OWS and Race Goals

I had the most awesomest, fan-freakin-tastical Open Water Swim today!  And not a moment too soon, since my tri is just a week away and I was seriously wondering if I was gonna be able to pull it off.

As soon as I got in the water today, I felt great.  I simply didn’t let myself panic and I kept on swimming.  I stayed in the shallow water for the first ten minutes, but I knew that if I wanted to count today as a truly successful swim I had to make it out into the black water.  So I girded my loins and out I went into The Deep.  As the bottom got further and further below me, I kept waiting for that panicky feeling, but it never came.  By the time I made it to the buoy line it was so dark I couldn’t see my hands in the water, and yet I still felt fine.  There was no mantra, no calming self-talk necessary, I just…swam.  Who knew I had that in me???

Adding to my enjoyment of the day was the success of the new gear items that I was trying out.  After last week’s debacle, I knew I needed another outfit, so I shifted into shop-til-you-drop mode and discovered that I hate the makers of triathlon apparel.  Seriously, for a sport where you are swimming in freezing-ass cold water, is it really too much to ask for some modesty padding?  After trying on every single tri top and trisuit within a 100 mile radius, I finally settled on a top that covered the three Cs (so not talking about my chest size here, since that would be like an A minus) – Cost, Comfort and Cuteness, then sewed in my own bumper pads, swiped from an old swimsuit.  Add a pair of tri shorts (which were super easy to find and fit, thank goodness) and a pair of dark-tinted goggles and my outfit was complete.  I’m happy to report that all of these items performed admirably.

*whew*  So, with that huge burden off my shoulders, I am now free to obsess about tomorrow’s race.  Yep, I’m racing tomorrow also, sort of a throwaway 10K that I have completely ignored training for in favor of preparing for the tri.  But being the totally competitive girl that I am, there’s really no such thing as a “fun run” in my world and of course I’m aiming for a PR.

 My “that didn’t suck” goal is a PR – even one second faster would be satisfying.  My “yay me!” goal is anything under 50 minutes (PR is 50:07).  My “hell to the yeah” goal is a sub-8 pace (PR is a pace of 8:05) and my “drinks on me!” goal is a pace in the 7:40 – 7:50 range, definitely a stretch but not outside the realm of possibility.  Let the number crunching begin!

On the plus side:

• I am in good shape from all the cross-training, even though my recent run mileage is really low
• My PR is from this race last year and even my regular “easy run” pace is faster than it was last year
• The course is as flat as they come
• I am at a racing weight right now
• I haven’t raced since March and am dying to run fast

On the not-so-plus side:

• I’ve really only done speedwork once since my last race in March
• My recent run mileage is really low, like 15 miles a week low – ouch!
• It’s gonna be a hot one tomorrow and I don’t run well in the heat
• Did I mention that I haven’t trained for this at all?!?

So it could pretty much go either way tomorrow.  I’ve got that crazy calm/nervous/Zen/excited pre-race feeling that I love so much.  I’m pre-hydrating today, I’ve got my outfit picked out and I feel ready to rumble…bring it on!