13 days until race day!

I got up this morning and went OMG! 13 days until my first tri of the season, a sprint. It's of course been in the back of my mind (and my wallet since I already entered it) but not at the forefront until now. Something about a 2 week countdown that makes me start to THINK HARD.

It's a little early for a major taper for just a sprint distance but my coach has started to ease off a hair on me this week (or so she says--2100 yard swim last night that posted my toasties, tell you what). Next week will be defeinitely light so my body can recover and be fresh for race day (Labor Day). Anything you do two weeks before a race doesn't really help you build up anything, and can really hurt you instead if you overdo it. It's so hard to back off from the training when you are seeing visions of the start line in your head, but it's the right thing to do 14 days pre race, any distance. The longer the race distance, the higher the back off.

So what I do 14 days pre race, along with some reduced working out, is start to visualize the race, in detail. Yeah, that sounds like mumbo jumbo gumbo, but it really does help me come race day because you see, I've done this before in my head.

I actually DID do this race last year--my first tri ever--and did a terrible job on it in the heat (it's a late start race, because there is a kid's tri before it, so you don't even get on the run course until around 11 a.m.--on Labor Day in Texas--yeah, baby) and want to improve all my times in all my areas. So I've set forth some goals for every area, with what I call a happy goal and a pie in the sky goal, and hope I fall somewhere in the middle of those. I've also got a new bike I'm not totally used to, so I am taking that into account, although weather permitting, I will be out this weekend cruising around on it trying for God's sake not to lay it down the first week I have it.

First thoughts were what to wear and how to get there and what to pack. I'm going to wear my longer tri shorts (the shorter ones are for when there is no one else around to see my flabby thighs), a white sports bra, and my bike jersey (it's white, and my true tri jersey is black, and it's gonna be a hot day...so you can see why the bike jersey is making the cut), and no socks. Therefore will powder up my bike shoes and Bodyglide and powder my running shoes for easy slip on post bike. I wear socks only for longer distance races. Too much trouble to pull them on sweaty or wet feet. I will wear some old topsiders on my feet. I will Bodyglide under my arms and around my thighs before I dress in the morning. Not going to need to wear an overjacket on this one! Strap on the sports watch the day before to remind me what's coming up tomorrow.

We've decided to drive to the course (only 4 miles from our house, but we don't want to be riding in the pre dawn on a busy road). So we'll load up our bikes, helmets, a bike pump, our backpacks each full of our gear for the day (our bike shoes, run shoes, water bottles, Gu gels--yes I take one in on a sprint near the end of the bike, I am a slow sprinter, okay--transition towels, goggles, sunglasses, swim caps, water, Gatorade, sunscreen -- to be put on after body marking, because if you put it on before you will smear the marker, not that mine doesn't smear anyway--bandaids --emergencies happen--a snack or two--banana or bagel--and my Garmin for the run portion), and our race T shirts to put over our sweaty bodies post race. This race starts later so we should not need a flashlight or forehead light to light our way or see how to pump our tires.

I'll be up at 6 a.m. to eat a pre race breakfast of a full bagel and peanut butter. We'll leave the house at 7 and arrive at 7:15.

When we arrive, we'll unload the bikes, pump up the tires, fill our bike bottles (if not already filled), grab out backpacks and helmets, and push our bikes to the body marking area, get marked, and then find a spot in transition. Hopefully by 7:45 we will be able to get set up and ready. We'll lay down or towels, put our equipment out (sunglasses and helmet on the bike bars, Gu in my shoe, bike shoes out, run shoes out with Garmin ON and inside, swim cap and goggles in my little hands), put on sunscreen and wander around to watch the kids' race which starts at 7:30. Visiting the port a pot is essential, so walking around helps a lot in that regard! Memorize walking to my area from the swim exit and bike entrance to put it into my muscle memory. Set the bike gear on fairly low for the start. I'll eat a banana or a Luna bar around 8 a.m. to jump start my system, drink water constantly, and then go inside for our mandatory pre race meeting at 8:30a.m. Leave my topsiders in the backpack and take my goggles and swim cap, and I'm all ready to rock.

Last year we had a very late starting number but this year may be a wee bit better since our swim times have improved drastically and they seed by speed (some people lie. It's unfortunate). I am estimating I will start my swim around 9:20 or so, maybe 9:30. I'll get in the water about 10 minutes before my start to warm up, swimming about 200 yards easy and slow and then a fast 25 to wake up my body, and a cool down of another 100. Then out to the start line with me!

Last year I made the mistake of diving into the water from the side and I lost my goggles. This year I intend to just slide in feet first and get a good push off from the wall. I may lose 2-3 seconds this way but I will save 20 seconds by not having to put my goggles back on. Push off, stroke once and then breathe, and swim steady at about my 2:35 per 100 pace, breathing two, thinking "reach and pull, easy does it." At each turn I intend to first glance up to see who may be in my way on the next 50 meters (and there will be several people in my way, some of them who were the unfortunate wrong guessers on their swim times), plan my route around them, and then push off HARD from the wall underneath the ropes, staying down and kicking for a few beats, and back to the surface with my stroke. Dodge slower swimmers, stay focused and strong, don't over swim or get out of breath.

300 meters will go fast. My happy goal for the 300 meters is 8:15, my pie in the sky goal is 7:30.

Strong up the ladder! Last year I politely waited for a slower swimmer to go in front of me, who decided it was a good idea to rest halfway up. I figure that ladder will be big enough for two of us if that happens again. Then trot firmly out to transition (a long way, and of course uphill) while snatching off the cap and goggles. Think about the bike and the bike course (hilly. hard. windy. but fun. right? right). Remember where your transition spot is, get there, drop the goggles and cap, on with the helmet and sunglasses first, stuff the Gu in my pocket, stick my feet into the shoes and fasten, grab the bike and go trotting to the bike exit. Hop on when they tell me to and pedal hard to get my legs moving. T1 goal is 1:30 minutes at most (and most of that will be the long trot from the pool to the bike).

The bike is two loops of 7.6 miles each, with two giant killer eat your lunch hills and about four medium hills. Very little flat although there is one area that is about a mile's worth of flat, which is where I intend to ingest my gel on the second loop. Four times up those killer hills will be hard in the heat so I have to stay focused on not burning up too much the first loop, while not making it a Sunday stroll ride because this IS a sprint, and you can make up more time on the bike than in any other place. Goal is to average 15 mph the first loop and maybe 15.5 the second loop if I have enough gas in the tank from the second round of hills. I need to also focus on fast corners (there are several) and never coming off my bars except when I am unwrapping my gel. I know this ride; I live right by it and ride those hills a lot. I can own this ride. I'm hoping there isn't a terrible south wind but you have to expect it here. Plan to hydrate by sipping every mile on the dot. If it's really, really hot will change that to every half mile. Slurp up a good amount the last mile because a very hot run is coming. The bike mantra is "I am a powerful bike rider and I own these hills."

Hopefully will have enough gas to power up the last hill before transition (everything here ends on a bloody hill!) and coast the last 20 yards to the dismount area. Unclip (I don't intend to try taking off my shoes while riding, especially with that last medium uphill to handle), jump off the bike, and trot to transition and try to convince my legs how much fun it will be to go for a run now at 11 a.m. in the early September heat.

My happy goal for the bike is one hour (a little over 15 mph average) and my pie in the sky goal is 53 minutes.

Into T2 I will trot, placing the bike carefully on the rack (don't want it to fall down and cause a giant domino effect), THEN off with the helmet and shoes and push my feet into my run shoes (I have practiced pulling on my shoes--which have laceloks so no need to tie them--one legged while standing. It does take practice. Trust me). Grab the Garmin and punch "start" and start running toward the run exit, knowing it's an extra quarter mile added to get totally out of transition so my Garmin will show 3.3 something rather than 3.1 at the finish.

I tend to go out post bike too fast on a run so my goal is to slow myself DOWN to around an 11:40 pace the first mile, or if it's brutally hot, a 12 min pace. That won't be easy for my legs as they seem to want to run fast at first and then get unhappy about it later. Negative splits are my goal and those are just hard work to make happen for me. Try to breathe easy and sing to myself, chant "I am a strong and easy runner" as my mantra.

Grab a water at the first mile rest stop but don't stop running, take a sip and pour the rest on my head and keep going. Now I can increase my speed to an 11:20 mile and if it's hot, an 11:40 mile. This part is a wee bit downhill so take advantage and keep the speed constant but easy.

At the second mile stop take water and walk for 15-20 seconds and drink up. Then back running with you, now it's going to start a long, slow, uphill for most of the rest of the race so lean forward and concentrate on fast feet turnover. Looking to increase pace to 11 min mile here or if it's too hot, 11:20 mile. I can run 3 miles in 10:15 but not with a bike-swim before it and not in 97 degree heat either. So I'm looking to average 11:30 mile and if I feel good enough to beat that, I'll beat it the last two miles of the race. Until I know the heat conditions, I can't quite plan my speed.

At the crest of that last stupid hill, turn right and there is the finish line. Hoo rah! My happy run goal is (obviously) 34:40 and my pie in the sky goal is 31 (I've done a sprint tri 3.1 mile run in 30 minutes before, but that was in October and it was blessedly cool).

So there is what is spinning 'round in my head. Now I have to just go implement it!