A lot of us get nervous on race day. I used to be a lot worse than I am now. Butterflies are normal, but overall I’m usually just pretty excited by the time race day rolls around.
Training days are a different story though. All that nervous energy didn’t disappear; it just transferred over to my key workouts.
Since I have been working with Coach Matt, my training has evolved and become more specific, more measurable (thanks to the plethora of every type of monitoring device a devious coach could strap on you or your bike) . . . and more effective– especially if done right (by me).
That’s where the nerves come in. Matt knows how to squeeze every drop out of his athletes without beating them to a useless pulp. He doesn’t over-train us, but we are expected to do everything he lays out. I’ve been through the drill with him now for several seasons, and I’m seeing a pattern: there are no surprises on race day. Why? Because I’ve done it all before. There is definitely something calming about knowing that.
… which is why I get more and more nervous for my real race-specific workouts. I want so badly to NAIL THEM. Heck, if you can do it on tired legs and alone, you know you can squeeze out more when rested and filled with adrenaline on race day.
Coming back after an injury has slowed me down from where I’d like to be, but the progress is there, and it’ll continue. I have a good idea of what I’m capable of at this point, and it’s nowhere near FAST, but I’m just so happy to be back in the game, despite a very early season race creeping right up on me.
Time to departure: 7days!
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I just read where Eliz F did 100×100 in 2 :50. Now that is a lot of swimming
Jon, you are funny. Don’t get any big ideas with your athletes, or they are going to ban you from blog-surfing!