Nervous Energy

24 hours from now, I should be celebrating in the post-race tent after finishing my first triathlon. I'm in disbelief that this time has actually come. When I started training back in February, completely out of shape and still very much injured, the only thing that comforted me was knowing I had alot of time on my hands to get there.

Training in the beginning was emotionally tough on me. Even though I biked as a child and have always known how to swim, I haven't done it on this kind of level before. I was (still am) a novice at those two sports. I felt confident in my running ability yet wasn't able to really run because of my injury. But in the past five months, I found I had a talent for swimming, learned that I have alot more work to do with cycling, and have come away injury free and able to handle a 10K run again.

I've also lost 15 pounds in the last 2 months - I was going for 20 and i'll reach that goal - maybe in time for my 2nd or 3rd Tri this summer.

I watched the Sprint race this morning to learn more about what to expect tomorrow. I also knew and trained with a few people who decided to enter this race instead of the Olympic one i'm doing tomorrow. I watched the first few triathletes come out of the water. Observed how they set up their spot in the transition area. Saw how they mounted and dismounted their bikes to start and end the bike portion and ran back into the transition area for the run. I followed the leaders in the beginning. Overall, the athletes seemed to be fairly spread out thanks to the different wave starts and ability levels. I can only hope it is the same tomorrow, although, there will be at least 3 times as many triathletes participating in the olympic distance race.

Talking with coaches and others who have participated in tris before has helped calm my nerves. There is one person in particular who has given me tremendous support through encouraging words and workouts. Again, just as with the marathon, this is something I couldn't have done alone.

So i'm nervous - but i'm excited. I'm not going to wear a watch. I don't want to get caught up in my time. I just want to enjoy the experience and run (and swim and bike) my race. Keep your fingers crossed for me!