Training Tuesday: Countdown to Triathlon Day

My moment of truth isn't that far away with the triathlon coming up on Sunday. I've trained my ass off, completing all but one workout. There were only a few occasions where I didn't do the workouts exactly as prescribed, so I feel ready. I actually feel more than ready, I'm prepared to kick ass. Luckily, thinking about the Sports Bra Challenge has prevented me from getting anxious about the race.

I've been checking out the race Web site, studying the course and reviewing previous race times. Nothing I do this week will improve my overall fitness, so I'm taking it easy workout wise. I'm focusing on visualizing all the legs of the race and how I will feel: strong, fierce and fast.

I've also put a lot of time into thinking about my goals for this race. It's my first triathlon and a sprint distance, so I know I can complete the race. I always go with the idea of dreaming big, so here's what I'm thinking:

A Goal: Place in my age group. Given previous times and my training times, it's within the realm of possibilities, but a stretch goal.
B Goal: Complete the entire race in one hour. This is still a bit of a stretch.
C Goal: Finish the race in 1:15, with tight transition times and a respectable 5K time.

Here's my game plan on race day.

Swim: Focus on being a skinny little boat in the water, reaching and pulling through every stroke with strong flip turns.
Bike: Keep in the high teens/low 20s in terms of miles per hour, staying smart about selecting gears.
Run: Run like I stole a baby bear from it's mom and I happen to be coated in honey. MacKenna will be running a portion of the 5K with me to encourage me to get a move on. My goal is to keep my miles in the low 8s.

Mantra: Don't stop until you're proud.