Mission Bay in T-2 Weeks and Photos!

Here we go again... doing a countdown to a race.  March through October seems to follow the pattern... countdown to a race... race... set new training schedule... countdown to a race... race... that is what I call "Tri Season!"

2 weeks from today is my last race of the season, and one of my favorites - the Mission Bay Triathlon.  This will be my 3rd year doing this long established sprint tri and I am really looking forward to this distance!  This year, I completed (2) international distance tris and a metric century and I've been thinking a lot about doing this sprint distance race while doing my training for the past few months.

While doing benchmarks for the international distance races,  I was often frustrated with myself because I found that after months and months of training, my splits for my swim, run and bike were the same as my sprint splits.  For example... my 500 meter swim benchmark was 10 minutes and my 1,000 meter benchmark was 20 minutes.  My 3 mile run benchmark was 30 minutes and my 6 mile benchmark was 60 minutes.  I thought, "What the HECK!?"  I've done all this training and I can't even speed up my split times?  Then a good friend brought be back to the real world... "Tracey, you have doubled your distance and ARE STILL able to pace each mile as if they were sprint distances!  Most people would slow as they add on miles, but you are pushing on, with consistent splits, no matter how many extra miles you are adding!" 

So I went with that as I competed in my first international distance tris this year and felt pretty good.  Of course, I want to speed up my race, but that is what I will concentrate on during this off season.  Back to my Mission Bay training... I expected my training would once again, meet those benchmarks that I have been hitting all year... BUT... this time, when I lowered my distances back to the sprint distances... MY BENCHMARK TIMES HAVE ALL DECREASED... and pretty significantly!  When triathletes consider a 30 second cut from their previous years' time a huge victory, I am planning for a 10 MINUTE cut this year!  And I'm ON TRACK to make that GOAL HAPPEN!  Wooo Hoooo!!!

Onto the photos... I'm not going to lie... fitting in the training and eating properly has been very difficult since going back to work in February... and since the San Diego International in June, my workouts are averaging only (4) times per week. (AUGH!)


198.8 pounds

202.0 pounds

I've continued with my small group weight/cardio training twice per week... my race times are getting faster and faster... and although I've put on 3 pounds in the past 7 weeks, my size 12 clothes (down from size 20) are still fitting me just fine!  This is why if you are going to start on a weight loss journey, YOU HAVE TO TAKE PHOTOS!  I have put this off for almost 2 months and... from what I see, I'm looking better now than I did 7 weeks ago!

The numbers on the scale are just part of your personal benchmark.  Take the photos.  Take your measurements.  Feel how your clothes fit.  Just as I was so obsessed... and then depressed... about my training benchmark numbers, I was getting stronger and faster and didn't even know it!

Set your goals.

Record your benchmarks.

And CELEBRATE your success!!!