Creating my race schedule is tricky. It requires me to be flexible with myself. There are so many factors that need to be considered when deciding on races: location, size of the race, cost, the course, date of the race, race distance, travel time, etc…
Finding races that fit all my criteria can be tricky and even when I find them sometimes it just doesn’t make sense from a financial stand point. This was the in case this weekend.
For several months I had been toying with the idea of racing Super Seal. The timing and the location seemed perfect for a season opener. But as I started to plan for travel I realized the cost of the trip was more than I was willing to spend for a small event that was a “C” race on my schedule.
After much deliberation I decided to pass on Super Seal and opted for an International Duathlon in Morgan Hill. I have to be honest I was kind of relieved that I didn’t have to swim and got to run twice.
Sitting here the day after the race I realize that the swim is my friend. Getting on the bike after a swim is a much more comfortable endeavor than jumping on the bike after a 10k run!
Although the day wasn’t exactly as I hoped for it was a great day! Freeplay pro triathlete and teammate, Kelsey Withrow, won with a huge lead and I was fortunate enough to come 2nd overall. I had the opportunity to dust off some cob webs and most importantly I learned that the swim I so often dread is really my friend.
I will remind myself of this experience at my next triathlon when I am standing at the water’s edge early in the morning wishing they would just cancel the swim!
