Reinventing my days: What a difference a week makes!

What a difference a week makes! Last weekend was tough in Colonial Beach. To be honest I didn't really have much fun and I shed quite a few tears after the race. I had no plan in place beforehand other than to finish the swim. After I got back home, I knew I had to put it behind me & focus on this weekend's race. Dave always tells me that he has a plan for each part of his race. So this week, I took his advice & worked out a plan. It was the best thing I could have done. It made me focus on each portion & I crushed my goal time.

The morning started off really early. I woke up at 3:40 - way earlier than the alarms were set. I went through my list one final time, packed up the car & headed out to Warrenton a little before 5:00. It was still dark when I got there & one of my friends was already setting up in transition. So I grabbed my bag & bike & headed over to set up. Best thing about getting there so early, I was able to get set up at the end of the row. I went out for a quick spin on the bike to get rid of some energy & it was a good way to calm my thoughts. Four of my friends were racing with me & Dave had come out to cheer us on. Soon we were all on the pool deck for the national anthem & then it was time to start. I was surprisingly calm while waiting for my turn to get into the pool. This time around, I was able to start swimming & kept a decent pace. My goal for the 300 meter swim was 8 minutes & I did it in 8:05. Getting out of the pool & seeing the time added a little spring to my step as I ran to transition. Once I was on the bike, I settled in & started cruising. I had 12.4 miles to cover & my goal was 45 minutes. Turns out I completed it in 42:49. Switching the pedals to clips allowed me to improve my speed especially on the hills. Now it was time to run. Last time on this course (and last weekend as well), I walked on the run course. I was determined to not walk this time around. I had my goal time & told myself I wasn't going to screw it up. So with Dave there to cheer me on, I headed out on the run. Knowing he was keeping track of my time also made me keep moving. It is always good to have someone there to keep you moving. At the beginning of the run, my legs felt like bricks, I knew that feeling would pass & it did after the first mile. I continued along the course & at one point was running slowly up a small hill near the turn-around. I must have looked like I wanted to stop because the guy coming in the other direction cheered me on & that helped me get up the hill. After that, I knew I wasn't going to stop running until I got to the finish line. As I got to the final hill before the finish line with about 1/2 mile to go, I saw Dave & heard him cheering me on & I picked up the pace. Just beyond him was another friend who had finished the race already & it was great to see him & his wife. I headed around the last turn & said a little prayer of thanks while behind the trees. Then I was on the grass heading to the finish line. It was a really good run & a great way to finish the race. When I finished, I hit lap on the watch & saw my time. If the watch was right, I had my fastest 5k ever. Turns out I placed 2nd in my age group with a time of 1:22:03. Woohoo!