Let's Tri this Again...

One of the goals I had last week was to find my next mtb race, commit to it and get a specific training plan set up that would help push me to a first place finish. Well, I lost count of how many websites I went through during my search and thought, "jesus... I could totally make this website look NOT HORRIBLE!!!" A bunch of them don't have the location of the race posted, another one has a link to more info on the race that links you to the page you were just on that has that link.. okay, so I know I think that a lot during a typical work day, searching the web, because after all it's my job to make great looking websites that don't leave people thinking, "this looks horrible." But seriously, most mtb race sites really are bad, whether you're a designer or not you can see that!! So anyway, Ryan hasn't been too available this past week to help me find a solid race because of busy/long days at work and now that he's fighting off a cold.. poor guy. :( And since I don't know what the hell I'd be getting myself into when it comes to picking a race, and none of the sites I found were that much of a help, I revisted the old triathlon race circuit to find my next challenge. And, I'm really excited to say I'm gonna do the Long Beach Sprint triathlon this year!!!! WOOT! It looks like it will be an awesome time- flat course = faster race = sarah is happy. And, my sister Liz and her boyfriend are gonna do it too, so that should make things more entertaining!! I'm definitely still going to keep an eye out for a good mtb race for a somewhat-beginner like me, but for now I'm ready to get back in the pool and have another reason to ride some more. By the end of this year, another goal of mine is to do an oly-distance tri but I really need to take it slow with my next-to-worthless knees if I'm gonna start running again. So sprint distance, here I come.... I'll be speed walking and jogging briskly to get to that sprint, but shoot- I'm coming!!!!


the guy in this logo totally looks like he's getting shocked in the chest or something to me. i mean, are finish lines ever that high up on a person?? haha (I'm not weird, I swear...)

The plan:
Beat the chick's time from last year who won the AG I'll be in, of 1:18:34.8. To break it down, her .5 mile swim was 15:05, her 11 mile bike was 36:41 and her 3 mile run was 23:37. My bike is a little faster than hers right now, but I'll definitely need to focus on my swim and just do what I can on the run to make up time. More on that later, I'm sure.

I've talked about this before with Ryan and other friends, but I'll say it again... I know I joke a lot about dominating and winning my AG and I can't deny I just love winning! and so far I've been lucky to reach the podium in a handful of races I've done. But when it comes down to it, I honestly could care less how I place, if I do or don't. For me, comparing personal times to others' is a great way to realize where you're at now and where you COULD be. I've never raced as fast as the girl who won the LB tri last year, but looking at her times, I definitely think I could... so I think her times will be really good to shoot for as I train for this one!

Other triathletes and other racers are really fun to compete against but mostly, they should really just be indications of your personal progress. It shouldn't matter how THEY do because you have absolutely no control over their talents and skill level, and whether or not someone better than you is going to show up in your ag on race day. All that should matter is how you do, especially in an individual sport. That's one of the things I immediately loved about coming into individual sports after volleyball; you are 100% responsible and deserving of every single reward and consequence that comes your way. It's soooo great to know there's no guessing involved, really. OK yeah, unexpected things come up in races and mistakes are made, and/or other people might interfere with your plan. But you don't have to wonder, after working your ass off, after working harder and getting better than anyone you're gonna go up against.. if it will pay off. It always will. because it's not up to you AND 5 or 10 or 20 other people you're on a team with. It's all on you only! There are SO many aspects of team sports I totally love, but this is the 1 thing individual sports have that team sports dont- it's an honest payoff, every time, whether good or bad. :)