Amplified Adrenaline

I'm getting super nervous and excited about this weekend! (And I keep listening to Strike Anywhere's "Blaze" to get me in the competing mood.)

I know it's just a small triathlon, but doing well in it is kind of going to define the rest of the season in my book. After a crappy race weekend a couple weeks ago and all of the medical maladies that have been driving me insane for the past few months, my future as a competitive athlete is pretty fuzzy. Still, I've been feeling good, so I have high hopes for the weekend. Looking at last year's splits for the winners, I'm a little intimidated. I'm just hoping that the wetsuit gives me an edge that I haven't had before in the water, and that my bike split will give me a serious edge. I should do well, barring any medical or mechanical issues. Just thinking about it knots my stomach up, and I know one of the key things to remember is to just STAY CALM before the race starts and during the swim. In past races, I have a tendency to get super nervous and get a flood of adrenaline really early, so when I'm actually racing, I'm already feeling drained.

The past couple of days have been all right. The weather is finally getting really nice, so Tuesday I got to run for 90 min. It was the longest I've run since the marathon, so I was happy that I did it cramp free. I had some "stomach issues," but I still managed to finish the run. I rowed instead of swimming though, since I was in Hunterdon.

Yesterday I had job training, so most of the day was devoted to that. Then, headed out on a 6 mile run. I wanted to make it fast, but my stomach had a sharp cramp in it. Still, a huge improvement over last week, only taking 51 minutes instead of the 56 it took after I got sick. I was super slow at some points because of the cramps, but the other times, I was moving pretty fast- now that it's nice and other people are running, it's fun to try to pick people off on the trails. Someone to run with would be great, but you can't have everything.

Then, biked to the gym to swim for 30 min, part of the time practicing swimming a straight line without being able to see (closing my eyes in goggles) and sighting while doing that. I'm feeling pretty good about that now. And, I admit, I like swimming after workouts because it alleviates the need for an actual shower! (There's a reason I have short hair now. I'm too low maintenance, especially over the summer).

I had to pack a lot into the truck, now that Dad and I put the cap on it, so I ended up doing an impromptu weight set, carrying huge amounts up and down the stairs. I banged one crate into my leg and thought that it was starting to cramp, but luckily, after a few hours, it stopped and only a slight bruise remains.

Rest day today since I'm working, and tomorrow will be pretty relaxed so I can kind of do an "early warmup"- maybe even another wetsuit/lake test to be prepared.

Physically, I'm in probably the best shape I've ever been in right now. Mentally, I need to stay focused during the race and not start thinking about "just finishing." Instead, I'm going to try my hardest to win this damn thing, and hopefully I won't a) cramp, b) have stomach pain, c) break my bike again or d) get eaten by a fluke man whilst swimming in the lake.