Where's My Crystal Ball?

Tomorrow is race day – the Monument 10K. At least 30 TRIgirls are running the race – almost all of us on one of six teams.

Before getting into the purpose of this post, I have to say, actual race days are so much more fun because of TRIgirls. From seeing the friends you’ve trained with for months out on the course to the extra cheering squads to the pre and post race activities. I feel so fortunate to be a part of this group and to be surrounded by so many wonderful women.

As part of our pre-race festivities, Coach G posted a challenge to the TRIgirl teams – to guess our finishing times. The team whose predictions are closest to their overall times wins.

At first I was going to predict a 64ish minute time – which was about 3 minutes faster than last year’s race. Then I remembered I ran the Turkey Trott this past November in about 64 minutes – and convinced myself to go for a little extra push beyond my comfort zone. So, I changed my estimate to 61:40. I will have to average a sub 10 minute/mile pace to hit this. As long as I am not having a bad day – I “should” be able to do this. There is even a chance that if I am having a great day, I may even be able to do better.

Yet, I am a bit queasy with this goal. Due to very stiff and sore muscles this week, my last two runs have been less than stellar. I've felt like I was moving through quick sand and could barely keep my easy pace. Today is the first day that I have been able to walk like a normal person. I am hoping it is a good sign that my muscles will be completely recovered tomorrow morning.

And I have to factor in time to grab at a special frozen banana from one of our TRIgirl cheering squads – as long as I am not too delirious and can remember the secret word.

Watch out for the sea of pink that will be invading Monument Avenue tomorrow!

Good luck, racers – and especially all TRIgirls!