This weekend I'm racing my first half iron distance race…Quassy Rev 3…and I'm crapping my pants.
Seriously. Ever since Monday morning, when it was officially "race week" I've gotten a knot in my stomach ever time I think about it.
Yesterday I started actually panicking when I was on my bike.
I'm worried about everything. That I didn't swim enough…I didn't bike enough miles…I didn't run enough hills…I didn't do enough bricks.
Months ago, when I imagined myself in the week of my first 70.3, I thought I'd be in a different place.
It's kind of like when you're 15 years old and you look at people who are 20, and you think "Oh my god, they're so old and so mature". "When I'm 20, I'm going to be put together and mature too".
Then you turn 20, and you look around realize it was all an illusion. You're still a kid…and your biggest concerns are; remembering to shower before class so you don't smell like booze, and memorizing the information on your fake ID.
When I thought about my first 70.3, I imagined I would feel like some extremely experienced and amazing athlete. I thought I'd feel so confident that the usual pre race jitters wouldn't even phase me. I imagined that I'd look at the task before me as just another race…rather than the hardest day I've ever seen.
Well, I'm here…and I'm so nervous it's ridiculous. I'm trying to be level headed about this and take it one thought at a time.
I know Sunday will be extremely challenging. I know I'll suffer more than I have all year. I know it's going to be the hardest thing I've done so far.
I accept all of those things and I'm just going to take it one step at a time.
I rode the bike course, I've run endless 13 milers, and Saturday I'm going to take on the swim course for a practice swim. I'm hoping once I tackle this last race prep on Sunday, it'll ease my mind some.
The worst part is, the nature of taper is endless extra time, because you aren't training hard the week before a race. So not only am I going a little crazy, I have more extra time than I've had in the last 7 months, to go crazy.
Even my unconscious mind is giving me a hard time. Last night dreamt that I forgot my swim cap and goggles and I forgot to check in my bike.
Four days until Thunderdome.
If anyone needs me... I'll be working on drawing out the confidence which I know is hiding somewhere.
Wednesday, May 30, 2012
Friday, May 25, 2012
Random Friday Facts
1. Two of my favorite descriptive phrases are "butt load" and "crapping my pants".
2. Last week after a swim workout, I realized that I forgotten moisturizer.
So I used the next best thing…body glide.
3. While I was teaching restraint training this week, somehow a scar that has been on my knee since last September, ripped off and produced a bloody mess. Gross.
4. My friend Kelsey gave me an array of incredibly thoughtful and useful gifts for Ironman…including some sweet temporary tattoos. I'm going to rock either the blue owl or the strawberry for next weekends 70.3. Intimidation, at it's best.
5. Lately I've been getting really hungry on the bike. I'm wondering if it would be possible for me to eat a tortilla with beans in it, while I'm riding.
6. Tonight I take on the Aqua Zumba women for a spot in the pool to do laps. That's right flowered swim cap ladies. I'm comin' to reclaim the lap lanes!
7. I got a juicer for my birthday. I'm going to juice everything this weekend. Ev-er-y-thing.
8. I'm reading Chrissie Wellingtons book, A Life Without Limits. Pretty bomb.
9. I still haven't figured out how to cook eggplant so that it doesn't have the consistency of a sponge.
10. I never owned so many skin tight pieces of clothing, until I started doing triathlon.
11. I still haven't gotten an response from Tri-Rock about my race splits.
12. I currently have one toenail that is about to jump ship.
13. I accidentally typed jump shit instead of ship in that last fact. Shit sounds better.
14. I really want a second dog. Like REALLY!!!!
15. My tri top tan is ridiculous. But my back muscles are looking pretty boss!
16. If I had a zillion dollars, I would get Brendan Braizer's Thrive Foods Direct.
17. Does anyone else remember the movie Mac and Me?
18. I used to think you got jet lag just from flying on a plane. I had no idea that it had anything to do with time zones.
19. Once when I was in a public restroom, I saw a girl putting her boob under one of those high power blow dryers.
20. I sing all the time. Deal with it.
2. Last week after a swim workout, I realized that I forgotten moisturizer.
So I used the next best thing…body glide.
3. While I was teaching restraint training this week, somehow a scar that has been on my knee since last September, ripped off and produced a bloody mess. Gross.
4. My friend Kelsey gave me an array of incredibly thoughtful and useful gifts for Ironman…including some sweet temporary tattoos. I'm going to rock either the blue owl or the strawberry for next weekends 70.3. Intimidation, at it's best.
5. Lately I've been getting really hungry on the bike. I'm wondering if it would be possible for me to eat a tortilla with beans in it, while I'm riding.
6. Tonight I take on the Aqua Zumba women for a spot in the pool to do laps. That's right flowered swim cap ladies. I'm comin' to reclaim the lap lanes!
7. I got a juicer for my birthday. I'm going to juice everything this weekend. Ev-er-y-thing.
8. I'm reading Chrissie Wellingtons book, A Life Without Limits. Pretty bomb.
9. I still haven't figured out how to cook eggplant so that it doesn't have the consistency of a sponge.
10. I never owned so many skin tight pieces of clothing, until I started doing triathlon.
11. I still haven't gotten an response from Tri-Rock about my race splits.
12. I currently have one toenail that is about to jump ship.
13. I accidentally typed jump shit instead of ship in that last fact. Shit sounds better.
14. I really want a second dog. Like REALLY!!!!
15. My tri top tan is ridiculous. But my back muscles are looking pretty boss!
16. If I had a zillion dollars, I would get Brendan Braizer's Thrive Foods Direct.
17. Does anyone else remember the movie Mac and Me?
18. I used to think you got jet lag just from flying on a plane. I had no idea that it had anything to do with time zones.
19. Once when I was in a public restroom, I saw a girl putting her boob under one of those high power blow dryers.
20. I sing all the time. Deal with it.
Thursday, May 24, 2012
Rev 3 Bike Course Review…Take Two
Yesterday I gave the Rev3 course another go…and I live to tell the tale.
Last month when I gave this course a test run, it completely sucked out my soul and crapped on it. It totally abused me.
It's a hard course. A few of the reviews I've read (such as this one), name Quassy one of the most challenging race courses in the United States.
The hills are relentless and they don't stop. Even in the last few miles of the course, when your legs are screaming, you are still climb, climb, climbing.
I approached this ride extremely nervous. For one, because I knew it was going to be a tough day and for two, because I was riding it alone. I made my cue sheet and packed up my bike. I shoved most of my nutrition in my tri-top…and taped what wouldn't fit, to my bike. I also took my cell, just incase I got lost, or smashed by a car.
I planned on wearing a long sleeved shirt but at the last minute decided to go just tri-top, which was a really good decision because it was hott!!! And humid!!! Right from the start I was sweating like a monster.
Per some really good advice that I recieved from a blogger who did the course last year, I kept the cadence high and the gear low, in order to keep my legs as fresh as possible.
In my opinion, the first 10 miles and the last 10 miles of this course are the most challenging. The first 10 are filled with steep climbs, one right after another. The first time I rode this course, I exhausted myself on the first few steep climbs. This time, I took them slow and plugged along.
After the first 10 miles it's the definition of rolling. Some hills are steep and some just go on forever. There is an area of a few miles of descent that is much needed for the legs…but you end up climbing your way out after that.
The scenery of this course is also awesome.
I felt really strong until about the last 10 miles. My energy decreased and my legs started to ache.
My nutrition plan was to take in something every 10 miles, and I had 3 water bottles of Nuun.
Mile 10: Gu
Mile 20: Gu
Mile 30: Cliff Bar
Mile 40: Gu
Mile 50: Gu
Even with all of that, somehow I was low on energy towards the end.
The course is confusing when you ride alone. I stopped a number of times to regain my bearings. There are also a lot of big intersections that you cross. I'm looking forward to the assistance with traffic, during the race. I waited at lights for a while yesterday!
Here are some highlights of the ride:
Although challenging…this was a great ride! I conquered it and felt really good afterwards…physically, mentally, everything. I'm ready to tackle this beast again next week, during the race.
Rev3 or bust!
Last month when I gave this course a test run, it completely sucked out my soul and crapped on it. It totally abused me.
It's a hard course. A few of the reviews I've read (such as this one), name Quassy one of the most challenging race courses in the United States.
The hills are relentless and they don't stop. Even in the last few miles of the course, when your legs are screaming, you are still climb, climb, climbing.
I approached this ride extremely nervous. For one, because I knew it was going to be a tough day and for two, because I was riding it alone. I made my cue sheet and packed up my bike. I shoved most of my nutrition in my tri-top…and taped what wouldn't fit, to my bike. I also took my cell, just incase I got lost, or smashed by a car.
I planned on wearing a long sleeved shirt but at the last minute decided to go just tri-top, which was a really good decision because it was hott!!! And humid!!! Right from the start I was sweating like a monster.
Per some really good advice that I recieved from a blogger who did the course last year, I kept the cadence high and the gear low, in order to keep my legs as fresh as possible.
In my opinion, the first 10 miles and the last 10 miles of this course are the most challenging. The first 10 are filled with steep climbs, one right after another. The first time I rode this course, I exhausted myself on the first few steep climbs. This time, I took them slow and plugged along.
After the first 10 miles it's the definition of rolling. Some hills are steep and some just go on forever. There is an area of a few miles of descent that is much needed for the legs…but you end up climbing your way out after that.
The scenery of this course is also awesome.
I felt really strong until about the last 10 miles. My energy decreased and my legs started to ache.
My nutrition plan was to take in something every 10 miles, and I had 3 water bottles of Nuun.
Mile 10: Gu
Mile 20: Gu
Mile 30: Cliff Bar
Mile 40: Gu
Mile 50: Gu
Even with all of that, somehow I was low on energy towards the end.
The course is confusing when you ride alone. I stopped a number of times to regain my bearings. There are also a lot of big intersections that you cross. I'm looking forward to the assistance with traffic, during the race. I waited at lights for a while yesterday!
Here are some highlights of the ride:
Times I thought I was lost: 5
Times I was actually lost: 1
Number of times I made this face on a decent: 2
Number of hills that seemed to go on forever: 4
Times I asked the universe to "please let the descent be
around that corner": 2
Times the universe abliged: 0
Variations of the F word that I used: 17
Times using those variations: 156
Number of dragon flies that almost caused me to crash: 1
Number of times it started raining on me: 3
Times I peed in the woods: 2
Wineries I passed: 2
Number of roads aptly named “Hard Hill”: 1
Number of times I changed my clothes on the side of the
road: 2
Number of times I felt self conscious about that: 0
Times I was so taken by the beautiful scenery that I actuall
said “Wow”: 3
Although challenging…this was a great ride! I conquered it and felt really good afterwards…physically, mentally, everything. I'm ready to tackle this beast again next week, during the race.
Rev3 or bust!
Wednesday, May 23, 2012
What I Ate Wednesday
Good evening! How was everyone's Wednesday?
I had a great day! I crushed the 56 milehill fest from hell Rev 3 bike course today…no biggie. After the ride I ate like a monster…so there's an array of food this Wednesday.
On to the tasty morsels!
Then like a smart person, I went grocery shopping on the way home…and bought pretty much everything in the store.
This was the only thing I could reach out of the bags once I started driving.
My training has ramped up a lot lately, in preparation for next weekends 70.3... And as you can see, there has been a bit of an increase in my hunger and thirst.
Tomorrow I'll have a recap of today's ride. Happy Wednesday!
I had a great day! I crushed the 56 mile
On to the tasty morsels!
Breakfast
 |
| 4 Eggs and half a bagel with dairy free cream cheese |
 |
| Cantaloup |
Nutrition During My Ride
 |
| 4 Gu's, 1 Cliff Bar - 3 waterbottles of Nuun |
Post Workout Snack
 |
| Chocolate Soy Milk! For the win! |
Another Post Workout Snack…which I ate in my car…before heading home.
 |
| Big ol' bowl of lentils |
Then like a smart person, I went grocery shopping on the way home…and bought pretty much everything in the store.
This was the only thing I could reach out of the bags once I started driving.
Another Snack to Feed the Beast
 |
| On the drive home from the grocery store I owned half this box of crackers. |
 |
| Mmmm…coconut water! |
Dinner
 |
| 3 tacos, burritos, wraps…whatever- Beans, Tofu crumbles with taco seasoning, spinach, avocado, greek yogurt, wheat tortillas x 3 |
 |
| More liquids. I've been an eating and drinking machine today. |
Tomorrow I'll have a recap of today's ride. Happy Wednesday!
Tuesday, May 22, 2012
Tri Rock Annapolis Race Report…Finally.
By "race report coming soon", I actually meant, in a week in and a day.
I know, I know. I took forever to post this race report. Well, my camera broke so I've been hounding everyone I know to send me any pictures they have from the race, since I have zero. I swear thats what took me so long.
The race was held in Downtown Annapolis, right at the docks. It's a very cool place for a race. It's beautiful, with it's harbor-ish feel and tons of historical buildings.
The morning of the race was perfect. It wasn't too cold out and the sun was coming up on a cloudless sky.
Swim - 500 meters -
The race ended up completely selling out so they set the swim start up in waves. I registered pretty late, so I found myself in the 12th wave, which kind of sucked because that meant I'd be standing around with an anxious stomach, for over an hour after the race started, before I started.
The water was really cold. It knocked the wind out of me a little bit, when I first jumped in. Once the gun went off for my wave, we took off. The course was set up as a rectangle. We swam out past the first circle buoy to a triangle buoy, made a left turn, then made another left at the next triangle buoy. Then we headed back for the docks. The swim wasn't as congested as I thought it would be. I only took a few elbows to the face and one kick in my side. Around the buoys got to be a little bit of a pain in the ass, but overall there was space. I felt good and just plugged along. I came out of the water right in the middle of the pack of my wave.
T1 -
I tend to get a little light headed when I'm swimming, so I actually sat down to pull off my wetsuit. I'm told this is because I have an extremely low blood pressure…anyone know anything about that?
I peeled off my suit, and put my bike shoes on and headed out with Trixie. I was positioned at the back of transition so it was a little bit of a long trek out, but it wasn't a big deal.
Bike - 12 miles -
I mounted my bike right at the line, in front of what felt like a zillion people. No pressure, right. For some reason, everyone was camped out at the "bike out".
It was fun though. The cheering peeps were motivating.
The course was two loops, a bit rolling, with 2 respectable hills in each loop. It took me about 10 minutes to get into my groove, which is pretty normal for me on the bike. I wasn't nearly as fast as I wanted to be, which was frustrating.
I did get passed by a number of people. I expected that though, as I've been training for the 70.3 distance and Ironman distance, rather than the sprint distance.
I came into transition feeling strong and excited for the run, so I could pass all the people who passed me on the bike.
T2-
I hauled ass in T2. On the way in I was yelling "Heads up!!!" and "Move!!!" a lot, to all the people from the first waves that were just hanging out in transition, because they had already finished. Not distracting at all. :)
There were a few people from my wave in T2 getting situated, when I arrived, so I got out of there as fast as possible.
Run - 3.1 miles -
The run was awesome, all around. It was right in historic downtown so there were tons of spectators and cheering. The run is by far my strongest leg. Being on the bike get's me warmed up and extremely psyched for the run. It's like my legs are just happy to be free.
I felt great right from the beginning. My goal was to pass as many people as possible, to make up for the bike…and not to let any women pass me. I started taking people down from the beginning. Before I knew it, I was at the 2 mile marker, with a ton still left in the tank, so I started cruisin!
I met my goal…no women passed me. Only 3 men. Boom!
You might be wondering "Where are Tami's splits?" And if you are, that makes 2 of us. I guess I had a faulty timing chip because none of my splits are on the results page. I have absolutely no idea what they are. I emailed the race director…twice, but haven't heard back yet. I'm hoping they have them somewhere and maybe just forgot to post them. I'm pretty frustrated about that whole situation.
Overall this was a really fun race.
Happy Tuesday Everyone!!!!!!
I know, I know. I took forever to post this race report. Well, my camera broke so I've been hounding everyone I know to send me any pictures they have from the race, since I have zero. I swear thats what took me so long.
The race was held in Downtown Annapolis, right at the docks. It's a very cool place for a race. It's beautiful, with it's harbor-ish feel and tons of historical buildings.
The morning of the race was perfect. It wasn't too cold out and the sun was coming up on a cloudless sky.
Swim - 500 meters -
 |
| Just a couple of the waves corralled into the docks at the swim start. |
The water was really cold. It knocked the wind out of me a little bit, when I first jumped in. Once the gun went off for my wave, we took off. The course was set up as a rectangle. We swam out past the first circle buoy to a triangle buoy, made a left turn, then made another left at the next triangle buoy. Then we headed back for the docks. The swim wasn't as congested as I thought it would be. I only took a few elbows to the face and one kick in my side. Around the buoys got to be a little bit of a pain in the ass, but overall there was space. I felt good and just plugged along. I came out of the water right in the middle of the pack of my wave.
T1 -
I tend to get a little light headed when I'm swimming, so I actually sat down to pull off my wetsuit. I'm told this is because I have an extremely low blood pressure…anyone know anything about that?
I peeled off my suit, and put my bike shoes on and headed out with Trixie. I was positioned at the back of transition so it was a little bit of a long trek out, but it wasn't a big deal.
Bike - 12 miles -
I mounted my bike right at the line, in front of what felt like a zillion people. No pressure, right. For some reason, everyone was camped out at the "bike out".
It was fun though. The cheering peeps were motivating.
The course was two loops, a bit rolling, with 2 respectable hills in each loop. It took me about 10 minutes to get into my groove, which is pretty normal for me on the bike. I wasn't nearly as fast as I wanted to be, which was frustrating.
I did get passed by a number of people. I expected that though, as I've been training for the 70.3 distance and Ironman distance, rather than the sprint distance.
I came into transition feeling strong and excited for the run, so I could pass all the people who passed me on the bike.
 |
| Coming back into transition after the ride. It was crazy packed. |
T2-
I hauled ass in T2. On the way in I was yelling "Heads up!!!" and "Move!!!" a lot, to all the people from the first waves that were just hanging out in transition, because they had already finished. Not distracting at all. :)
There were a few people from my wave in T2 getting situated, when I arrived, so I got out of there as fast as possible.
Run - 3.1 miles -
The run was awesome, all around. It was right in historic downtown so there were tons of spectators and cheering. The run is by far my strongest leg. Being on the bike get's me warmed up and extremely psyched for the run. It's like my legs are just happy to be free.
I felt great right from the beginning. My goal was to pass as many people as possible, to make up for the bike…and not to let any women pass me. I started taking people down from the beginning. Before I knew it, I was at the 2 mile marker, with a ton still left in the tank, so I started cruisin!
 |
| Coming around the corner to the finish chute. Kind of hard to see me…but I'm there. |
 |
| Haulin' ass to the finish. |
I met my goal…no women passed me. Only 3 men. Boom!
You might be wondering "Where are Tami's splits?" And if you are, that makes 2 of us. I guess I had a faulty timing chip because none of my splits are on the results page. I have absolutely no idea what they are. I emailed the race director…twice, but haven't heard back yet. I'm hoping they have them somewhere and maybe just forgot to post them. I'm pretty frustrated about that whole situation.
Overall this was a really fun race.
 |
| And I raced with my brother, which was awesome! |
Happy Tuesday Everyone!!!!!!
Monday, May 14, 2012
Wednesday, May 2, 2012
What I Ate Wednesday
Happy Wednesday! I'd like to report that I have a purple rumpus. Yesterday morning, first thing, my cat attempted to kill me.
You know how cat's weave between your feet, rubbing against your legs…and you always think to yourself…"If you keep doing that, one of these days, I'm going to fall and die".
Well, yesterday was the day. She weaved in between my feet on the first step and I slipped. I fell down the entire flight of stairs, all the way to the first floor. And we have hardwood floors, so it was extra loud and extra painful.
Which leads me to my next point…falling as an adult is scary. The 3 seconds it took me to fall down the stairs seemed like 30 seconds. So many thoughts raced through my brain…Ironman, next weeks race, my workouts for the day, landing on and squishing the caton purpose, breaking a bone…or bones.
Luckily, I didn't break anything and I didn't hurt myself too badly. I do have a very purple butt and my back is a little sore today. But other than that I'm totally okay.
I feel lucky. For as many times as I fall or trip or do something else that ends up with me flat on my back, my butt or my face, the fact that nothing serious ever comes out of it is amazing.
Let's talk food. I was crazy hungry today. I'm not sure what it was, but I was a beast.
Have an awesome night everyone. And watch out for killer cats.
You know how cat's weave between your feet, rubbing against your legs…and you always think to yourself…"If you keep doing that, one of these days, I'm going to fall and die".
Well, yesterday was the day. She weaved in between my feet on the first step and I slipped. I fell down the entire flight of stairs, all the way to the first floor. And we have hardwood floors, so it was extra loud and extra painful.
Which leads me to my next point…falling as an adult is scary. The 3 seconds it took me to fall down the stairs seemed like 30 seconds. So many thoughts raced through my brain…Ironman, next weeks race, my workouts for the day, landing on and squishing the cat
Luckily, I didn't break anything and I didn't hurt myself too badly. I do have a very purple butt and my back is a little sore today. But other than that I'm totally okay.
I feel lucky. For as many times as I fall or trip or do something else that ends up with me flat on my back, my butt or my face, the fact that nothing serious ever comes out of it is amazing.
Let's talk food. I was crazy hungry today. I'm not sure what it was, but I was a beast.
Breakfast
 |
| Egg Wrap: Eggs, Spinach, Avocado, Lemon juice, Chobani |
Snack
 |
| Kale sauteed with garlic, soy sauce and lemon juice and an Apple |
Lunch
 |
| Tofu Dogs |
Snack...Lunch 2
 |
| Amy's Organic Vegetarian Chilli |
Dinner
 |
| Home made Crepes!!! Like a boss! This was actually my first time making crepes. I looked up the instructions on the interwebs. Then I picked out some things to fill it with. They were so good!!! |
The Filling:
 |
| Broccoli: Sautéed with garlic, olive oil, salt and pepper. Shiitake and Bella Mushrooms: Sautéed with a little butter, rosemary, thyme, and a splash of Sauvignon Blanc. Vegan, Dairy Free Mozzarella Cheese and Black Beans |
Have an awesome night everyone. And watch out for killer cats.
Getting My Ass Handed to Me
This past Saturday I headed out to the Quassey Rev 3 course in Middlebury, to get a taste of what I will be up against on June 3rd. I showed up feeling like I was ready to rock, aside from the dream about the end of the world that I had the night before.
Little did I know, I was not even close to rockin anything... and "the end" was indeed near.
This was the hardest ride I have ever done. I was not prepared for it and it completely destroyed me. It destroyed my confidence, my mental strength, my physical ability…everything. Saturday was a very tough day for me.
I grew up in Maryland, near the water (ie. it's pretty flat out there), and I live close to the shore in Connecticut (it's pretty flat out here too). My idea of hills, and central Connecticut's idea of hills, are vastly different. Yes, I train on hilly terrain, but it's hilly terrain relative to what I'm used to at the coast. I went into this ride knowing it would be rolling, and I thought that the extra hillish training I had done around my neck of the woods, was sufficient.
It wasn't. Not even close. I 100% underestimated the seriousness of this course.
The Rev3 course is all hills. You are either going up or going down, the entire time. It was relentless.
I think the hardest part for me was the fact that I've been training so hard for so long, and my failure to perform the way I should have been able to, in my mind, really made me feel like total crap.
I felt like my riding was trash that day. I didn't get onto my aerobars at all...I was too busy trying not to fly off my bike on the downhill, and too busy trying to wrap my head around the very slow single digit number on my speedometer, on the uphill.
My mindset really took a beating Saturday. I began to doubt myself... and I just felt impotent. It was the worst feeling. Ever.
After a few days of processing, I'm in a much better place now, and the fire that has been lit under my ass, is now in full force. For the next 5 weeks, I'm going to be a machine.
Once I got back to my mentally stable place, I realized that there were a few positives that I took away from Saturday.
1. There are 5 weeks until I race that course. Which means I have 5 weeks to hammer out some serious training. If you've seen my updated training plan laid out by my coach, it's obvious that she's already taken care of that.
2. Now I know what to expect for this course. If I had gone into this race without ever seeing this beast, I can only imagine the shit storm that would have taken place out there.
3. Sometimes it's good to have your ass handed to you, just to make sure you remember to check yo'self.
Truth.
4. My determination has sky rocketed.
5. It's time to travel. Although stepping out my front door and heading out for my rides is really convenient, it really isn't doing much for me in terms of preparing for this early season hill fest. I'll be driving further north/west for my training rides during the next 5 weeks to 5 months.
This past Saturday was a challenging day, all around. But I've taken from it what I can and I'm using it to my advantage.
I'm comin' for you Rev3. Comin' in hott!
Little did I know, I was not even close to rockin anything... and "the end" was indeed near.
This was the hardest ride I have ever done. I was not prepared for it and it completely destroyed me. It destroyed my confidence, my mental strength, my physical ability…everything. Saturday was a very tough day for me.
I grew up in Maryland, near the water (ie. it's pretty flat out there), and I live close to the shore in Connecticut (it's pretty flat out here too). My idea of hills, and central Connecticut's idea of hills, are vastly different. Yes, I train on hilly terrain, but it's hilly terrain relative to what I'm used to at the coast. I went into this ride knowing it would be rolling, and I thought that the extra hillish training I had done around my neck of the woods, was sufficient.
It wasn't. Not even close. I 100% underestimated the seriousness of this course.
The Rev3 course is all hills. You are either going up or going down, the entire time. It was relentless.
I think the hardest part for me was the fact that I've been training so hard for so long, and my failure to perform the way I should have been able to, in my mind, really made me feel like total crap.
I felt like my riding was trash that day. I didn't get onto my aerobars at all...I was too busy trying not to fly off my bike on the downhill, and too busy trying to wrap my head around the very slow single digit number on my speedometer, on the uphill.
My mindset really took a beating Saturday. I began to doubt myself... and I just felt impotent. It was the worst feeling. Ever.
After a few days of processing, I'm in a much better place now, and the fire that has been lit under my ass, is now in full force. For the next 5 weeks, I'm going to be a machine.
Once I got back to my mentally stable place, I realized that there were a few positives that I took away from Saturday.
1. There are 5 weeks until I race that course. Which means I have 5 weeks to hammer out some serious training. If you've seen my updated training plan laid out by my coach, it's obvious that she's already taken care of that.
2. Now I know what to expect for this course. If I had gone into this race without ever seeing this beast, I can only imagine the shit storm that would have taken place out there.
3. Sometimes it's good to have your ass handed to you, just to make sure you remember to check yo'self.
Truth.
4. My determination has sky rocketed.
5. It's time to travel. Although stepping out my front door and heading out for my rides is really convenient, it really isn't doing much for me in terms of preparing for this early season hill fest. I'll be driving further north/west for my training rides during the next 5 weeks to 5 months.
This past Saturday was a challenging day, all around. But I've taken from it what I can and I'm using it to my advantage.
I'm comin' for you Rev3. Comin' in hott!
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