Trust My Body

    The countdown has begun. I am getting nervous/excited/freaked by the ever nearing date of my very first, and long awaited Triathlon. Five days remaining, and I wonder if I am ready? Have I trained sufficiently? Will I totally bonk? I am feeling ill-prepared despite my rigorous workout schedule and the confidence of Coach. He has complete faith in me. He is honest and upfront, reminding me that I have only been running for a month and so am likely to get passed frequently once the running leg begins, but he feels I will do great in the swim and cycling legs. I hope so. I know I can do it. I know I will be exhausted after. I have to keep reminding myself that for my first attempt my only concern is running My Race. No one else. I will set my pace, keep myself calm, relax into my game, hit my stride and run my own race. This will be difficult as my inner competitor hates to be passed. But I have to keep reminding myself that I am doing this for fun, for experience, to test the waters, and to test my mettle.
    Coach has been my Rock. Yes, he can be a stern taskmaster, but he is kind, and I know that even when he has his coach face on, he cares for me. He talks me off the ledge, patiently guides me through the steps to be a strong competitor, is honest about my shortcomings, but full of praise for my strengths. He escorted me to a Tri, allowing me to see all the stages, diminishing my fears, elevating my confidence. He takes me step by step through the race from the night before, to well after the finish line. And to my delight, I just found out that he will not be out of town working an event as was previously thought, so he will be with me to hold my hand and settle my nerves. To say I am relieved is the classic understatement. For weeks I have said, "I wish you could be there," and he agreed. Apparently the gods of athletes were listening.
    Not only has Coach been my Rock, he is also my sponsor, providing me with gear and supplies I would never be able to afford on my own. Just this past weekend he presented me with a fabulous bike acquired through his friend and business partner; A Bridgestone racing bike with awesome upgrades. I am in love with ease of the Shimano Flightdeck click shifters. And the gearing blows me away. I can accelerate downhill! The bike is a screamer! Maybe not in comparison to the insane bikes of racers, but for my needs and experience it is an epic ride. One more gift from a man with total confidence in me, and who does all he can to support me and my dreams.
    I have been told to 'take it easy" with my workouts this week, which is NOT an easy thing for me. Coach is coming over this evening, probably as much to make sure I don't spend two hours swimming laps at the pool as to just see me and spend time with me. He does know me, and makes me take down time. So, with five days remaining, I know that I am about as prepared as I can be at this point, so now I just have to trust my body. I must trust my body, it will not let me down.