This is my current setup. I took my bike into the local shop for new tires and they found a suspicious spot in the carbon on the front wheel so it is on its way back to Zipp to be evaluated. So I'll use one race wheel, and one training wheel. It's just more incentive to pedal a little harder.
So....what is the race outlook for Saturday? Well, the water will be chilly and exhilarating for sure - low 60's. But having done fine in Auckland's very chilly and choppy waters, I'll manage just fine. Low of 46, high of 69, 10% chance of rain. I'll take it!
The "mojo" forecast is a little less certain. It's only been this week that I've started to see its return. (I like this definition of mojo: that positive spirit toward what we are doing now that starts on the inside and radiates to the outside.)
Till this week, I have felt pretty flat. No mojo. Heavy legs, heavy spirit. How can three miles seem so long after a marathon? My goal since emerging from the Boston fog, over and above all, is to restore that "lightness of being." What keeps me training and racing is that almost transcendent state of mind. You just know when you have it, and you know when you don't. It got a bit buried in the Boston aftermath.
Just in the last few days I've seen signs of that lightness (a byproduct of gratefulness I believe), re-emerging. So my goal for Saturday is to tap into that, to have a positive race, to push it a bit on the swim and bike, and to have some patience with myself on the run.
This race is just about getting back in the game and recharging the "mojo" for summer training and A races in August/September.
I really don't know what I will have on Saturday, but I'm looking forward to finding out. No pressure, no expectations, just letting it unfold.
Longevity in this sport is so much about attitude and mindset. I was reminded of that by Lindsay Cotter, wife of pro triathlete James Cotter. Read her post on 'Glad it's over: Race Weekend." They keep perspective, humor, and grace through the ups and downs of the sport -- and through a weekend that was full of unplanned challenges!
With that I am reminded of those wise, powerful, and timeless words of all the ages - "Suck it up Buttercup".
