I've got a fever....

....and the only prescription is more cowbell.

Or an Olympic Race.

I am getting sooooooo antsy to race this weekend. This has been the longest I have gone in years without a race of some sort--whether it's a local 5K or a marathon--and I feel like I've been walking the walk for 6 months now and, for cryin' out loud, it's time to talk the talk.

Now, this Sunday is not an A race. I have one A race this year. But, I am using this race to do a long brick at a higher intensity, and just to test out my HR, nutrition, and pacing. I checked the website to see if they had a participant list up--they did! Not a whole lot of us doing the International Distance. Oh well---so it will be a little quiet out there. Big deal. More time to focus on improving my positive thinking and mental skills. Whenever the butterflies come, I remember that I am more prepared for this Int'l Tri than I ever was before. I will be fine. The body is ready, and I just have to get the mind ready.

One thing I DID notice on the participant list: a sorority sister of mine from the past is racing the Sprint! I about had a heart attack! It said her full name: "Melissa M., Wheeling, WV, age 29" Now, it might not be her, but how many other Missy M's that are 29 from Wheeling WV could there possibly BE?! So I'm gonna have to run around looking for Missy, yelling her name until I find her! I haven't seen her in 7 years!!!

Been trying some visualization techniques a little each day--hopefully it will help. I know where the race is and it's very flat, but from what I hear the bugs and the potential for wind could be a problem. So I'm trying to visualize those problems and myself dealing with them.

And I have a sweet new wetsuit, too. :)

So my tentative goals for this race are the following:

Swim: Under 32 minutes
Bike: Average over 18.3 mph (that was the last split of the last Olympic I did)
Run: Hold under a 9:15 pace, BUT--if it's really hot and I'm just not feelin' it--I'm not going to worry about this part. Again, there's no way in HADES that I'm running a 9:15 IM marathon, so I'm more concerned about a strong swim and bike on Sunday.
Transition: I believe I should have no trouble shaving off at least 30 seconds from each transition. My transition times in the past have been very slow. There's no excuse for that--it's free time and I need to be taking advantage of it.

So, the bottom line is: NOTHING TOO OUT OF REACH. This is not an A race. (repeat to self 5 times) :) I should push but not kill myself, and just get out there and have fun. It's a deposit in the IM bank.

The last Olympic I did had a very disappointing swim....everyone came out of the water frustrated that it was a bit long and very hard to sight--so I will be just happy to improve in that area for this race.

And....this is very exciting....drum roll please......

As of yesterday I am no longer a clueless, self-coached triathlete!

Now I'm a clueless, coached triathlete!:)

I am very excited to work with a coach that some of my buddies, like TriEric, are working with. I think this will help me greatly over the next 86 days--both physically, and mentally.

So now I'm off for a nice easy 60 minute ride. Tonight it's dinner with friends to look at her wedding and honeymoon pics. Tomorrow it's a 60 minute little brick and some stretching. Saturday it's rest.

Sunday it's game time. Bring it on!!!