Good Intentions

Now that I've finally started a blog, I keep having these "brilliant" ideas of what to post, pictures, race reports, and in general things that I enjoy. And I really do have good intentions, but as my rowing coach Miriam once commented, "The road to hell is paved with good intentions." So true. I remember hearing this about 10 years ago - has it been that long? - and thinking it was somehow hilariously funny. But then again, rowing in 3 X 2,000 meter races in one day can distort the mindset of even the heartiest of souls. But alas, that was long ago, when I used to row; before college, work, triathlon, marriage, and all that other good stuff. Someday I'll write a post about how I got to this point - but as for now, it's floating in the back of my mind. Another "good intention", saved for future exploration.

Today was great, in the sense that I got all my workouts in, accomplished my daily goals, and have managed to pack up all my gear for tommorow's race before 10 pm. Tommorow I'm racing down in Panama City Beach, FL, in race #4 of the Emerald Coast Triathlon Series. I love Panama City (not for the spring break scene, but rather, it envokes the memories of watching IM Florida, racing at Gulf Coast, and just having a blast doing the sport I love), and I love these races. There's just something so inateley satisfying about getting up early, the excitement of the race, seeing the beautiful blue waters of the Gulf (think of the clear blue waters in Pirates of the Carribean - whenever I see the waters off Panama City I think of the beach scenes from this film), the non-pressure of these local races, seeing old friends, pushing myself during the race, and the satisfaction of sharing this sport with 300 other hearty souls on a beautiful October Florida morning. And it's a sprint, so - if all goes well - I should be done by 8:45 or so. Still early! Sweet!!! Break out the Penut Butter M&Ms!

And they throw a really great post-race party that Nathaniel (husband, number #1 supporter, best friend, other half, "domestic associate" - if you may) and I both enjoy. Just a great time. This race is a bit different for me, as I'm training straight through to 70.3 World Championships. My coach Memo is really good about preparing me for races and getting me ready to rock, but after 2 races in September got cancelled due to weather and hamstring issues (must continue to get massages!), I told him that I didn't want to taper for any local races, and instead focus soleley on Clearwater. While my training has been great, and I've found that I've been able to push myself to new levels, I definiteley feel a bit of fatigue, espcially after last weekend's race, the Santa Rosa Sprint Triathlon (converted to a Duathlon due to weather). There's just something so painful about pushing your limits to the max for an hour and change - I love it, don't get me wrong - but it's a totally different kind of intensity/race/pain/concentration than what I give during an Olympic or Half IM race. Let's be brutally honest - sprints are just a form of punishment, meant to inflict as much pain on the body as one can tolerate for an hour or so. Red line it all the way, pedal to the metal, push through the pain - short and quick, but almost as a survival of the fiitest (on that particular day). Hard on the body, but great for training, both physical and mental. So that's what I'm up to tommorow. I had a long swim and long bike today - my swim was 1,000 repeats at a higher intensity, but the bike was long and easy. I had a blast biking with some friends up in Milton and the Blackwater State Forest, and while I could feel my hamstring twinge a little, undoubtedly fatigue and stress built up from my high intensity training and the pounding of last weekend's race, it was still a great ride. And anyway, I've got a massage scheduled for Monday, so tommorow should hopefully be good to go. That's my intention anyway, and we ALL know where those can lead...

Again - I have all these topics that I can't wait to write about, but all in good time, I suppose. Good intentions are just that - intentions. We take them where WE want to go, and when we're ready. And tommorow, well, I get to race! I'm so excited! Oh yeah, and a HUGE shout out to everyone doing IM Hawaii. Simply fantastic - phenominal, motivating, and inspiring.