It’s Time

When it gets close to race time, it’s natural for everyone to ask, “Are you ready?” With a long race like a marathon or a long triathlon, that question makes sense since the body has to be physically able to go the distance. My race this weekend is so short, that unless I get hurt somehow, I will be able to make the distance. The reason I wanted to do this race isn’t so much about, ”Can I make it?” Instead it’s about motivation. While I enjoy swimming, biking and running, summer is a busy time with the kids at home and summertime activities. Some days it’s easy to plan right over my training time or skip out on going to the gym. It’s the race on the schedule that gets me out the door some days.

So, “Am I ready?” I got out the door very consistently, so I would say that I am. I ran every other day, made it to the gym to lift weights two or three days a week, swam once or twice a week and biked once or twice a week. In that sense, I feel like I’ve already accomplished my goal with this race. Now that the race is here, though, I’m thinking about goals for the actual race.

Swim:  1/4 mile

• Stay calm during the swim.
• Spot well. My last race I swam wide.

Bike:  18 Miles

• Keep a high cadence to take it easy on the legs.
• Use the aero bars as much as possible.
• Hydrate for the run.

Run: 3.1 Miles

• Start at a reasonable pace and watch my heart rate.
• Run without walking. My last 2 triathlons I had to take some walk breaks.

 Once this race is over, I’ll still be biking and swimming but my focus will be running. I’ve selected a 16 week training plan for the NYC Marathon, which means training starts on Monday. I’m excited about starting to train. I haven’t done a marathon in 15 months, so it’s been a while since I’ve run more than a half marathon. It’s time to prove to myself that I can still do it. Before the hard work of marathon training starts, though, it’s time to get this triathlon in the books. I hope it’s as much fun as the training has been. Brady and three other friends are doing the sprint with me, and then we’ll watch Mike and three other friends do the Half Iron the next day. Now, for a Half Iron, the question is, “Are they ready?” I bet they are, but I’m glad it’s them and not me!