Just back from the dress rehearsal for the Iron Girl, and what a difference from last year! Last year, if you remember, I sort of panicked in the water and kept veering off course and had to flip onto my back to calm down and breathe. It took me 40 minutes to get through the swim last year. Then I did the run and fell after about a quarter of a mile, a fall that I'm still feeling now.
This year--way more relaxed. I took it easy in the water and had no worries. It was a bit too easy, to be honest--negotiating around so many people means stopping and figuring out the best route through, so you don't get a regular rhythm going so you get lots of mini rests througout the swim. But I finished up in 27:31, which is a minute or so slower than I've been doing it in the pool, but a minute faster than my race time last year. So I'm pleased with that. Then the run just felt easy and comfortable. My HRM wasn't reading my heart rate correctly (I think too many HRMs in the area mess up your reading) so I don't know how hard I was really working, but I ran all but part of the worst hill, and I probably could have run that if I wanted to push it. They are still repaving parts of the path so it was a slightly shorter route than it should have been, but I finished up in 32:07, which would be a 9:20 pace if it was the full route, but is probably more like 9:30 or 9:35 with the back corner cut off. Again, I didn't really push myself--during the race last year I concentrated on catching people as I ran and sprinting the last half mile, so I think I can do better (or at least do as well when you throw a 17 mile bike ride in there; cycling this year is my worst event--I just haven't been out on my bike much at all this year).
It's funny how I loathe the training, but actual events are really fun. Maybe it's just the flags and the tents and the camaraderie, or maybe it's just seeing that I don't suck as badly as I think I do, but you do something like I did today and you start thinking "oh, that was fun, let's do it again!" And that's what leads you to signing up to do it again before you remember how much you hate the training. Someone might have to restrain me come November when registration for next year opens!
1 comment:
Cool! One of the numerous fitness/diet newsletters that I get came through this past week and mentioned training burnout, and on the list of suggestions was that one should participate in a real event. So I went looking for something -- even a 5k -- and there's really nothing going on locally for a long time except for a one mile, mostly downhill run next weekend, and it's kind of expensive. But even looking at the event calendars I got excited. So there's hope yet!
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