mind over matter

I was a bit excited in my last post. 'Love affair with' water still might be too strong of a term. It's likely more like 'less paralyzing dread regarding' water. At least in the swim portion of a tri. But before that, let's get into the 'firsts' from the weekend. 


1. Friday: 5k PR and first top 10 AG finish ever! (Even if it was just a work 5k with only 45 women in my AG. Doesn't matter!). 27:37, 8:55 pace. It was unexpectedly hot, I was already beat from distance day at Master's earlier that morning, and I did it completely by feel with no gadgets to tell me pace or time. 


2. Saturday: First 60+ mile ride! I joined a few nice folks from DC Tri/High Cloud on the Kinetic half bike course. I might sign up for this race next May, based on the beautiful bike course alone - gentle rolling hills, scenery alternating between lush farmland and cool wooded areas. Not to mention my love affair with Lake Anna State Park in general. The majority of the group was expecting to go out hard, but a few people were looking to go shorter, or were recovering from injuries, and willing to tag along with us slower folk for part of the ride. Of course we are not blaming our guides for getting us lost and adding in those extra 6 miles! :) It actually feels good to say, we did 60+ miles! instead of 56. I have Sarah to thank for her experience and getting me through those last 10 miles when I clearly was dragging. The lesson learned in this excursion is, even if you think you brought enough fuel with you, you probably need to bring more. 61.13mi, moving time 3:42:46, avg speed 16.5mph. 


Finished off the day with a swim clinic and some OWS work on a 350m course. Decided to work more on technique than distance, because my left shoulder was a little out of whack from Master's on Friday and the bike ride that morning. This turned out to be a very good thing. I've never been very good at sighting, so I also worked out some kinks there. Or so I thought...


3. Sunday: First 1800m swim! I did just the swim portion of the Oly distance PeasantMan race. In the pre-race meeting we were told that the course was 2- 750m triangular loops. I started in the very first wave of the day- experienced Olympic distance. I got a very very bad start. I think I was a bit too 'Suzy Social' beforehand and didn't have my head in the game. But also, my back and shoulders were ridiculously tired and sore from the ride the day before. And, I was having equipment issues. Since there was no hint of sun that morning, I was wearing my clear goggles that I wear to the pool. They're old and a bit cloudy (because speedo doesn't make those kinds of goggles anymore, and I can't bear to get rid of them yet) but that's never been an issue in the controlled environment indoors. Outside though, was a different story. I was having sighting issues to begin with ("aren't these 3 buoys on this triangle course really really far apart?" so much so that you could barely see them over the horizon) and the goggles fogged every time I picked up my head to sight. I was so frustrated with myself. So by halfway through the first loop, I couldn't see, my arms weren't working, it was just a disaster. I finished the first loop and considered bailing. Why bother? But I continued on the second loop, determined to fix these issues, but still thinking the buoys seemed a bit far away. Finally my arms found a rhythm, and sighting was much more familiar the second time around. I wish I had thought to mark the end of the first lap on my watch because I'm fairly certain I negative-split the second half. I wasn't proud of my overall time (46:45 by my watch) but definitely happy that I decided to continue on and finish both loops. And icing on the cake was finding out after that the course was measured to be more than 'accidentally' long- 900m loops. So 1800m on the day. I am beyond happy with that. 


I am absolutely addicted to the high you get when you bust through the 'ceiling' you previously thought existed and go a distance you never thought you'd go. But outside the athletic accomplishments, this is turning out to be one of my favorite weekends of the year for so many reasons. This year, a group of friends had the forethought to reserve one of the cabins, which was surprisingly luxurious. And my housemates were fabulous. The Peasantman BBQs on Saturday and Sunday let us all get together and talk and network and refuel with delicious grilled stuff. Plus, I took the time on Sunday to volunteer at the race, so that I could give back and make sure that in my own small way this year's 'new kids' could have the same great memories of the weekend that I had. (yes, I was the one with the cowbell at the start of the run course making you all smile! nice job everyone!) I really hope that the kind of friendships I make at a weekend like this will last for some time! 


Also, even though it was raining Saturday afternoon during the BBQ, kind of dousing the mood, there was a really nice moment later in the evening. I had to go outside unexpectedly, and I was fully prepared to have it still be pouring rain. But a brief break in the clouds allowed full view of the Super Moon over our cabin. It was quite brilliant- literally. Left the same mark on your vision as a camera flash would. I was glad that I was there at the right time, and saw it as a really good sign for the weekend. :)