Thursday, April 12, 2012

Okay, here we go!

These, at least, are the words that I'll be repeating to myself for the next 36 hours or so as I bolster my spirits, nerve, energy, and whatever else I need for my first official 2012 'race'.  I use the term race tentatively because I am unsure about how Saturday morning will unfold for me (or us, since Michael is running a 5K).  Not only am I participating in my first ever duathlon while feeling untrained and unsure about the experience, but the weather in Southern CA has not cooperated with my plans at all!  After weeks of consistently great weather, the gods have conspired against us.  A winter storm system is supposed to hit the area tonight and hang around tomorrow.  Perfect, just perfect.  I really need to run, bike, run on slick roads.  Plus, it's going to be freakin' cold (for Southern CA) at 8:00 am in Camp Pendleton so I'm in a bit of a quandary about what to wear since my usual 'multi-sport outfit' of a skimpy little top and bottom won't work!
*Just a side note - we really, really need the rain, so I'm indulging myself by complaining about rain here.

Let's thrown in the fact that I seriously think that last weekend's activities did a number on my body.  I've said it before and I'll say it again, I'm so not a badass!  For whatever reason, my energy and motivation have dipped this week. Perhaps the two pretty hard weeks on have left me in need of more than one rest day?  Add to that, my knee felt pretty creaky today when I went out on a quick bike/run jaunt.  I'm not sure what's going on, but everything is leaving me with many doubts about Saturday's adventure and, more importantly, about Wildflower in May (less than four weeks away at this point!).

To be overly-dramatic, things seem pretty bleak, and I am definitely focusing on the negative here, but there are some positives.  First of all, I signed up for the same duathlon last year, the Camp Pendleton Devil Dog Duathlon, and ended up not racing, not participating, not doing anything at all because of a foot injury and knee issue.  So, actually showing up on Saturday morning will be an improvement over last year's total no-show.  Also, I decided today, while pushing myself along on the bike (hello, Sunshine! jeez I felt slow today!), that this is not a full-on race but good practice for Wildflower.  This little attitude adjustment has helped me tremendously, and I've decided that I'll be more than happy with a solid run performance and hopefully will enjoy a good ride on the bike.

The other bonus to the experience is that we plan to drive south tomorrow and spend a pleasant evening with friends whom we rarely see.  So, even if the race presents the multitude of problems that I've imagined (I get hypothermia! I crash! We're swept away by a mud slide!), if I can finish it and if I have a good time tomorrow night, sharing laughs and conversation with friends, and make something of the duathlon, then I'll count the weekend as a successful one.

7 comments:

mindful mule said...

Yes, good point, it’s just a calibration for Wildflower. Good luck down there – to both of you. Sometimes, on rough, early mornings, I remember a bit of genius that one of my friends accidentally stumbled upon on a very late night before a very early morning: “We’ll be partially great.”

Ameena said...

I'm so sorry about the terrible timing with the weather! I hope it doesn't affect your run too much...good luck my friend! Stay safe and warm.

Anonymous said...

i am sorry about the weather but i just know you are gonna feel like such a badass when you finish. and i bet your mojo is waning due to such hard weeks. can't wait to hear how it goes.

Kristina said...

Thanks for the kind words, all of you. I say this as I watch lightening flash and listen to the roar of thunder. WHAT IS GOING ON IN SOUTHERN CA?!!!!!!
I'm just going to try to breath for the rest of the afternoon and not hyperventilate.
I'm definitely going to remember the "partially great"

ChezJulie said...

Kristina, you are so much more athletic and adventurous than I am. When I read your posts I always envy your athleticism and tenacity. You don't need to prove anything... just listen to your body and to Sunshine and (if the weather lets you) have a good race!

kilax said...

LOL, I was going to say, you are psyching yourself out! Just focus on having fun and the fact that you get to do it this year, like you said :) And you get to have a fun night with friends! Sounds like the perfect Saturday :)

Kristina said...

ChezJulie,
Thanks for the kind words. I have to say that I don't think that I'm brave enough to do anything dance-related! The "listen to your body" is always good advice.

Kim,
I seriously was psyching myself out! Thank goodness for new days and no rain. And, yeah, it ended up being the perfect day.