Thinking and Preparing

The days are winding down to my next event, an Intermediate distance tri in Philadelphia, MS. It's called the Heart of Dixie Triathlon, but I wouldn't be much of an Alabamian if I didn't take offense to this state to the west of us borrowing our nickname. But I'll let it pass as I'm pretty fond of this event, and I believe that it truly encompasses the Southern experience. The race kicks off the famed Neshoba County Fair, a week long gathering of folks to watch mule pulls, preserve competitions, and eat most everything that you can think of fried. More on that later, but not today. I've got the race on my mind.

With just under 2 weeks to go I've started to evaluate my condition. My swims have been horrid. I feel like this David Gray song I'm listening to this very moment. Fittingly it's called "Dead in the Water." Wow, thanks Dave for the words to describe my futile attempts in the pool. The swim is just .5 mile. An easy distance as far as "Olys" go, but one that I'm not going to set any records on. My goal is to push for a 14-15 minute finish time. I don't want to over do it as the real struggle comes in the next two stages, the 27.5 mile bike and the 7 mile run. This race is definitely weighted on these two legs, but that's fine. This is where I can make up time.

I've put in several bricks over the last few weeks. Long rides followed by a long run. Leg strength has been good throughout the run and the endurance is there as well. The race is in my head a bit though. This will be the fourth year that I've competed in this race, but only the first time I've been properly trained. This race is somewhat of a Homecoming for me as this was the first triathlon I ever competed in. It's sort of bitter sweet as well as its also the only race I've really ever felt like quitting. Last year, I came in way under trained and under nourished. Leg cramps wreaked havoc on me in the 95+ degree heat. Mississippi can be harsh in July. It was an embarrassing finish, my slowest of my two prior finishes. So this year, I've put in a little extra work in preparing for this race. In a race that I've historically had to walk as much as I ran during the 7 mile leg, I'm determined to run my heart out and nail this run. Lately, I've been delaying workouts until the middle of the day to practice race day hydration and electrolyte balance. It hasn't been fun, but it's helped.

So, the body feels good. I'm weighing in just above my race weight right now, so over the next week or so I'll drop it down a few pounds. Cutting out my TCBY consumption and Zucchini bread snacks will be key. (Sorry Lauren, no TCBY until after the race!) So here we are. It's game on for the next couple of weeks. It's time to really focus and work toward exercising some demons that have haunted me for the last year. For all of the Friends watchers out there, it's time to go "Red Ross!" Thanks for reading.