To hell with anxiety
It's the night before the big day and under normal circumstances I'd be an anxiety, panic-ridden wreck.
Except I'm not.
I've struggled with anxiety and panic attacks for the better part of a decade. It's miserable – both mentally and physically. I deal with it by identifying precisely what detail(s) are ruining everything for me and then I systematically debunk or solve them one by one.
So here's how I'm saying 'to hell with anxiety' tonight...
I'm going to panic during the swim. No, I won't. Because I've trained for 4 months and all that training has brought me from doing just a few laps to swimming double the race distance – 1,500m – at least three times a week. And it's FUN.
I'm not going to have the stamina to do all three back to back. Yes, I will. Because I've been training for it. And besides, nobody dies if I have to stop and take a breather.
My time is going to be embarrassing. So what? Even if the race is awful, I still got better at swimming, got faster at running, and got more efficient on the bike. And I've enjoyed it so much, I'll keep doing it until my race times aren't embarrassing.
I won't finish. Yes, I will. Because I've trained for it. But also because the support and well-wishes from family and friends has been amazing...and that will keep me going.
I'll look ridiculous in my wetsuit / triathlon suit. Well..somethings can't be helped....
Geared Up and Ready
With that, I've double checked my list to make sure I had all my gear in order. And damn...it's a lot of gear. And then I'm going the heck to bed.
I'll hit the road for Clemson about 5:30am. That should give us plenty of time to get there, get setup and do some practice laps out in the lake to get warmed up.
Then at 8am, GAME ON!
Let's just hope I can actually sleep tonight...