I have thought a lot about what my goals are for my first triathlon this upcoming weekend. I was told that my only goal should be to have fun and make it to the finish line with a smile on my face. I am way too competitive for that. While I plan to have a blast, and make it to the finish line...I also plan to do it in a certain time that is challenging to me. Here are my goals:
Swim:
1. Do not be afraid to pass someone. Dan (swim coach) told me that he was afraid I would just hang at someones feet during the race and slow myself down.
2. Beat my seed time. This means I have to pass people :)
3. Have fun and feel strong in the water. I have been going to 5am swim practices twice a week for several weeks for this damn race, so I am going to swim my little heart out!
Transitions:
1. Considering I have only done my own transition practice, I have no idea what is is going to be like having hundreds of people around me trying to do the same thing. My goal here is to get in and out as quickly as I safely can.
2. And to not forget anything! This is a short race so I think I will be ok. And I made a packing list!
Bike:
1. Mount and dismount my bike with out falling.
2. I would like to average about 16-17 miles per hour. This is a pace that I can sustain...I will push myself to go faster if I feel I can and still have power in my legs for the run.
Run:
1. Beat my 5k PR. Sounds intense, right? Well the only 5k I have ever ran was this summer for a Crystal City 5k and I was sick. So it shouldn't be too hard ;)
2. Keep good form- high leg turnover, slight forward lean, mid foot strike
3. Push myself. After the Philly half marathon, I switched my running focus to shorter, faster workouts. My "natural" pace is around a 10 minute mile. I can hold that for several miles. But since I only have to run 3.2 miles, I want to push myself to run as fast as I can without burning out. I expect this to be slightly faster than an 8:30 pace.
so in conclusion...have fun, make it to the finish line with a smile on my face, and go as fast as I can :)
Great goals Lauren! Good luck on your tri this weekend !! :)
ReplyDeleteGood luck- my only goal for my first tri was to finish with a smile... oh and I set a time to finish under. Guess what? I finished with a smile and my goal time but it was the smile that made it all worth it. Don't forget to have fun, thats what makes all of this worth it!
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