i'm trying not to think about the numbers for the distance i'll be covering, but it's a challenge not to. i keep trying to focus on crossing the finish line and thinking about the kind of mindset i'll have to have to get there. at a certain point, it becomes as much or more of a mental challenge than a physical one. trying to keep myself going for 7 or so hours is going to be tough. i'll likely do what i normally do, which is break it down into segments. the swim will be to get from buoy to buoy. then i'll break the 56 mile bike ride down into distance segments, maybe 10 mile chunks. the run will be broken down by water stations, which are going to be approximately every mile. i tend to divide the total distance by some number and then figure out what proportion of the race i have gone and what i have remaining. it's sometimes discouraging, but doing the math in my head is a good distraction. i'm also going to focus on enjoying the scenery and singing in my head. the main thing i have to do is shut my brain up when i feel like quitting, which i certainly will feel at some point.
i've got some new songs that i'm going to be putting on a cd. for every tri i've done, i've made a cd that includes songs that are motivating to listen to in the car on the way to the race and in the days around the race. the song of the moment is paralyzer by finger eleven. i'd heard it on the radio a few times, but had sort of forgotten about it when heath pointed it out to me last night on his myspace project playlist, so now i know who it's by and can add it to the others i have lined up.
my family sent me some very pretty flowers at work yesterday to show their support, which was really nice. also, my grandparents sent me an email to let me know that something is coming in the mail from my extended family on my mom's side (i guess they were too excited about it and couldn't wait to let me know!), with little notes from everybody wishing me luck. i'm looking forward to getting that. hopefully it arrives today. it's so great how supportive people are being.
i'm definitely trying to keep my mindset more on excited and less on nervous. when i think about what i'm going to be doing, it is really a great feeling. i can't wait to cross the finish line. it's for a great cause and it also represents a lot of things personally for me. without going into the personal details, just stepping up to the starting line is an indication of how much i've grown and changed, especially in the last year, and have taken tremendous strides toward really living the life i want to live. the only way i won't finish the race is if i miss a time cutoff or if i get carted off in an ambulance. let's hope and pray that i cross the finish line upright with a HUGE smile on my face!
