Dreaming BIG

So, as the story goes, in 1999 I wrote a list of things I wanted to do in the new millennium, one of the items was to do an Olympic triathlon.  At the time I did not run and was not athletic but I decided to dream big and add it to the list anyway.  I started running 3 years ago to fulfill this dream, my intention was just to do the 5k and 10K clinic so that I knew I could do the 10K at the end of the tri.  Well things did not work out as planned, I got hooked on running and have done 3 half marathons and am training for a marathon (more about that later).  Last summer I started doing triathlons and did a sprint tri and a try-a-tri and this summer the goal was the Olympic tri, I would finally get to cross this off the list.  

Last year the National Capital event was my first tri and it did not go as planned but this year I was determined and prepared.  I had trained well and felt great and I learned how to change a flat tire so if I had a flat again this year, I could deal with it.  The differences between last years race and this year were huge. Last year it was 40C and sunny, this year it was 20C and overcast, last year I was stressed out and this year I was cool and calm, ready to have fun and deal with whatever the universe threw at me.  The biggest difference was last year I got a DNF and this year I got a medal.

I had a great time, it was hard and long but I enjoyed myself from beginning to end.  The swim was OK, I went off course a few times and my time was slower then I wanted but I can work on this in the next few weeks and try to get a better time at the end of the month at my next event.  I have to swim 1.9K then, an extra 400m and I want to try and do it in the same time as this race. The bike was fun, it was windy and I thought I was going fast but as it turned out, I was doing my normal training pace, it clarified that I need to work hard on my cycling in the off season so I can do the hills in Tremblant next June. Funny enough, the run was my easiest leg and I am not a natural runner.  I seem to settle into a 6:30 per km pace off the bike with little effort, same as on my training runs.  Some night I struggle to get to this pace on a tempo run but in a tri, no problem, weird. I was thrilled to finish this year, no unexpected mechanical issues with the bike, my nutrition overall was spot on and it was a great benchmark for my Half Ironman at the end of the month. 

Sunday I got up to do a 23k run with my marathon group.  At about the 20k mark my quads decided they were done, whether I was or not.  I opted out of the last km and headed back to the Running Room and my car.  I was upset that I had to cut the run short but I knew better then to risk an injury.  I seem to have a recurring issue with my right quad muscle, it gets tight on my long runs.  How would I be able to run a marathon if this keeps happening?  When I go home I had a bit of a panic attack about the marathon, what was I thinking. Eventually I got over myself, decided that it was 15 weeks away and I had other races before that to train for and think about,  like my half Ironman in 4 weeks.  Neale knows I will be ready for Philly, my coach knows I will be ready so I had better get on board and decide I will be ready too.   Whatever happens, I have a plan and the determination to execute it, I cannot afford to waste the energy worrying.