Post swim relaxing
Some days seem a little longer and more tiring than others…
I felt a bit tired as I approached my third and last Half-Ironman of this season. As the race date approaches, it is easy to entertain negative thoughts: I`m tired…do I really want to do this…why spend so much money…packing requires so much effort…and on and on. I described in an earlier blog how these negative thoughts and feelings can build to the point where the negative thoughts are overwhelming and the athlete cannot start the race. Sometimes it is hard to separate the reality from the anxiety.
As with every race, I followed my routine: I arrived at the venue early, picked up the race packet, walked through the expo and the transition area, checked into the hotel, then changed to go for a swim.
I was familiar with Mirror Lake, having trained in Lake Placid NY in past years. Regardless how many times I have swum a course in the past, I always swim at the race venue a day or two before the event.
My wife and I changed and walked over to the beach. Mirror Lake has a municipal beach and the course is always laid out and available to swimmers. I went in the water “sans wetsuit”. The feeling of freedom and pleasure flowed over me as I started to swim in the calm waters. The temperature was a comfortable 69F; the water was sweet. After 1200m of swimming, my fatigue and doubts were washed away. I was ready to race.
Jacques Adam
Triathlete
