Build Your Pre-race Plan and Freaking Execute!

How ever simple or complex your race plan may be, it's important that you truly understand it.  It may seem like another race; waking up at the butt crack of dawn, hoping for the morning "movement" before leaving the hotel room, eating early and mentally preparing for a beat down but believe it or not, this ritual is very important.  Often we methodically lay out every race item, systematically tucking items in our race bag like we're tucking an infant into a crib. That being said, now that I've been racing for a few years, I find that I sometimes slack on the planning aspect.  I'm just soooo tired all the time. This sad realization led my mind to wander and inevitably led to the doodle you see above.  Putting it all down on paper (so to speak) really helped me focus, re-committing my mind, ensuring everything was in its place.  Seriously, TRI Rock Clearwater was yesterday and I'm pretty sure this race plan was executed with the utmost precision.  Heavy Metal or techno, why not both? Why not mix the two and listen to  some Skrillex, turning my red Jetta into a 4:30 am club on wheels? The WHOLE point is, know your plan, have some fun and MAKE sure you leave the house on "empty".....

Brief Race Re-cap, TRI Rock Clearwater

I'm going to start from the finish and work backwards, BOOM! 

- As I ran through the finish, I knew I had held off some fierce competition. All the hours of training, 4:30 am mornings and early nights added up to that one moment, the victory.  I've been on both sides of this, often being just short of the "win".  Today, my best turned out to be the best and I'm so thankful for that moment! 

- The RUN was surprisingly strong! Even with my 2 year old Saucony A5's. The freaking Clearwater bridge certainly slapped me with it's vengeful hand, but the pain was short lived.  The fact is....Hills are HARD, lol. I knew a very studly runner was on my heels, thanks for the motivation Mr. 32 min 10k, you kept me running hard!

- I've had to accept that this was "the year of the bike".  The single place where I could gain an edge.  I managed to ride a solid 26.3 mph Avg through multiple turns, 3 steep bridges and a large field of 30+ Men and ALL the women.  Talk about an obstacle course.  Gladly, I caught the lead swimmer by the last 8 miles and we finished strong!

- I'm not quite sure what the heck you have to do to tie the knot between the pool speed and race day execution, but I haven't totally figured it out yet.  I held a faster pace for my 5K swim a few weeks ago, without a wetsuit.  The weird thing is, I felt really good.  MAYBE feeling "good" is the problem and I should be a little more uncomfortable with a faster pace? Who knows?  I can't complain too much, but definitely expected 1st or second out of the water....instead of 4th :)

- My pre race plan was simple as depicted above. Wake up really freaking early, eat a banana with cinnamon and almond butter, drink some coffee blended with 2 Tbsp coconut oil, Udi's Omega 3/6 blend and slam a Roctane Gel before my swim warm up.  Transition set-up was seamless and It was fantastic to see all of the amped athletes! By the way, say what you will about my coffee mixture but I totally swear by it.  I've also blended avocado or a raw egg with my coffee for a rich, creamy delight.  Yea...a raw egg, for real! ALSO, I had been pre-loading with beetroot juice and beet juice all week long.  After the race I enjoyed some Amrita Bars and fresh fruit.  Believe it or not, I feel like I perform better with a vegetarian diet!!

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