I am ready to race
I had a tough time deciding:
do I go down on Sunday, today and pre ride Waco.
Or do I go down on Wednesday to Pre Ride?
I was asking for everyone’s advice; my oldest monkey gave me the best:
“Mom, go down today, you’ll be all busy come Wednesday and it’s in the middle of the week”.
I knew she was right. From getting the bike ready to race, to getting food prepped to taking everyone down to the Galleria on Friday to celebrate her birthday. I like being busy, I don’t like being crazy busy.
So off I went. I got to Cameron Park between 11:30 and 11:45 slowly began to get ready. It wasn’t tough because I was only riding one lap. Since it was lunch time, I better grab some extra snacks, 2 bottles, and I had to ask, this dude in a tri suit, “how do I get to the trail? and is it marked?”
He had already done 1 lap. He was going and was polite enough to give the tour to this slow old lady. I looked at my watch, “It was high noon”. Easy enough, I don’t need to start my watch.
Thank you Joey G from Richardson, for taking the time to make sure I made all the turns. After all, my internet readers know, I made wrong turns 3 times.
The course is awesome, I laughed, I giggled, I smiled all the way. The air was fresh, and I felt pretty darn good. A little tired from my 2:45 brick the other day, all in all awesome.
There were 2 climbs, I am going to walk, it’ll be faster than trying to ride them.
I won’t tell you my time; just imagine, always having to wait for the tortoise. Most of you know how that goes. Ba, ha, ha.
Yesterday I took off.
Friday, I swam in my full wetsuit up at Lake Ray Roberts. I did not have an extra swim cap. That was painful. Very painful. And being one who has had hypothermia before(when I was training in the Mississippi in the back waters of Winona, MN for Escape from Alcatrez and there was snow still flowing in the water and the ambient air was colder than the water), did I recognize the dazed and confused feeling. I was planning on running to the car, but I was more like a deer in headlights. When I got to my car, I still was like, huh?!?
Thank goodness it was over 80 degrees and I knew I would be sweltering in a matter of minutes. It was close to 90 when I finished.
I only got in one lap of the race course at IDB. I was running out of time before I had to be home for my monkeys. I actually would have ridden more than that because I do one lap in less than an hour and I rode for almost 1.5 hours. Off the bike and to the run. Now, again, I have to cut this shorter than I wish. 45 minutes.
I had some great LSD workouts earlier in the week, so even though I am bummed I didn’t get as much time as I wanted: I know my 3500 swim on Thursday is sitting with me really well. My 7 mile run on the hilly technical section of NS is sitting with me really well. And 15 miles on the mountain bike, hell, I don’t even get warmed up for 7, No worries.
Today I renewed my USAT membership.
I am very excited about racing. I haven’t raced an XTERRA in many moons. I took a break to do Leadville for 2 years, and then, last year, the week before Las Vegas, I broke my jaw.
I plan on running until I puke, literally. I plan on swimming until I dry heave, I plan on riding until I crash.
Oh, shit, my lungs are tightening up. I have the filter going. Last night I wanted to hang out with my friends, and yes drink 2 beers, Red Bridge. Of course, everyone wanted to be outside. I, want to be outside too, but for me, being outside in the Gas Patch has it consequences: I stayed until my lungs began to hurt. I was so itchy all over, and I felt, the pocs forming. I have never had an immediate reaction like that. Usually, it’s been 3 days. I have new ones all over my face, all over my back, on my legs, on my upper arms, on my chest, my head and I am praying to God, that they don’t come out around my mouth. They’re there, I am praying. Oh, I have one in my ear too.
I am very close to going to the hospital, if they come out on my mouth, I have to go. That’s depressing, I shouldn’t pretend all the time that everything is OK. I am not depressed, I am not going to say I don’t ever get depressed. I do think, it’s important to keep it real, you know tell the truth, so there aren’t any surprises.
When I have feelings, I have them, I don’t hold them in, I feel them, and then, I move on and am my little ol’ happy racing self.
I am 42 years old, I have done much self discovery and I have studied many faiths. I feel confident in what I know, I always strive to learn more. We can always, always, get closer to God. We can always become better people, smarter people, people who acknowledge that there is more to life than meets the eye.
Happiness is not a destination, it’s a way to travel.
Life is too good, to let the small stuff let you down.
And, it’s all small stuff.
And can I please figure out more stuff to put by the curb? I can’t handle all the stuff…
Today it was so sweet, this lady actually rang our door knob to see if it was OK if she took our lamp we had put out there. Now, that there is someone with good intentions. That’s the kind of person you want working for you.
I have made many associations about feeling like a victim of the Holocaust being lead into the showers to be killed with gas. I spent many years studying the Holocaust when I was younger, interviewing survivors. It’s a fascination that I have had my entire life. People don’t like when I tell them that I feel the calmness of disparity, I feel as if I too am walking with my Jewish Brothers to the showers in incineration. I have reason to believe, that I to am a “survivor” of the Holocaust. Some people will understand this association, and others will shake their head in not knowing, or believing.
Just as we have a choice of having a good day or a bad day when we get out of the bed every morning, or what kind of choice we decide to make when we have something in our reality happen that can be defined negatively. It’s a choice. What our spirit decides to do once we transition to the afterlife, I believe, is also a choice. Some stay, finish business, or bug families, or were so unhappy they just haunt. Some spirits are done, and go to sit with God, while others are given the destiny to be reborn. Living different lives, learning, growing, until their spirit is so pure, and knowledgeable, and Christ like, that then, they are truly ready to be one with God in the Universe. While, others, just die.
I will never know, why I get so deep sometimes.
Just as I listen with my program design, my priorities, and what I put here, I trust and know there is a reason.
This week is going to be short week, with lots of intensity, and I can hardly wait.
I’m not sure how excited I am about cleaning the bike…
I am super excited about racing. This is truly my first race in over a year. I do believe, I will be having my one year anniversary of breaking my jaw very close to the Xterra South Central Championship.
I believe, there are two reasons I broke my jaw.
1) to get the passion back, and remember I only do this for fun. Winning is only the frosting on the cake
2) You know.
As I told, my tour guide: “I don’t care if I qualify for Worlds, (which by the way, I want to do) or I totally lose, as long as I have a good time and keep smiling”.
That’s truly what life is all about.