Lessons learnt yesterday

I need to put it "on paper" otherwise I might forget all about my good resolutions:

-         - Be more focused, even if it is an unimportant race. I did not think about the race enough, I was quite indifferent to the whole thing. I went there with the attitude, let’s just fake the whole race, which I did and it showed big time. I think that I had this attitude because I knew that my swim sucks, my bike sucks and my run sucks, and if I am not ready fitness-wise I cannot enjoy it and have nothing to look forward to in a race.

-         - Practice transitions- last time I “practiced” transition was last year in August in a triathlon. So there was a 12-month hiatus. And if I do not have opportunity to practice them, at least go through the transition in my head for Pete’s sake!

-         - Memorize what my bike looks like so I can find it. Or ride it more. That will solve not only the I-do-not-remember-what-my-bike-looks-like-problem but also the run-off the bike problem.

-        -  Do not go travelling and vacationing one week before the race. Although to my defense, this trip was inevitable, I had to go to the embassy. And even I have heart and thus could not go to my home country without spending one week with my family.

-        -  Buy triathlon shoes and do that shoes-on-a-bike-thing.

-         - Go sockless- need to buy those tri shoes first.

-       -   Do brick sessions- as suggested by both PPC and Michelle, I should do brick sessions to learn how to run off the bike. But let me tell you something, I do brick sessions. I usually try to do my weekly easy run after a bike ride. The problem is that I have done exactly 5 bike rides since the beginning of June so I guess that I have not profited from those bricks all that much... My bike is on hold to work on my swim, although so far it is not showing. But I am not giving up just yet and will continue doing my weekly 15-17k in a pool until I develop flippers! And then I got that weird knee pain from biking and abandoned the bike training all together.

-        -  Train, train, train. Mindfully. My training since January is a perfect example of a haphazardous training (except run training, I trust PPC in that one). I know that my sessions do not have purpose and everything is very mindless. I need a coach. I have always known that but this year was even crazier and less predictable than my last few years so it made no sense to have a coach. I am excited when I start training with a coach later this year again. I cannot wait! (Of course, I have to find one first)