Go Bucket Go: Week 9 - How do you eat an elephant?

Week 9 - Build Week

Q. How do you eat an elephant?
A. One bite at a time.

This is what our coaches say to us each time we struggle with our training. For me that elephant is the prize. It's a goal I want to achieve. I realized the other day I've got huge goals this summer.

1. Wildflower Olympic Distance Triathlon
2. Vineman 70.3
3. Barbs Race 70.3 (2 weeks after Vineman - yeah crazy)
4. Nautica Malibu Classic Distance Triathlon

Goals. It's all about the goals and working towards them. When you put in the effort the reward is yours. Yeah Yeah don't look at me to be a motivational speaker or anything - I'm crazy and I know it. But it's the crazy that fuels this motivation.

This weekend we had our first Open Water Swim. All week I thought about it and had been freaking myself out. I tried affirmations. I tried motivational quotes. I went on YouTube and looked up Open Water Swims. I wanted something, anything to tell me it was going to be OK. Why do I do this to myself?

I went in the water like a champ. I basically told myseld 'Susan (I call myself that when I'm upset)...Susan get your ass in the water! You can do this' It started out OK. I saw my teammates in front of me swimming and I went in with them. Kept on swimming and not looking back. Then it happened. I looked back. Then came on my anxiety attack. Tears. Get me out. I want to go back. I'm done. I had two of my teammates swimming next to me and I just wanted to reach out and grab their hand. Each time I saw them swimming away I screamed don't leave me - they were only 5 feet away. Sigh. OK I swam one lap, made it out alive. I was done. I went back to my coach and said OK I did it. Done. Then I saw my teammates doing more laps. :( Insert my 'I am a failure' face. Some of my teammates convinced me to go back in and just swim to the guy on the surf board (sorry don't know your name). FINE. I can do this. Put wetsuit back on and get to it. I was OK then it happened again, gosh darn it darn anxiety attack. But I did it. I swam to the surf board and swam back out. Was very happy I did it, but also disappointed I only did one lap. One bite at a time!

After all of this..we went for a 7 mile run. Insert huge grin.

Sunday - Oh Mandy
I've avoided this route with a passion. Each time I knew the team was doing this I would skip practice and avoid it. You will always hear me say I hate hills.

I didn't know what course we were doing nor did I know the mileage, which is a good thing for me. If I know what we are doing I have freak out moments. I am learning to embrace it all. So here goes.

We had to do hill repeats on Amfali Road (aka. F.U.Amfali). I was like why does this feel so good? I was spinning and spinning and going for it.

After Amfali I got on Sunset Boulevard and headed to Mandeville Canyon Road. Mandeville is known for having some crazy hills. Yep I hate hills. As we were riding I kept talking to myself. I kept asking myself what was I so scared of. It's a hill climb big deal, you did Wildflower hills last weekend, if you can do that you can surely do this. Insert proud of myself face 'I did it'. YES I DID!

While doing hill repeats sucks I am noticing the difference. I am more confident with this whole triathlon thing. I can do all 3 sports.