Sneaky Desires

Re:  yesterday's post...I would be lying if I said my goal was just to finish the triathlon.

I have a feeling that I could finish in the top five for my age group (women 50-55), or even the top three...depending on how fast my group is on that particular day.  At any rate...my real goal (if I'm being honest) is to finish below 1 hour 15 minutes.  That would mean a 10-minute or better swim, a 2-minute transition to the bike, a 31-minute or better bike ride, a 1-minute transition to the run, a 29-minute or better run.

Doing mock triathlons at home, I've been able to go faster in each category...except the transitions; I've usually done worse in the transitions. And open-water swims are trickier than pool swims, obviously.  And everything will be more difficult in a big group of people.

We all have these sneaky desires...while trying to act blase about things, we desire so much.  And that's where the fear and nervousness come in.  Finishing the triathlon in what I would consider a decent time, seems very important...though I try to maintain a sense of equilibrium about the whole thing.

Joe Friel coaches triathletes to not talk about their race preparation with anyone but their best friends and closest family members--their loved ones.  And I think he's right.  "Hide your intense effort," he says; that's true with any difficult activity.  I once mentioned to a friend that I was exercising every day without fail; she looked at me without saying anything, but I felt a tension spring up almost immediately.  "What a fanatic," I could hear her thinking.  And I never even mentioned that I was preparing for a triathlon.

I do see that this particular triathlon is not really all that important, compared to my overall fitness and maintaining the exercise program.  Similarly, getting published is not absolutely essential; writing is.

However...if I'm being honest, getting published and doing well in the triathlon are two goals that I do want to achieve--sooner rather than later.