I had my first outdoor triathlon this weekend of the season. I was pumped at first then on Saturday I got some potentially horrible news (more to come on this later on) that shifted my mindset, my attitude and my ambition. The triathlon was just shy of an Olympic distant tri. It was a .6 mile swim, 20 mile bike and a 4 mile run. I was originally bummed that this race wasn’t Olympic distance but after the fact, was super glad it wasn’t.

My plan for this race to get a good understanding of how my training is going. What I needed to focus on and where my body broke down. Oh where there SO many lessons learned during this race.

 

Lessons:

  1. Just because you are physically fit doesn’t mean you are an athlete. I had what society would consider “over weight” people kick my ass during this race. Which leads me to my next lesson.
  2. Dedication, determination and ambition account for more than being physically fit. There is a lot of grey here I know.
  3. It’s ok to get passed by others. You will also end up passing people so don’t get discouraged.
  4. A good nights sleep is super key. If you have to, take a sleeping aid to make sure you get a good nights sleep. Just make sure to take it early enough the night before to wear off before you wake up.
  5. Stretching is important. Make sure you do that before you start even if it is a few hours before go time. Loosen those muscles!
  6. I’m not as ready as I thought I was. In the biking maybe but from a swimming and brick training perspective- OH FUCK NO!
  7. Going into a race after bad news (more on this later) is NOT the way your mind should be before you race.
  8. The transition from the bike to the run is always going to be the worst so practice this as much as you can (like every time you bike) so your body knows how to handle it.
  9. Never allow yourself to give up (trust me this went through my head multiple time during the race). I questioned why in the holy fuck am I doing this and can I get a refund. (Bad mental space after some news delivered the day before).
  10. If your goal isn’t win but finish and not in last place, be happy for the fact you finished and not last. If you finished last, then be grateful you finished at all and who gives a fuck if it is last. An accomplishment is an accomplishment.
  11. I think I need to buy a tri bike which means more money I don’t have. The search is on.

There are so many more lessons I thought of during the race but being a little bit far removed writing this post, I can’t remember them. Here is to a race completed and to the races to come! If I gained nothing more than listening to my body then this was a very successful race!!