I cannot believe my first race of 2014 is only 16 days away! EEK!! It has been a lovely off-season though. I had some great work-outs in Argentina and some nice time at home over the holidays.
I came back from Christmas break and was really thrown into it. Now that I am near the end of this training block I can say that I enjoyed it! I sort of had to pre-plan my weeks a few days before they happened or everything I needed to get done would topple into destruction. I also really tried to get more sleep this semester. It has been tricky because I always feel like I need to be studying and it is so easy to trade sleep for studying but I know how bad this is for the ol brain and bod.
I am very excited to go into this season with all of the things I learned from my last season. I seriously need to make a list and go over it…mostly to go over the mental lessons. As I sit typing this I can feel the rush of racing and am so excited to be back there.
I am headed to Panama the Thursday before the race and should arrive late Thursday night. The race is Sunday so I have some time to acclimate and HOPEFULLY get somewhat used to the heat before the race. Ummm questionable. I have been forgoing the fan on a lot of my trainer work outs to try and suffer a bit more but I know the 90 degree temps will be brutal.
One thing I learned in Norway was to really rest my legs before the race, even minimal walking. Even though I would like to explore the area I really need to make myself rest up in the hotel room and stay hydrated and get the jet lag gone ASAP. One thing my coach taught me is that sleep is sleep and whenever you can get it before a race is good, even if you are not making it onto the schedule. This took the stress away for me that I get when I cannot fall asleep when traveling.
The Monday after the race I will be volunteering at SpayPanama, a local animal shelter that works with the stray cat and dog populations of Panama. I am so excited! I was definitely inspired by Do More Than Sport and their initiative to help out in the communities where you race. Even though I am only able to give a day of my time I hope to help in any way I can there and that this can be a spot I can return to once I am a veterinarian to really help with their initiative.
If you want more information on Spay Panama then click here.
atrihuntress 