Thursday, August 4, 2011

Triathlon Pre Race Jitters and Giveaway Winner #2

This morning Luke asked what we were doing this weekend.  I told him I had a race, but it was a race that I had never done before.  After I explained what a triathlon was all about, he asked me "Do you get to rest in between?"  When I said no, he gave me a look and said "Wow."

I'm excited for Saturday.  I've had mixed feelings about doing a triathlon, I never really thought I would do one.  I can't believe it's been 8 months since that New Years Day when I decided to go for it.  I'm definitely nervous, but excited too.  I feel like I'm ready for it.  The one area that I thought I would be the weakest in, the swim, is actually pretty good.  I know what it means to find my rhythm while swimming, the other day I was cruising along so nice and easy, that I rammed right into the end of the lap lane. Sounds about right for me : )

The bike has been a worry, since I've been training on my mountain bike.  I had road tires put on it, but the thing is so heavy that it is a major energy suck for me.  The other day my friend K offered up her husband's road bike for the race.  I was completely surprised.  I took it for a ride today, and holy cow, what a difference.  S is the same height as me, I adjusted the seat a bit, but it feels good.  I had him take the cages off the pedals, I'm not ready to try something new like that for a race.  I'm going to ride it again tomorrow, but I'm 98% sure I'm going to use it for the race.

The run........well, I'm not worried about the run. 

I shouldn't have a time goal for my first sprint triathlon, but I would be happy to complete the race in two hours. I have no idea what to expect, so I'm going to focus on having fun, and enjoying the experience.  But I do have a goal for each leg of the race:

For the swim, I hope to avoid the zebra mussels.  Still debating on whether or not I should put duct tape on my feet.  Probably not, but once I get in the water, I'm going to swim as soon as I can, and for as long as I can.

For the bike, I don't want to do anything that would make me, or someone else, wipe out. 

For the run, I want to remember to take off my helmet.




Wish me luck!!!


Tomorrow is Mike's birthday, so we have a busy day planned, so today I picked the second winner off my fundraising giveaway for The Children's Tumor Foundation. THANK YOU for the new donations I received this week!  You can still donate to enter, until all the prizes are gone.  Using random.org, the winner is Darlene, from My First 5k, Congrats!

Please let me know which two prizes you would like, the sunglasses and compression shirt were picked last week. 

Have a great weekend, happy training, and happy racing!!

34 comments:

LB said...

so excited for you....you are going to LOVE it!!!! what are zebra mussels...wait...i may not want to know LOL

Unknown said...

Good luck this weekend! You're going to be fabulous and I can't wait to read the race report :)

Runners Fuel said...

You'll do great!

giraffy said...

Open water swimming terrifies me. Yikes.

Good luck this weekend!!

Mrs. M said...

You are going to do awesome and I bet you will be itching to do another one, they are contagious! :)

baker said...

Good luck Baker! you'll do great!

Suzy said...

GL this weekend!! I can't wait to read your RR. Congrats to Darlene.

Amy said...

Good luck this weekend! You're going to do great!

J said...

Good luck this weekend in the Tri! You are going to do great!!

Jill said...

Good luck, girl!!! Woohoo!!
btw, I have seen many people running with bike helmets on, I think it's perfectly acceptable! :)

Laurie said...

Good luck! I'm betting you'll go under two hours for a sprint - I did and trust me I'm slow :)

Glad you were able to borrow a road bike, I definitely experienced faster speeds on my road bike compared to the training I did at first on a mountain bike.

Enjoy the race!

Unknown said...

You look 18 in that picture; helmets obviously agree with you. But, do take it over for the run.
Have fun!

Zoë said...

You will be AMAZING, Molly!!!! :)

justme said...

good luck, you will rock it

Big Daddy Diesel said...

You will do great, one thing that I have noticed in this sport is that runners can easily transition into triathlons the quickest and easiest. You have a plan in your head, stick to it and you will join the club.

PS I have made the mistake of running out of transition with my helmet on before

Chris @ Heavy Steps said...

I enjoyed this post. I too have aspirations of doing an tri someday and you have given me more things to think about...

Good luck and I am sure you will rock it!!

Unknown said...

Good race goals, for sure!! You are going to do great and have a great time doing it! Can't wait to see you out there. Are you in the orange wave?

Jamie said...

I have to say your photo caught me totally off guard. The bear in the pink bunny suit has been my daughter's favorite toy since she was born. In fact, we found a blue one and green one for our boys when they were born too. Maybe their "foos" as they call them will bring me comfort too. I am completing my first tri in just 2 short weeks. I think I have anxiety dreams EVERY night. Hopefully, everything will come together...oiy!
Good luck on your race!!

Love and Puppies, Christy said...

You'll be great! And advice to remember to take off your helment...plan on wearing a visor or hat for the run...you can't wear both, so it will help you remember to take it off. Or else, you will be like me and just end up wearing the helmet and carrying the hat because you STILL forgot to take it off. Ha. Whatevs! Can't wait to hear the race report!

J. L. said...

Best of luck on your first tri. Be careful, they are addictive! I forgot to take my bike helmet off on my first tri. My second tri I ended up with 2 pairs of sunglasses on the bike. Always something. But what's the duct tape for?

Fruit Fly said...

I'm pretty much with Luke on this one. These triathlons just sound crazy! Crazy, but fun. I hope you have a fabulous time!

Lisa said...

8 months hanging over your head - I know what that's like. I know you'll ROCK the race. I hope you will have a LOT of fun!!!! Good luck - sending you all my positive kick butt vibes!!!!!!!

Stephanie Anne said...

Good luck!!!!

Caratunk Girl said...

OMG OMG OMG!! I am so excited for you!! You are going to do GREAT!! Oh, I forgot to take my helmet off once, it was kind of embarrassing. I don't recommend it. You are going to do great, best of luck!

Unknown said...

Molly, you are going to totally kick butt this weekend! Remember to have fun! And at transition go "head to toes" or "toes to head". That way you don't forget the shoes or the helmet!

YAY

ajh said...

Good luck. I love Luke's idea where you get to rest. And oh no for the zebra muscles. That sounds awful.

Tara said...

Awww, good luck Molly! You are going to do awesome and you are going to rock that bike portion, I just know it. Just go out and have some fun. k?

I CAN NOT swim worth crap, so I will just be hoping I don't drown...that's a worthy goal.

Anyway, can't wait to hear all about it and I will be back (when I have not been drinking wine) to donate to your foundation....good choice. :)

Julie said...

Good luck to you Molly!!! So freaking excited for you and can't wait to hear how it goes:) You are going to do awesome! Lots of luck from Minnesota!

Jess @ Blonde Ponytail said...

GOOD LUCK twinsie!! "Remember to take off the bike helmet" ha ha!! You'd get some pics for sure!!

Enjoy, take it all in b/c we will all be checking back on your report!!! So don't forget ANYTHING!!! ;)

Michelle said...

Good luck Molly!! You're going to do great!!! Can't wait to read your race report!

Black Knight said...

Good luck, have a wonderful racing week end!
Have fun and don't take prisoners.
Glad about the bike, in my short experience as a biker (my wife is scared, she is again shocked for my motor-bike incident) I learned how different is to ride a road-bike.

Katie @ Legally Fit said...

So exciting- best of luck today!! :)

Anonymous said...

You are going to do great! Don't know how you could forget to take off your helmet, so don't worry.
Good luck!

agujas said...

Establish your own pre-race ceremony to calm jitters and get into racing ... So it is only natural that pre-race jitters may be coaxed away