State of Mind Headed Into Macon 70.3

I find myself thinking more about the implications of this race than normal. Do I visualize my times for each leg of a tri before racing? Yes. Do I get excited thinking about the numbers on the clock when I cross the finish line? You bet. Do I think about how I'm going to keep my heart rate low and take it nice and slow throughout an entire race? Never. That is until now.

Headed into the Macon Rock N' Rollman half ironman race Saturday, this will be my only focus. Take it slow, keep my pace, and cross the finish line feeling like I have more left in the tank. (hopefully a lot more). This is a totally new approach to a race for me. I'm usually wondering how hard I can push on the bike and how fast I can churn my legs on the run, but that isn't the goal of this race. This race is simply a measure of where I am in my training and endurance as it relates to Ironman Chattanooga (now only 120 days away). I think it will be easy to hold back on the bike as this course is hilly and I know I have 13.1 miles to run after completing the bike leg. The struggle for me will be holding back on the run as I will have legs that are feeling good coming off a relaxed effort on the bike. I usually take off way too fast on the run and I know that while it may not kill me in this race, it would certainly cause major issues in Chattanooga.

So there it is, out in the open. Now I just have to keep that goal in the forefront of my mind on race day. Hold back on the run, and cross the finish line with plenty left in the tank as opposed to leaving everything on the course. I hope my race report is consistent with my goals, but even if it isn't I'll look hard and make sure that I take something away from this race that will help me in the future.