Pre-Race Day Jitters!

If you've ever done a "first" race before you understand the jitters it can bring. 

The first time doing anything can be a little nerve wrecking right!?  I remember my first race and how I was nervous just about the unknown.  Oh how glad I am to now have dozens of races under my belt.  However, that doesn't always stop my nerves!  Today it's a good nervous.  It's just enough to get me all pumped up but not enough to keep me in the bathroom all day (haha!). 

You see, tomorrow I will be embarking on yet another adventure on my Ironman journey!  It's really just the second step, but I'm moving in the right direction.  Tomorrow I will be doing an Olympic Triathlon.  Just having the word Olympic in there sounds impressive doesn't it?  No, I am not trying to qualify to be in the Olympics.  I may have the heart, but I'm really not that good!

So an Olympic Tri is double the distance of a Sprint Tri.  Sprint's are all I've done up till now.  I'm pretty excited about putting another notch on my racing belt. 

Olympic Distance:
1 Mile Swim
24 Mile Bike (this varies depending on the course)
6.2 mile run (10K)

So this week I've really taken it easy on working out.  Which, as you might suspect is very hard for me.  I like to push myself, I like to sweat and I like to do it everyday!  :)  It's been kind of nice to be honest.  Not having that pressure of working out.  None the less, it's been weird!  I just want to make sure I have a fresh body and a fresh mind tomorrow.

Speaking of your mind... so much of training and racing is mental (well working out in general).  I can guarantee you (and I mean this wholeheartedly) that EVERY SINGLE PERSON I know could do a Sprint Tri.  If you can will your mind to do it, you can do it.  Now I'm not saying there isn't something to training.  There is.  It would be foolish of me to not train and show up on race day saying "But my mind said I could do it".  Now we don't want injuries or anything... But I have seen first hand the power of the mind.

I've said it before, and I don't want to beat a dead horse (where did that saying come from anyways!?!) but if you have already convinced yourself you can't do something, you can't.  You might as well give up before you even try. 

Now I'm not saying there aren't going to be discouraging days.  There absolutely will be.  I have had many training days that just don't feel right, or I'm not up to par.  But those days keep me going and shooting for the really good days.  The good days may seem few and far between when you first start out.  Then as you get your mind focused, and your nutrition in line your good days start becoming more and more frequent.  Then when you do have those bad days, it just makes you mad and you want to try harder instead of give up!

I feel like sometimes I'm a broken record.  Saying the same thing to the same people.  But I hope not.  I hope someone new is reading this for the first time and for the first time in a long time you are finally convinced that you CAN do it (start exercising, run your first race, run your first marathon or triathlon).  I may not know you personally, but I do already know you can do it. 

So I'm headed out on a light run to calm my nerves!  I can do this... I can do this... I can do this!  :)

I pretty much just want to encourage you to continue to pursue your dreams.  Don't let your mind tell you that you can't do something.  You absolutely can!