Plan

I sent race pictures and a link to my blog to my team’s listserv. Mellowblonde commented on my “I need a hug post” with a great suggestion about using diaper cream for chafing. Thanks, woman! I checked out her great blog and discovered links to blogs of other team members. Awesome! I love reading what everyone else is up to.

[BTW, folks, if you don’t already use Google Reader, I highly recommend it. You can subscribe to all your favorite blogs, and when you log in it lists all of the new posts. It is the bomb! Email me if you want more info.]

So, one of the wonderful blogs gave me the idea to write out my plan for Columbia. I kind of have some vague ideas about what I’d like to accomplish (like kicking butt and not dying) but I decided to take this opportunity to write out how I hope the day will go. It should help me visualize the race. I’ve been having a little trouble with that lately. Even though I got through it last year, when I think of Columbia, frankly, I think of pain.

My nervousness makes me think of zig-zagging through the swim, struggling on the extremely hilly bike course, and pushing hard to get through the insanely hilly run.

Honestly, I don’t think it was quite that bad last year (except the swim part – that was ridiculous). I don’t know why I am stressing so much.

I remember smiling and cheering for myself as I finished the bike course (really, there are pictures!). And I remember as sick as I was and as exhausted as I was, having some fun interactions with the volunteers and other triathletes on the run course. I finished strong.

Here we go. This year’s plan:

Goals:
1. Have a nice easy swim. Sight to swim straight.
2. Quick transitions in which I act like I am actually in a RACE. (Last year’s T1 was 9:14. Yes, really.)
3. Pace myself and take it easy enough on the bike course to save energy for the run (I am a tad nervous about this one).
4. Run strong and steady.
5. Try to stay in or below Zone 4 or below the entire race.

Plan:

* Get to race site early enough to leisurely set up my transition area and lay out all of my gear. As a newbie I really stressed about this. Now that I am an experienced veteran (I have done a grand total 2 Olympic tris, one sprint tri that turned into a spritn duathlon, one true duathlon (Olympic), and one relay), I love transitions.

Pre-race
* Do an easy 5-10 minute jog to get the blood flowing and work off some pre-race jitters.
* Put on wetsuit (way easier said than done) and apply lubricant (spray olive oil is what I have in the house and I know it works) to make removal easier.
* Get in the freezing cold water for an easy swim warmup.
* Stand around and wait for around an hour for my swim wave to start. Sip water and munch on a clif bar or other race nutrition while I wait.

Swim:
* Start towards the back to avoid being trampled on by the rest of my wave.
* Make the first 100 strokes the EASIEST of my life (I can hear Coach Ed’s voice in my head).
* Stay to the right to avoid being beaten down by the fast swimmers in subsequent waves.
* Sight often, and don’t add extra distance by swimming way off course.

T1:
* Transition smoothly and quickly.
* Get the wetsuit off while sitting on the ground.
* Put on socks, then cycling shoes. Stand up, put on sunglasses, then helmet. Grab piggy and run to the mounting line.

Bike:
* Have fun on the bike course.
* Good pedal stroke and no mashing.
* Keep the cadence high and the heart rate in zone.
* Eat and drink enough (still experimenting with what this means).

T2:
* Get in, get out, and get going.
* Remove helmet. Change shoes. Grab race number belt to put on while running. Grab some sport beans or Gu to take during the run.

Run:
* Nice and easy start to the run.
* Negative splits.
* Finish strong and smiling.

There you have it. It will be a good day. I know I can do this. I did it last year with a heck of lot less experience and knowledge under my belt, and with a really bad chest cold. Plus this year I have the beloved Miss Piggy with me. We’re gonna rock!