Here We Go Again...

So tomorrow is the Chicago Triathlon and I am super excited. My training has been very consistent over the past several weeks, and I even managed to get three swimming lessons in and an open water swim last weekend. I am actually feeling MUCH more relaxed than I normally do before races, although I have to admit I had forgotten all of the logistics involved in doing a triathlon. I am putting all my stuff together tonight and still need to figure out exactly when and how I am going to head downtown for the race.

I am also really confident I can throw a really fast race down. The swim is a bit of a wildcard (I am guessing it will be somewhere in the 15-16 minute range), but I feel really locked in on the bike and run. Plus I will be debuting my super deep aero front wheel, so even if I don't RIDE fast I will at least LOOK fast. As for the run, I am definitely shooting for a sub-7:00 pace 5K, which based off of my brick workouts should be realistic. One thing I can say for certain is I am not leaving ANYTHING on the course tomorrow!

Back In The Water

This afternoon I took a private swim lesson at my local YWCA. It has been so long since I swam—just putting on my swim jammers and goggles (the latter of which were a pair I bought a couple of years ago and had never actually worn) felt super weird. My instructor is a long-time competitive swimmer and coach, including at our local high school. She was super friendly and encouraging, and the fact she has done many triathlons provided me with additional comfort.

We primarily worked on making my stroke more relaxed—I honestly did not realize how much tension there was in it. She also said that I was swimming fast—which was the LAST thing I expected to hear. I am already feeling better about the swim portion of my triathlon at the end of the month. I definitely plan on taking another couple of lessons with her before the Chicago Triathlon. Now I just need to figure out how/when to get some yards in...