thoughts.. one week out.
.... less than a week away from my race.
.... every open water swim available has thus far been cancelled due to rain.
.... i get my wetsuit tomorrow and it'd better @%$#-ing fit!
.... a friend of mine, Super Runner Girl, broke her foot during a race this weekend and is out for a long ass time. no Lawrence race.. no IM Germany race... i can't even imagine.
shit like that messes with your head.
.... i ran the hilliest, hardest 10k, probably known to mankind, saturday. my legs kill.
.... i'm having serious stress issues over what the hell to eat the night before the race.
.... scratch that. i'm going to be contemplating, analyzing and disecting everything i put in my mouth everyday this week. probably thinking about it before, during and after i chew. not cool.
.... i'm seriously nervous about the whole bottle grabbing situation going on during the bike. apparently they'll have gatorade that they'll give you as you ride by...
but. i don't see how that can possibly go well for me.
between unscrewing the lid one-handidly, avoiding other cyclists on the course, not veering off the side of the road or taking out a volunteer as i unintentionally straight arm someone during my grab?!
i just don't see how this could be good.
.... while i know leaving your bike in transition overnight is a pretty common thing... it worries me. greatly.
.... i've not yet decided what i'm going to wear on race day. i'm guessing that, too, is bad.
.... strangely, as i near race day, the thing that has me the most nervous.. is the run. its what i'm supposedly "the best" at. HA! but i've never run 13 miles after swimming and biking 56, so... yeah. i'm starting to worry less about the start, and more and more about the finish.
.... its weird cuz i almost don't even feel like i believe this is all real. i don't think i've wrapped my head around what i've gotten myself into.
.... i'm going to party like a f*cking rockstar when this whole thing is done!
Comments
Aid stations on the bike- They will hand you water bottles or the gatorade bottles with the twist top. No need to open with one hand.
Relax--don't worry about your bike. Wear something you have trained in before. Don't do anything new on race day. You have done all the training, so go enjoy the day. See you out there.
Posted by: James | June 8, 2008 8:09 PM
Could you stop for a few minutes at the bottle exchanges? I mean, what's 3 minutes out of 3 hours? I personally drop my water bottles all the time, so I don't trust myself :-)
Posted by: Danielle in Iowa | June 8, 2008 8:10 PM
All this tends to happen and work itself out whether you stress over it or not.
So why stress? You'll be fine and then you'll party like it's 1999.
I guess that doesn't have the same meaning as it did in 1984 when Prince first sang it.
Posted by: Greyhound | June 9, 2008 6:27 AM
Oh I am SO very excited for you!!!
Posted by: June | June 9, 2008 7:28 AM
I'm right there with ya!!
I was planning on wearing my new KCM tri top but I have had no contact with anyone there since I paid my dues. So I guess that's out. Time for Plan B.....
No open water swims here either... I'm hoping for Thursday. Guess I'll be dragging the wet suit with me just in case. I'm wondering if it wont be too warm to wear it though! Guess we will see!
Good luck out there! It's time to have fun... and dig deep to get through it!!
Posted by: trigirl | June 9, 2008 7:47 AM
Swim should be open tomorrow - weather is calling for no rain. Thank goodness.
Yes, wear something you have trained in before!
I swam yesterday at Longview and the water was chilly but not cold. Hopefully they will still let us wear the wetsuits because I will need it!!!
I hope that person who broke her foot is not G.D. Please tell me she is fine...
Posted by: Andrea | June 9, 2008 8:13 AM
Time to trust your training!
As for the bottle thing - you can grab, gulp and toss or you can stop. Either way it isn't as tough as you think. Another thing you can do is use a Gatorade bottle you already have (do you have one?) and toss it just before you get to the aid station so you can replace it with a full bottle of whatever you need.
Don't worry - you'll figure it out.
Posted by: 21stCenturyMom | June 9, 2008 8:46 AM
Thanks for the info! I did read that about the tri tops so I was bummed. I'll look for the tent at the expo and introduce myself and pick up the jersey! Not a big deal... I'll just have to wear it at the next one I do!!
That's gross about SMP!!! Let me know if you head out to Longview. I'm thinking about asking some friends if I can swim in Weatherby Lake. I'm just a little worried about the boats coming by!!! Plan B might be a swim on Saturday after packet pick up!!
Posted by: trigirl | June 9, 2008 8:51 AM
ACK! BTT just ate my comment.
Anyhow - you'll be fine. You've trained, you are ready and you'll work out the details on the fly - so to speak.
Posted by: 21stCenturyMom | June 9, 2008 8:56 AM
Have fun with it! I know it's hard to do now but when you start don't forget to take a deep breath and enjoy the day. When it's done the stuff your sweating now will be long forgotten. Good Luck!
Posted by: Spandex King | June 9, 2008 9:11 AM
you're making MY stomach hurt!
can't you just stop the bike to get a new bottle? I mean really, that has to be an option!
that's terrible for super runner girl.
i look forward to walking thru this week with you!
Posted by: jeanne | June 9, 2008 5:24 PM
ok, you need to email me and tell me about super runner girl and which one that is. two of us out in one week!? geez! luvrunnin@triathlete.com
Posted by: sarah | June 9, 2008 8:46 PM