So I'm Racing this Weekend...

Have you ever had a haircut that just pisses you off?  I got a haircut tonight, same person I've been going to for years, and it's not that she did a bad job, and it is relatively similar to the same haircut I've gotten for the past four years, but there are enough differences that I just don't like it.  I've decided that it makes me look old, frumpy, and boring.  Mr. Sweetie, of course, has tried to appease me.  I told him to just let me sulk and, like a good husband, he has kept his distance.  I suppose this harkens back to the dark ages of junior high when I had the world's worst hair cut.  You think I am being dramatic, but I am not.  At least right now I can take solace in the fact that my piss-me-off haircut of today does NOT make me look like a boy (sadly, the same couldn't be said about my junior high haircut debacle).

Vent over.

I have a race this weekend.  I don't usually talk about races on my blog before they happen (superstition - hard word to spell, by the way).  But with the way my past few races have gone down (Seventh Ring of Hell - I mean Vegas - Lake Placid, Rev3 Quassy), obviously this whole superstition thing hasn't really worked.  Oh, and I have nothing else exciting to report, so pre-race crap it is!

The good news: no need to board a plane to get to Poconos 70.3, as it's being held in the great state of Pennsylvania, our friendly neighbor to the north.  I've raced a grand total of once in PA (oh, make that twice - did a Turkey Trot in Pittsburgh once).  I remember bonking pretty good on the run at that triathlon (Black Bear?  It's now defunct) and every time now that I don't feel like eating on the run, I remind myself of that bonk and that makes me force another gel down the hatch pretty quickly.  More good news - temperatures will be in the low 60s, which is about 45-50 degrees COOLER than Vegas.  THIS is very good news.  Do you want to know even MORE good news??  The run is NOT 3x2 mile hill repeats.  All in all, Poconos is sounding mighty fine right now.

There really isn't any bad news.  I'm excited to race, though I haven't felt super nervous or anything this week.  I started my pancake binge a few days early when Mr. Sweetie made me pancakes on Tuesday while I was on the trainer.  So nice.  I've been getting enough sleep.  I probably could do without the apple pie, but I love apple pie and it makes me happy, so it stays.

Goals for the race?  Go fast.  Go faster than I have in my other half Ironmans recently.  Stay focused during the swim and come out of the water in a time that's an improvement over my usual - and ever predictable - 35 minute swims.  Bike my face off.  And run like I stole something.  Overarching goal - come away from this race feeling like I gave it all I had, that the journey and final result are something I can be proud of, and I stayed focused and motivated from start to finish.  None of this rolling into T2 thinking "womp womp, guess who doesn't want to run 13.1 miles."  Wrong attitude.  I'm going to spend the bike ride getting pumped up for the run.  It is time to MOVE ON from the crummy race performance that was Vegas and make happier memories.