Race Week

15 weeks ago I started my focused training plan for XTERRA, with my first race being XTERRA Ft. Yargo in Winder, GA. At the time (January) it seemed like the end of April was a long way off and that I had all the time in the world to get ready. The counter on my blog now shows only 4 days and some combination of hours and minutes until the race at Ft. Yargo. Where did the time go? This week I will taper my training and try to get comfortable in my wetsuit, dial in my bike, and practice my transition plan. It feels like I should have done all of these things before now, but with the level of training peaking over the last couple weeks there hasn’t been time for any additional fine tuning. I’m sure having practiced some skills (getting out of a wetsuit, putting on shoes, socks, and a race belt in a hurry) would make me faster, but I’m not sure I would have sacrificed the time away from family, friends, coaching, and work that it would have required. While I look to do well in the race this weekend I think it is equally important to remember that I’m doing this for fun. Winning is fun, particularly for someone as competitive as I am, but I have worked too hard over the past 15 weeks not to enjoy the race experience this weekend. Something tells me that if I go out there to have a good time and enjoy myself in the race I’ll race stronger and faster than if I spend the whole time worrying about my final place in the standings.

Training Update:
Wed. – 1 hr on the bike, 3 mile trail run
Thur. – 1.5 hr on the bike
Fri. – rest
Sat. – 800m swim for time (12:18), coached the Vanderbilt women’s Ultimate Team, played with my old high school Ultimate team Brutal Grassburn in Monkey Bowl - the local Ultimate tournament
Sun. – 5 mile trail run
Monday – 7 mile MTB (hopefully no chain issues)