Carolina Beach Double Sprint

I had an awesome race yesterday. I'm still excited about it. I think the main reason I loved it so much was because it was so out of my comfort zone. I love and hate doing new races. I'm a girl who likes routine. I like to do a race, and then do it again even better. For a triathlon, this was something completely different for me. The format of swim-to-run-to-bike-to-run-to-swim was weird, but there were other factors that were out of my routine. Here's what was so different about this race for me:
 
I got out of my head.  I didn't prepare the usual way. I didn't worry (about sea creatures, pr's or outcomes). I didn't write a race plan (with the logistics and schedule on paper). I didn't wear a heart rate monitor.  I didn't scope out the competition. I didn't even have my watch set correctly! I'm a techie and a nerd - this is what I do. I just went with the flow and what I know.

I got dirty. Before I was named Queen All Spice, Duchess of Spiceland, my first spice girl name was Posh. I like to be clean. I prefer to be pretty and perfect before, during and after all swim, bike and runs.  As much as I like feeling like a kid - I don't like to feel dirty. I was covered in sweat and no-see-ums (the Carolina Beach school mascot?) by 6:00am. I had sand down on my left arm on the first run. I ran without a headband. I had dirt in my shoes on the ride and the second run.

 

I raced unafraid. Oh, I was scared. I was scared of the cold and the unknown and the hurt.  But lately I've been racing with the same confidence I feel when I train. It helped at the start of the race to hear myself say (out loud): if I race like I've been training, I can hold seven minutes on the run. It wasn't boastful, but it was bold. I thought that all for each leg. If I race like I trained, I can hold 1:30s in the swim, seven minutes on the run, 19mph on the bike, and get faster on the second run.  I was unafraid to say it and I was unafraid to do it. 

MORE TO COME........