Single Digits and Reflections

Today is officially 10 days until Nation's, and it blows my mind that we're almost in single digits. I feel like I'm finally getting a handle on the season and the fundraising and TNT and the season is winding down! Don't get me wrong - I'll be happy to have my weekends back, to not have to bug you all for money all the time. But I've really enjoyed this season, and I've loved the program. There will be a lot about this program that I'll miss when it's done. But luckily, I can do it all over again next year! (Speaking of which, I'm considering the San Diego Marathon in June, 2013 - want to do it with me and TNT? Let me know!)

This weekend we had a long bike ride, run AND a long open water swim, and this meant a lot of time alone with my thoughts to reflect on this past season, and how far I've actually come.

One of the things that's surprised me is how gradual the progress has felt. At the start of the season, a 400 meter continuous swim was an overwhelming proposition. But I kept at it, stuck to the workouts, and then one day I swam a mile (1600 meters). And then a few weeks ago, I swam a mile in open water. (For those that have never swam in open water, I'd liken it to the difference between running on a treadmill and then running outside. In theory it's the same exercise, but actually very, very different in practice.)

That's a huge difference in just 12 weeks. When I started in May, I had no idea how I'd handle the swim. And now, I'm not too worried about it. I'll chalk it up to hard work, great coaching, tons of support and a really well thought out program. I truly don't think I could have made this much progress on my own.

So now I've got 10 days left. Almost all of the work is done. I've got a one more hard workout this weekend, and then I'll start tapering into race weekend. I've never felt this ready for a race before, and I know that's a direct result of Team in Training, our coaches and our program. I feel ready and I feel excited. And hey, maybe I'll even have some fun out there!