- I can swim 1.2 miles in open water -- and the secrets were to relax, enjoy myself, breathe, breathe some more, hum, laugh a little, sight a lot... and when that annoying boy keeps crossing back and forth in front of me there is no reason for me to sit back and take it instead I can speed up, cut him off and if his face happens to hit my feet, well.. sometimes that happens.
- Swimming a 1.2 miles open water swim one day can impact your performance in a sprint triathlon the next day. So can a sprained ankle. So can big hills on the run. These things are obvious once you think about them but unfortunately you don't seem to think about them until after they have happened.
- Swim practice REALLY helps. With all my foot and calf injuries the past six months I have had the chance to focus on my swimming. As a result, I cut my 750 meter time by 18%. Needless to say, I was pleased.
- There are no words to describe the importance of understanding and supportive teammates and all the amazing roles they play -- food service, driver, passenger, cheer section, family, motivator, comedian, coach, therapist, sherpa. I am often exhausted in life by all the problems I need to solve and duties I need to perform for other people. It overwhelms me. But with my team, I never feel this because no matter how much I offer, they are all there offering back tenfold. The Team Z community was rocking the whole weekend and was there when I needed them and, equally as important, let me go when I needed some alone downtime.
- I have almost perfected my packing list! Very glad I had this practice weekend before my big race. Logistics and preparation are not an afterthought for triathlon, they are a critical part of the sport. Oh, and my new awesome BIPOLAR pill box sure helped!
- I don't need to apologize for my need for space before and after a race and it's okay for me not to participate in every part of team weekend. When timelines are involved, I am just more comfortable working on my own and that is okay. Some people are better in groups. And so it is.
- Still haven't nailed the nutrition after about 1.5 hours. Will continue to prioritize this in long workout practices in the next few weeks.
- It is really a lot of fun to watch your friends win when you know how much work it takes to get there; whether winning means completing your first triathlon, first open water swim, coming back to the sport after an injury, making a personal record on a course or flat out getting second place in your age group in your first triathlon (shout out to my tri son Tom!).
- I need to perfect my transition-wetsuit-striptease pose -- this just didn't end up looking half as sexy as I had hoped.
- While I LOVED LOVED LOVED having all my awesome friends cheering for me -- no one will ever fully understand what these moments mean to me so it is critical for me to stop and consciously cheer for myself.
And now, in the immortal words of Jay-Z... on to the next one!