This past weekend was my last "hard" training weekend before Louisville and it gave me some time to think. Multiple hours biking and running does that to you, y'know. Some of my thoughts centered around what's next after IMLOU...in particular, I rode with husband on Saturday and we talked about tentative race plans for next year. Other thoughts centered on how far I've come this year. It's hard to look forward without looking back. And I imagine it's hard to go on my first IM adventure without feeling some nostalgia, some sense of change, and a lot of paranoid fear. :)
And before I forget, I did a sprint relay with the cutest little triathlete (my daughter) yesterday. It was our first sprint and her first longer (more than a kids' tri) distance. She swam, I rode, and she ran (with me tailing behind as a chaperone). Here we are before the race:
We didn't get an "after" picture because we were too busy eating pizza and cookies. :) It was a lot of fun and I'm glad we did it, even though it wasn't really on my training schedule and I almost crashed my bike on the first turn because I was booking it...and that would have been a disaster. She and I had a great time and it felt like we were a team.
So, looking forward - it's hard to look at next year without finishing up this year, because I may have a few things left to prove to myself. Depending on how IMLOU goes, my IM thoughts for next year may be different...what will I want to do different? Hubby and I are talking about either IM Maryland, if it exists, or B2B full...both of which assume that we can get grandparents to town to take care of the smalls while we race since both are fall races (i.e., after school starts and soccer season is in full swing). And I'm pretty sure I want to do a standalone mary or two next year, but which ones and when depend on how OBX goes in November. If I beat my 5-hour goal, I may want to go back and kick Charlottesville's ass...the race that killed me, my knees, and my spirit in 2009. But that won't be a PR race - too hilly...of course, they've changed the course this year, so it probably isn't as hilly as when I did it, but it will still be hilly. If I don't go sub-5, I may want to find another PR course, Shamrock again or something, to finally hit that metric. So I can't really decide until then. And I really enjoy the HIM distance, so I'd like to do one of those, but the timing of the fall IM and our summer adventure (cruise to NORWAY, yippee!) make that difficult. There are a couple early season HIMs to consider, though. And someday, not next year, but someday, I'd like to do the JFK 50...but I need a sub-5 to qualify. And it wouldn't be during an IM year, obvs. But I need that sub-5 to even think about doing it in the next couple years. Oh, and my husband thinks I need to do an Oly (1500 swim, ~25 bike, 6.2 run) because I've only ever sucked at the 2 I did. One DNF, one way big struggle finishing after the official cutoff, etc. I don't really feel the need to prove myself via the Oly distance, but I guess it does make me a rather incomplete triathlete. :)
And now looking backwards...
- I've kind of outgrown Beginner Triathlete. It makes me kind of sad, because I have been a member since 2007 and it was incredibly helpful for a number of years. Plus I made some friends and so on. But the cool thing is that I've found some real life friends that are also really helpful. I love going to races when I know a bunch of people there. I love going to Masters and feeling love. And I've found that other types of social media appeal more to my need for positive thoughts (Facebook) and sharing my story (this blog). I've slowly been letting go of BT, but I think this is the end of our relationship. I'm not going to delete my account just yet, because maybe I'll get my head on straight after IMLOU and realize I really want to be there...but right now, I just can't be everywhere and it isn't as useful as it has been.
- I have an amazing capacity for mindless activity. I guess I always knew this - I can play solitaire on my computer for hours. But who knew I could ride back and forth, up and down the same road, for 3 hours? Or sit on my trainer for 6 - OK, I was watching movies, but that was mindless too. I guess that distance sports are really for me, since they generally involve hours of mindless activity, like running, or biking, or (heaven forbid) swimming.
- I learned how to swim. I'm still not fast, but I am not afraid. I can even find it a little relaxing (perish the thought)...more so in the pool, obvs, but even in open water, if I can get in my zone, I can chill out and just keep swimming, just keep swimming, just keep swimming.
- I love watching people doing their first, or second, or third races. I love to cheer for them. I am proud of them for taking that first hard step, because I remember my first hard step. And then again when I dropped out for a while and had to take that first hard step all over again. Doing this IM makes me feel like a newbie all over again and it makes me really appreciate the true, and very brave, newbies out there.
- I haven't done everything right training for this IM. There are workouts I've skipped or shortened. There are times when I should have eaten salad but I ate junk. And lots of beer and wine. I could be a better athlete if I was more disciplined with my food and training...but I may not be a better person. Maybe next time around I'll try to do it a little more cleanly. Or maybe not. :)
I have lots more thoughts swirling in my head, but I should probably do something like my day job. Which I've neglected for far too long. That would also be something to consider for the future...don't schedule an IM the day before the semester starts. But what fun is life without a little challenge here and there.
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