the cancer once and for all!
Anyway, so while I train, I think about my mother and other people who everyday, have bigger struggles to deal with than just bad day of triathlon training and it makes me "shut up" and just work as hard as I can.
Also, I attended a 10K run that my daughter participated in two weeks ago and cheered her on to the finish. She ended up placing second in her age group! She has done two races and the first 10K, she placed first in her age group, and in the second 10K, she placed second. That is just amazing. It was nice to sit on the sidelines and cheer for another person to succeed. I really liked that.
I also volunteered for an Kid’s Triathlon on Sunday June 3rd. It’s the first time a Kid’s Triathlon has been coordinated this early in the season in Lexington and it SOLD OUT at 150 kids with ages ranging from 8-14! It was a blast and I had a great time! There was just something to seeing these kids cross the finish line as they heard their names called out. They were competitive, but more than anything, they were filled with "pure and innocent" joy! Its great to watch these kids have fun because they have no worries about training, work stresses or schedules, car payments, house payments, or anything. They are just kids having fun and that, I think was awesome to watch.
Anyway, the nerves are starting to set in. I only have 3 days until my first open water swim and my first Olympic distance triathlon. Shouldn’t I be used to these nervous feelings right? Well, I don’t know about that, but I think part of the excitement is the nervousness and anxiety that comes building up to an event. Because during the event, it seems like a whirlwind and there is not really any nervousness once the event starts. At that point, I will find out if I did enough training or not. Hopefully I have, because I am starting to taper and at this point there is nothing more I can do about my training.
Just three more days to push myself and do a little tapering before toeing the starting line, but a lifetime to remember the outcome - time to train, time to endure, time to be ALIVE…I also volunteered for an Kid’s Triathlon on Sunday June 3rd. It’s the first time a Kid’s Triathlon has been coordinated this early in the season in Lexington and it SOLD OUT at 150 kids with ages ranging from 8-14! It was a blast and I had a great time! There was just something to seeing these kids cross the finish line as they heard their names called out. They were competitive, but more than anything, they were filled with "pure and innocent" joy! Its great to watch these kids have fun because they have no worries about training, work stresses or schedules, car payments, house payments, or anything. They are just kids having fun and that, I think was awesome to watch.
Anyway, the nerves are starting to set in. I only have 3 days until my first open water swim and my first Olympic distance triathlon. Shouldn’t I be used to these nervous feelings right? Well, I don’t know about that, but I think part of the excitement is the nervousness and anxiety that comes building up to an event. Because during the event, it seems like a whirlwind and there is not really any nervousness once the event starts. At that point, I will find out if I did enough training or not. Hopefully I have, because I am starting to taper and at this point there is nothing more I can do about my training.
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