Thankful Thursday: What are you grateful for?

Because this is a running/tri blog, I'm going to try to keep the list narrowed down, but five things I'm thankful for right now are:

1) The number of races here in SoCal - seriously, if you wanted to race every single weekend of the year, I'm pretty sure there'd be one within 50 miles of where I live.  Granted, you'd need an unlimited budget, because it gets pretty pricey, but you could do it.

2) Other athletes - last weekend I ran a sprint triathlon down in San Diego and I went by myself.  At first I was kind of bummed, because after the race I didn't really think I'd have anyone to hangout with until the opened the parking lot.  However, I met some really awesome women standing in the line waiting for our results and we had some great conversation.  Turned out that one of the ladies has the same triathlon coach as me!  Small world.



3) My best buddy Leonie - she's the one who got me started into this crazy world of triathlons.  Although I had NO idea what I was getting into, I followed her to my first race and absolutely fell in love with multi-sport races.  She's been an inspiration along the way and I love her for that and so many other things.  She's taught me simple things like how to maintain my bike, how to pack for a race, and how to push myself when I don't think I have it in me.  Unfortunately she's all the way on the east coast now :-(


4) Gorgeous Weather - living in SoCal, I've become soft.  I expect the weather to be 70 and sunny year round.  Pretty spoiled living we have out here.  But while I am stationed here, I have the privilege of enjoying how wonderful it is!  Even when it rains, it's still warm enough to head out on a run and not bundle up.

5) Running Skirts - I only have one of these, but their flagship store is right here in Encinitas!!!  I absolutely love my running skirt and will definitely get down there to get another one.  It's super comfy.  

Wordless Wednesday

Tracking Progress

I'm a huge fan of spreadsheets and data crunching...yes, I lead a thrilling life.  There's something exciting about putting a bunch of numbers or data points together to identify a trend, whether it's a positive or negative trend.  I despise statistics without meaning.  I want to know what factors haven't been included, what have, and how accurate the results are.  

So, where am I going with this?  Since I started doing triathlons, I decided it would be important to keep track of how I did in each one.  Unfortunately, triathlons are a bit different than your standard running races.  A half marathon, regardless of where you run it, will ALWAYS be 13.1 miles.  However, a sprint triathlon can have varying differences for the swim, bike, and run distances.  This made tracking my progress somewhat difficult.  Therefore I decided to add a few more columns to my spreadsheet and it involved a bit of math (not my forte), but I calculated out my pace per kilometer or mile (depends on how the race distances are calculated).  

Do you track your race stats?  How do you do it?

Race Prep Helpers

The most nervous part of a race for me is the night before any race.  When I was only doing running races, it was easy to get my gear together.  I never forgot my shoes or my race number.  Then I ventured into the world of triathlons...that added a whole new aspect to the pre-race night jitters!  There's so much stuff to remember!  

For anyone that's venturing out to do their first triathlon, I highly recommend you use a racing checklist.  You can find great ones at any of these sites:

http://triathlon.racechecklist.com/

http://www.onetri.com/newsdesk_info.php?newsdesk_id=1

http://www.rei.com/learn/expert-advice/triathlon-checklist.html

Here are some other tips that can help you ensure a smooth morning on your big race day:

1) Fill up your water bottles the night before with whatever electrolyte replacement drink you want to take on the bike with you.  

2) If the bike portion of the ride is long, use a small piece of electrical tape to attach an energy gel pack to your bike.  If you just tape the top of it to the bike, you can easily tear off the top and eat the gel while on the go!

3) Put your bike, bike shoes, helmet, wetsuit (if you're wearing one), and post-race snacks in the car the night before.  Helmets and shoes are commonly forgotten items!

Sleeping the night before is always tough for me.  I toss and turn and worry about waking up late. 

Does anyone have some tips for how to get a good night's rest before the race???