How Did I Manage To Get Here Already?

I joined a group. One of those tri-newbie groups... and I thought, oh yes! I will have much to write about with the Tri-Divas... I will have much to record... but I didn't... and strangely enough, our goal race is tomorrow. Actually it's in about 14 hours that I will be leaping into the water.

I can briefly paraphrase...

All the men are married (DANG!).

I thought I could swim, and then they said I had a lot to work on, and then I thought I couldn't swim and then suddenly I could swim. In our practice time trials, I added a full 45 seconds and then I took off a full 2 minutes from my previous race time. I learned a little about pacing and that drafting in the pool is ok. On that last time trial, I got behind one of the faster women... and I knew I couldn't pass her, but I sat right there on top of her for about four laps. She finally pulled away... but it kept me moving fast.

I learned that it's ok to brag about your swim time when you sign up... that you shouldn't say you swim a 13 minute 400 when you know you can do an 11 minute one... because they will sede you at 13 minutes... and more than likely I will be struggling to pass tomorrow, instead of being where I need to be up with the people moving my speed.

In the back of my head, I can't help but think that my little 400 meter snake swim in a pool tomorrow is going to be nothing compared to the 800 meter open water swim in June. I have approximately 6 weeks after tomorrow to get comfortable with twice the distance and no walls to push off. I'm actually looking a little bit forward to it.

I learned that I stayed too long in the big chain ring on the bike... I fight hills like crazy... but I'm slowly becoming aquainted with my middle and small chain rings and I'm finding that I really like those guys. I had no idea they would be quite so helpful.

I also found that by going out and riding with stronger riders, I find bits of frustration and bits of wonder... because I couldn't always keep up with them... but even if I wasn't keeping up, I wasn't so far behind that I couldn't see them... I could always see them. Which did wonders for my confidence on the bike.

And running... well, they left me in the dust on the runs... but I found out more and more that I didn't care. Because this is my race and not theirs... and I spent a lot of time feeling self concious about what I couldn't do when I had no focus on what I was doing... but finding that moment when I told myself this is YOUR race... it didn't matter anymore. You would think I had known that already.

I found it difficult to train with both men and women... the women want to pull each other along and the men just want to finish. It's not a bad thing... it's just a thing. And I'm not saying that the men weren't encouraging, because they definately were... but they were interested in finishing what they set out to do and then they could focus on encouraging... the women wanted everyone to finish with them... no woman left behind. And I found myself near to tears at times when I thought I couldn't do something and a woman dropped back with me, talked me through it, and said those wonderful words... You.Can.Do.This.

And now I sit here and think about how terribly nervous I was about six months ago, the night before my first triathlon... and how calm and ready I feel six months later the night before my second triathlon.

I feel so proud of my progress. And so ready to get out there and face off with that course tomorrow morning.

This is my race to win. And there won't be any losing tomorrow... because how can you lose when you get out there and tri.