I don't know where this fits in here but something that came to my mind was how I was going to put my bike back together when I get to the hotel. I am not really worried about this since I have 3 days to do it and my trusty sidekick/coach/friend Mary will be right next door to help me. She's probably tore down and put back together more times than I have ever...week I don't even have anything to compare it to..let's just say that I think she's done it a lot. But I was thinking...my derailliuer is off, so are my handlebars, seat post and pedals. The pedals and seat post won't be an issue but the derailliuer and handlebars...well they are a whole different ball game. As you can tell by my spelling I truly a cycling newbie, I don't know how to spell derailliuer, in fact I thin vie spelled it differently each time in this post, I have no idea if the U belongs there or not. And if I somehow said the name right you would still be able to tell that I am a raw newbie based on the fact that I am usually found wearing a full out Mellow Johnnys mathching kit..prolly a huge no no in the cycling world, with lance oakleys, lance helmet, the same bike as lance..yada yada..I mean you might as well to try to be like the best! And that's what Lance is..he's the man on the bike, I want to be like him. Obviously I want to become all that Matt Curbeau can become but I need to start somewhere. Another person who I consider a role model/hero/person I am obsessed with...Chris Lieto. He started this triathlon game in his elder 20's and has achieved a 2nd place finish at the world championships among other various wins around the world. He makes his living in a sport that I have grown to absolutely love in the past year. It is my ultimate dream to make a living in this sport. I truly believe in doing something you love and the ability to do that bring happiness. That's what I want and that's what I will get. I know it! So if chris leito can mark it happen, why can't I? And win lose or draw you know there's going to be s ton of fun along the way. Oh yeah...chris lieto is going to be racing this weekend in Galveston. He and the rest of the pros will literally be starting 10 minutes before me! This means that unless he flats out within the first 10 miles of the bike and has to spend more than 10 minutes changing his tire that I will never actually see him after the race begins. But I am hoping he will be there on Saturday and be giving a talk or something, or just otherwise hanging out around the race site since there are two races, and Olympic and Sprint that are taking place that day. But either way it's going to be absolutely awesome to be amongst he top triathletes in the world..something will have to rub off.
I've also been thinking about the whole triathlon community thing. My coach Mary talks about the many people she has met during her time around this sport. She is on many athletes blog rolls, usually listed as miss sunshine, a testament to her positive and upbeat attitude that is always accompanied by a smile. There I'd certainly a lot I have to learn from this woman. I look forward to looking back on this race in november and seeing where I am at. If all goes well and my body holds up I will be racing my final 2010 race in november down in Florida. That is a long way away but it is something that is in my distant future. It is a blurry image that I do not yet want to focus on. Chris lieto said something very enlightening during an interview he gave recently. It was something along the lines of focusing on the present. When your swimming focus on swimming and do it to the max, when your on the bike give it your all, and when your finishing on the run make sure to devote your full attention to every stride you take. Turn a 26.2 marathon into a series of 5ks or 26 individual miles. Try to really nail each and every mile. I think personally (and this is strictly hypothetical since the longest race I have done to date was a half marathon) that if we are to focus on the finish line to soon we become wrapped up in results and times. I know that as athletes we all have goals and as triathletes we all have goal times. These are good to have because they can help provided motivation and drive. But at the sometime if we get caught up on hitting certain times in order to finish at xxx time we may just psych ourselves out if we miss or come up short. Maybe it's true and maybe it's not but I think that if you focus on each stride and making that the best one you can do that the times and finish's will come. I rally do not know what to expect for this race. The last time I raced a 1/2 ironman it was last july, just two months after my "racing career" had begun with the mendon ponchos duathlon here I believe I was chicked by many a woman. Well the race was a blast but it was seriously painful. It was the first time I had raced any of those distances. I had done about three bikerides over 50 miles, and had done one 5k and an Olympic triathlon. Needless to say I blew up on the run and finished around a 9 min mile pace. I will never forget the feeling of the last two miles when I just couldn't make my engine go any faster. I was on a flat section that ran along the lake and I could see the finish that was 2 miles ahead. It was brutal to be so close and to not have anything in the tank. I think of this experience and wonder what I'll feel like this time. Will I have the legs to hold sub 7 min miles on the run? Will I be able to swim in a respectable time that gets me out of the water in a position to post a sub 5 finish. I don't calculate my finish inescapable based on "tests" like many people do because I think that it's a whole different ball game on race day. Tests are good to see if your fitness is in check, but there are so any factors..wind, hydration, how your feeling, temperature, etc. All these things are from an outsider looking in right now but soon I I'll have more insight. I hope that I can finish strong in this race. My main goal is to be able to run at a good clip after getting off the bike. I am going to drill that into my head. Bike for show and run for dough. That's what is all about.
I'm out.
No comments:
Post a Comment