This past Saturday I had a very intense training day. OK, it was actually my first triathlon of the 2013 season, the Silicon Valley Long Course. A couple of weeks ago, three-time Olympian (two-time medalist) & 2013 New Zealand Ironman champion, Bevan Docherty, said something during a talk he gave that resonated with me: B [aka warm up] races are just intense training days. (This race is definitely a B race for me.) I’ve heard this before but for some reason it really sunk in this time. So for the past couple of weeks I truly thought of this race as “just an intense training day.” Because of this I wasn’t nearly as nervous as I usually am during the week leading up to race day. I definitely continued preparing in terms of tapering and packing my gear. Mentally, spiritually and emotionally I think I spent more attention on the events that took place last week.
The race was hard especially given the intense heat. And while I felt pain and exhaustion, at the same time I felt strong and awesome. There were times when I dedicated the next mile to somebody. Heck there were even moments when every single step had a name and purpose associated with it. And there were times when I felt really tired and simply had to focus on form and technique: reach out, push, pull, straighten back, firm up the core, keep shoulders back, bend elbows, light feet, powerful legs, arms at my side, check my breathing, grab water, switch to Cytomax…
My results:
- Swim (1.2 miles): 0:42:30
- Bike (56 miles): 3:33:25
- Run (13.1 miles): 2:06:39
- Total (70.3 miles): 6:30:55
Morgan Hill, the race location, is gorgeous. Except for the heat, the day was perfect. The sky was blue. It was so nice swimming and looking up as I took each breath to see a powerfully bright, huge sun shining in such a clear sky. I was surrounded by lots of green. The bike route was nice as well but a bit quiet as this race didn’t have a lot of participants. Rolling hills, trees and a huge reservoir created a wonderful setting. I’m finding that whenever I take in my natural surroundings I thank Noah. I thank him for all of this. I thank him for helping me with my training and racing. I thank him for opening my eyes to such beauty. I thank him for helping me appreciate mother nature more and more and being present with the peace she brings. I thank him for giving me strength to do this.
We had a good intense training day. For this I am thankful.
I Tri 4 You 