The Real Stuff

I have stopped counting down the days- I have somewhere between 2-3 weeks before Florida. Sweet! I have enjoyed all of the training, and I am really excited to finish the big event. It is now October 2008- and I remember my first little triathlon was in April 2006. Boy time flies! I don't have any pictures from that first triathlon, but here are some pictures from my second triathlon in May of 2006. It was the best little sprint I have ever done- 200 swim in a pool, 8 mile bike, 2 mile run. Awesome! I was in the beginner category, too.

Here is what I remember about this race.

• I had to give myself a pep talk about the swim. I was still a beginner so there was a lot of panic, even for 200 yards. (To be honest, I panicked in my 2nd year of racing too in the water). I remember telling myself I could do it and to swim hard- I mean, I was trying to break 2 minute 100s here, guys!
  
  
• One of my goals was to have a faster T1 and T2 time. So, I didn't put on any extra clothes in transition this time around. In my first race I put on a tri top, socks, drank some gatorade, etc...
• On the bike I really tried hard to ride my fastest! LOL now-so cute! That is why I love the beginner friendly races. There are all kinds of people out there like me just trying to improve! Maybe I went 18mph for 8 miles? I don't quite remember, but it was a good improvement for me from my first race.
  
  
• The run was special for me. I had just reached a milestone in my first triathlon of being able to run 3 miles without stopping. After a horrible soccer injury, I was just happy I could run and didn't think that any pace was too slow. So, I was excited to see if I had improved any from my 1st to 2nd race. I had gone to track one or two times (in the very back of the pack, mind you) and had ditched the knee brace. I asked Coach Paul what he thought I could run. He said, and I remember very clearly. Go out at a 7:30- and I think you can pick it up for the second mile. Now, a 7:30 to me was going to be a huge improvement. I think in my first tri I was at 8:30s? But, funny how someone puts a thought into your head and then you make it happen. First mile of the out and back, 7:30 on the dot. Second mile, 7:00. Well, he told me to go faster, so I did. Funny how I was dead on what he thought I could do.

I am not sure if there is a big point in this post. It is fun to look at the big picture and the journey that we can take with triathlons. I know for me I can get down or be hard on myself when I read or hear about people doing this race in x:xx:xx time or these intervals at x:xx pace at a HR of 90 (I mean WTF? Some people have crazy/insane athleticism). It is fun to blog about your best intervals, your best runs, and your best races. But, I don't think they are realistic- and I bet that there are even days for pros where they have to walk or feel like giving up. And honestly, speed is very relative. I might be fast compared to so and so- but then I am super slow compared to the next person. And, I think that workouts are very, very individual. Some people thrive on getting their butts kicked daily, while others need more moderation.

So, I think the best way to judge yourself is to look at your improvements over time. You and only you. You can't get caught up in the next athlete's training plan or race result. And, you probably can't even really get caught up in your own race to race comparison. You have to see the big picture of yourself.