Tri is in one week!

Hi everyone, sorry I haven't blogged for so long. Today is kind of the first day I get to reflect on everything that has been training for this tri. I have less than one week until the big day, and I figured today would be a great time to look back on eveything.

First off, I'm realizing right now that this is not a sport for everyone. It sure seems like everyone is doing triathlons nowadays, but I can tell you this isn't the case. I do agree that it's becoming a popular sport, but I have numerous people tell me that they would never attempt this feat. So it's pretty clear what I am undertaking is pretty special.

Second off...the training was not easy. It took a ton of willpower. Very rarely did I wake up and was I excited to tri train. It became a grind. It was tough. And I would say half my workouts weren't very fun. Don't get me wrong. I'm glad I was working out and striving for perfection. And I am glad I feel better than I ever have in my life. But anyone who thinks a training for a triathlon will be fun is kidding themselves.

Third, there's been a lot of emotion with this. I'm not going to lie and say I've done great in my training. I haven't. I'm not going to lie and say I've been perfect. I haven't. There's been numerous slip-ups, numerous times I thought about giving up, and numerous times I cut a workout short for a variety of reasons.

Today, reflecting on the training I have done, I actually did a lot of things right. I learned a lot of things about myself and a lot of things about my body. I promised myself I would look back and determine 3 things I did right and 3 things I did wrong. Here they are. First the right things...

1. Run for time instead of distance
Why was this good? It forced me to get out there and not worry about tackling specific distances. I got to run slower, which didn't force me to run faster than I should and worry about getting injured. It also allowed me to run farther than I ever had before consistently.

2. Cycle up to Maroon Bells
Why was this good? Up until this point, I knew my cycling was weak. I knew I wasn't going to do well on the bike. And I was frustrated by it. Very very frustrated. Riding up to the Bells was incredibly difficult. Probably one of the hardest things I have done in my life. And I did it. I struggled, but I did it. After this, I knew I could do anything on the bike. New motivation, let me tell ya.

3. Mixed in non tri workouts
Why was this good? It allowed me to relax. Took some of the stress of training for the tri out of it. Hiking or rafting was almost not only enjoyable, but I was pretty good at doing both of those things since I was in such good shape from the swimming, cycling, and running.

Now, the three things I wish I would have done differently/better.

1. Manned up a little more
What do I mean? There were too many times that I just said "oh, I'm too tired". Can't be doing that. Not during tri training. I wussed out a lot due to me just beling lazy.

2. Read too much literature on triathlons
What do I mean? Every time I saw a book on triathlons at the library, I wanted it. And read it. And eventually, the info all blended together. I was getting the same information from so many sources I eventually stopped absorbing anything. I should have stuck with Triathlons for Dummies.

3. Didn't really focus on my diet
What do I mean? I basically ate how I usually eat. I should have focused so much more on diet.

Regardless, I have 1 week left. Time to do the final few days and give er hell on Saturday