With the Kerrville Triathlon Festival on Sunday, I look at my training this week a little differently than most weeks. How do my shoes feel? How does my saddle feel? What do I need to do to make sure my heart rate monitor doesn't give me blisters? Don't go too hard this week, an injury would derail my racing plans...
All season I've been training like each day was a race; maybe not the speed or the endurance, but practicing the nutrition, paying attention to the hydration, wearing the right clothes, and working on the other major aspects of Triathlon. This is the week to look at the little things. The things that irritate us, but don't really derail our training. These are the things that might derail our race. Unfortunately the dreaded DNF comes in many forms, and even small things can precipitate the dreaded DNF. The fourth discipline of Triathlon to master is nutrition. And nothing ruins a good race faster than poor nutrition. Can you finish a race if you "bonk?" Think you can run on a blister? What about one that covers the entire bottom of your foot?
Now is the time to notice the raw spots in the shoes, in the tri suit, in the numerous straps we wear. I favor body glide for race lubrication, and use it quite liberally. At a suggestion from another triathlete, I coated some problematic seams on the inside of my first tri shorts. Ahhhhhhhmazing race. Another race saw a band-aid wrapped around a trouble spot on my heart rate monitor strap.
My point is get familiar with your swim/bike/run. Know how it feels. And don't be afraid to do something about those little annoyances, because the little annoyances become big ones.
Everything is in place for Kerrville. A few hours of training this week will focus on maintaining strength and movement, rather than any gains. A few (hundred) prayers to the tri-gods for a swift, smooth race...
Sunday will come all too quickly.
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