Game Time

Today was my last training day before the big event on Saturday. Of course I could always use more training but I'm ready to do this thing. What I'm most anxious about is the swim because it will be in a murky reservoir instead of a safe clear pool where I can grab on to the edge or put my feet on the bottom anytime I choose. I'm told that the reservoir is so murky that you can't even see your hand when you put it in the water. Anyhow, the water is something I can't control so no sense in worrying about it.

Doing this event reminds me of some advice a professor gave me while studying for the bar exam. He said "all you have to do is be average...just perform in the middle of the road and you will pass...either you pass or you fail." Applying that theory to my race goes something like this: I know I'm not the best and I know I'm not the worst so my focus in on finishing with the pack. Of course, I'm going to do the best I can and will compete to the fullest but I won't be disappointed if everything doesn't go perfectly.

What I do know is that training for this triathlon has really transformed my physical fitness. I feel like I'm in the best shape of my life since when I was playing high school sports. I even feel like my conditioning is better than when I train for a marathon or 1/2 marathon and I attribute this mostly to the swimming. I wish I had taken a before and after video so you could see how far I've come. At the end of practice today, my coach encouraged me to do another triathlon after this one because my swimming has really improved and could get even better with continued practice. I encourage folks reading this to consider adding swimming to your workout. It's not strenuous on your joints but it's probably the best cardio workout I've ever done while at the same time providing a full body workout. The downside is that it's rough on your hair, skin, and nails from the chlorine but it's a good trade off if you can work it into your schedule.

I'll let you know how it goes. Wish me luck!