It’s been exactly one year since my very first triathlon.  Which was a complete disaster.  But I finished it. Tomorrow morning is the Lake St. Louis Triathlon.  And once again, I am signed up for the long course.

Ever since conquering Racine 70.3, I have been looking forward to LSL more than words can describe.  This course is the true test of how far I’ve come in the past year.  Last year it was about survival.  But that pretty much sums up 2012 in general. This year is about proving to myself that I’m the most improved competitor in the field.  And I am quite positive I will be.  Or I was quite positive.  Until I came down with this stupid summer cold bug on Monday and it’s been kicking my butt all week.

Seriously, since my run at Castlewood to start off the week, I have done absolutely nothing.  It is so hard to “be smart and listen to my body” when I really want to be well prepared to go out there on Saturday and kick ass.  Instead, I’ve been sitting around all week, sleeping as much as I can and eating everything in sight.  Well, I guess there is something to be said for carb loading.  And this is like the ultimate taper.  Starve a fever, feed a cold, right?  Well, that’s what I’ve been doing.  The first day of my sore throat I had no appetite what so ever.  And then it came back with a vengeance.  Bagels, mac & cheese, waffles, cereal, ice cream, you name it.  I can’t stop eating!

Anyway, while I’ve been sitting around not working out, I’ve had plenty of time to look at my results from last year.  My overall time was just under 3 hours and 14 minutes.  I was second to last in my wave on the swim portion.  I moved up a few spots on the bike.  And I ended up finishing just barely ahead of the bottom third.  My transition times were ridiculous.  You might think I laid down to take a nap between the swim and the bike.

Ever since Racine, my goal has been sub 3.  I mentioned that to Ally yesterday and she asked, “Does 2 hours, 59 minutes and 59 seconds count?”  Yep, sure does!

And quite honestly, I think this is very feasible.  Or I did…until the sick thing came and whooped my butt.  Ugh.  So frustrating.  And swimming with a stuffy head, no fun.  Especially when it feels like I’m swallowing razorblades.  So, bring on the ibuprofen and Sudafed.

I have obsessed over the numbers.  I’d like to think I can take about 7-8 minutes off my swim time.  Which might sound ridiculous, but if you saw me swim last year, well, that was REALLY ridiculous.  I averaged 17 mph on the bike at LSL last year, and I was a little faster than that in Racine, which was twice as far, so I know I can knock a couple minutes off that time.  The run?  Well, I ran about the same pace at both, so that might not change a whole lot.  But I’m pretty sure I can cut down some time in the transitions.  Can I cut 14 minutes from what I did last year?  That’s a lot but honestly, yeah, I believe that I can.

This tri, like I said, is a true test of my progress.  And even if things don’t go as planned, I already know that I’ve come a long way since last year.  I learned how to swim.  I bought a real bike.  Heck I finished 70.3 in Racine.  With waves like the OCEAN!  So, I really don’t have to finish LSL in any particular time, or finish it at all for that matter, to know how far I’ve come.

But it sure would be nice to be able to go out there and see what I’m truly capable of.  Hopefully, my sinuses will clear up, my throat will be fine, my energy restored and I can get after it!  But here’s the thing…when has there ever been a time that some unexpected something hasn’t come up to try to hold me back?  There’s always something…a sprained ankle, a hurricane, a bum knee, a heat wave in Canada for crying out loud!!!  And that’s life.  Unexpected things pop up all the time.  I can let it slow me, stop me, break me.  Or I can look at it and say, No way, I’m doing this!  So, cold-schmold, I’m not letting this silly thing hold me back.

Lake St. Louis might have kicked my butt last year, but it sure as hell won’t happen again.  It occurred to me today, that I did LSL last year with my married name.  A couple days later I got the notice that the divorce was final and I was free and clear to go back to using Jacobs.  So, #315 is ready to take on this tri tomorrow.  LJ is out for redemption!

It’s go time.

Lindsey squared at the LSL Tri 2012