It’s race week. Finally.
In 7 days, I will participate in my first triathlon. I set out to do this back in January and it seemed sooo far away. And now it’s here!
My main goals for this race are to finish and to have fun. Training for this race has been a lot of work mainly because I didn’t know how to swim back in the beginning of the year. In addition to being hard work, it’s been quite a personal journey. Conquering my fear of water is an accomplishment I’m very proud of. Regardless of how this tri turns out, it was totally worth it.
Here’s how I’m feeling about each leg of the race.
The Swim – 500 yards: I feel confident that I will finish without problem. I’m actually really excited about the swim, which I never thought I would say. I won’t be setting any speed records and I’m cool with that. I’m guessing I’ll finish in 12-13 minutes assuming nothing dramatic occurs.
The Bike – 15.5 miles: The bike has consistently been my strong point. Since I’ve been focusing on swimming and have started a more intense running schedule, biking has been a bit ignored. I still feel the most comfortable on my bike – I’m just not at my fastest. Depending on the weather, I should average between 17-19 mph.
The Run – 3.1 miles: My running has been going well. Last weekend I did a Brick workout, riding 14 fast miles and running 2 miles at faster pace. Both were in the low 9’s (Usain Bolt fast for me). I’m hoping to finish the run in under 30 minutes. It just really depends on how much the rest of the race takes out of me.
In preparation for the race, I’ll be doing the following this week:
- Focusing on a clean diet. Plants will be key.
- Avoiding alcohol.
- Hydration.
- Rest. The Olympics have taken over my life and totally screwed up my bed time. This week, I’m counting on Willa to DVR everything for me so I can sleep.
- Workouts. I’ll be getting in one ride, one swim and 2 runs this week. Friday and Saturday will be dedicated to rest and likely catching up on the Olympics.
If you are around next Sunday looking for something to do, I welcome your cheers! I’m doing the YWCA Women’s Tri at Lake Nokomis in Minneapolis. I’ll be the one in the black tri suit. Descriptive, I know. I will also be wearing a red Trinona cap during the run. Oh, and I’ll have big-ass grin on my face too.
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Jen, I am so proud of you already. It has been awesome to sit back and watch your progress this year in preparation for this Triathlon. Very inspiring. Wish I was going to be there in person – I will be in spirit!! Rock Out Ms. Jen as only you do!!!
You’re gonna kill it. Looking forward to seeing podium photos.
I know you will do great, good luck!
You will do great!
2012 is the year of “fast!” I can’t wait to be in your cheering section.
The DVR is set – I am trying to avoid all spoilers!
Good luck Jen, kill it!
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