Almost here...

The weather has been gorgeous lately. Can't ask for a better climate to liv ein during the summer.

I am only a handful of days away from the Pacific Coast Triathlon. If you are just joining me, it is the sprint national championship and the sole world championship qualifier. Since my last post, i have bought a new wetsuit, which is interesting to say the least, and kept up my training. My swim is getting better and my run is coming along. Still not where i want but i think it will be good enough for the race. I am unsure where my cycling is. I know I have the strength, but i am not sure where my speed is at.

I ran the "Four on the Fourth" race on July 4th. It was the Flagstaff inaugural installment of the race. 4 miles on the wonderful urban trails we have in Flagstaff. It is an interesting race because everyone starts in waves according to their age and gender. For instance the oldest women start before everyone else. In this particular case, the first wave went off 12 minutes ahead of the last wave, which happened to be mine. There were something like 65 or 70 runners in the race. Meaning, being the last to start, that I had to pass every single person if i wanted to win. It makes it nice for me, because i am a back of the pack kind of runner. Meaning, I go faster when I have people to catch and pass.

I wasn't expecting much from the race due to the lack of any speed training yet this summer, but, as usual, I surprised myself. My first mile split was 5:53. I have not run under 6 minutes since december because of my constant injuries and build-up training. So, it was good. I finished the race in 10th place. Although, I think I had the 3rd or 4th fastest overall time. As I said earlier, someone who started, let's say, 6 minutes ahead of me could run five minutes slower in total time, but cross the finish a minute ahead because of the handicap. Kind of a bummer. But, the top-10 won certificates, so I can't complain. And knowing that I was faster than most in the top-10 anyway makes it easier to digest anyway.

To more recent news. I did my first 'brick' workout today. A bike-transition-run workout. I know, it is probably too late to get any benefit from the workout before next weekends race. I felt alright, although my legs had nothing for the hills towards the end of my run. Otherwise, it wasn't too bad. And my transition felt pretty 'ok' too.

I am still really nervous for the race. It is the biggest one of my triathlon racing career so far and I am just praying that everything goes good. It is going to be quite exciting, no matter the outcome.