Sunday is my last race of the 2013 season. This includes any race, any size, and sport, anything. I'm kind of looking forward to it right now. To be honest, I have not been the best in keeping my training regime since Maine, and I'm ok with it. There is a huge letdown after an "A" race is completed and taking the time to recover and then planning for a new race is both physically and mentally exhausting.
I decided to race in the Ulman Cancer Fund Olympic Triathlon which is sponsored by Rev3. Part of the reasons for me doing this race are the location since the drive isn't that bad for me. The other part is the cause. The race benefits children with cancer and there isn't that much of a better cause than that. Everything I hear about this race has been incredible. If you remember, this is the race that Lance Armstrong did last year after he was banned from competition. While I am not a supporter of Armstrong and have nothing really good to say about him, the race got a lot of publicity last year. That only benefited the race and the donations coming in. The 2013 race is Armstrong free (thankfully), so it is back to being sanctioned by USAT.
The other reason to do this race is the partnership with Rev3. Rev3 is the primary sponsor for the race and I loved racing in Maine for their race. Additionally, if I do well enough, there is a chance that I can qualify for the Rev3 Age Group championships in Knoxville, TN in 2014. The race is both a Half Iron and an Olympic. Based on last year's times, I think I can do well enough to garner enough points to qualify for the championships. I don't think I need to make a podium finish (which I would love), but probably place in the top 10 or so in my Age Group. So far that hasn't really been a huge problem this year so I'm excited to try for that.
That has been the ultimate driving force over the past 4 weeks for my training. Without having a fall marathon scheduled for the first time in 4 years, I need something to hold on to for me to keep pushing myself this late in the season and having the ability to place and qualify for a championship style race is exactly that. Between taking this race as a nice, fun end of season race as well as a chance to qualify for the championship race, I found my motivation. It's been too often where I've stopped short of a run outside because I didn't have it in me that day. Or since the outdoor olympic size pool I train in during the summer is now closed, it was hard to adjust back into a smaller indoor pool. If I didn't have this race, then I would have had even more excuses to just skip a day or two of training.
That's what I'm looking forward to in a week. I've been going hard since January for a whole bunch of races. I actually never had an offseason, so with mine coming up, I can see the finish line and I can push that little extra since I know it will all be over so soon.
It's a different feeling this last race week. If I don't do well, then it doesn't matter to me. All I want to do is sit back, relax, and enjoy the race. Then all I want to do is literally sit back and relax...until next season starts.
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