my off season - 1st race is Sunday !!

So , it is Thur . I race on Sunday . My first race to put all the work i have done in the off season to the test. And truthfully it is all the work i have done from January 21st till now. I took a long off season after my very full schedule last year of racing around 22 events. yeah, i know.

so i needed the break. What was going to be a month of laying low turned into 3 months of laying low because of the Winter months and it being a struggle to get outside, and then tack on a 1 month trip to south africa to visit my family that i hadnt seen in a while. This all concluded to a few runs and swims here and there without much intensity and focus. But i knew when i set foot on american soil after my trip back home that there were going to be no more excuses. I had gained about , wow - i think 10 or so pounds , and honestly looking back, i dont know how i didnt gain more, because i drank all the wine i wanted and ate everything i had deprived myself of last season. and why ? just because i could. I am not an emotional eater by any means or any of that other crap that people blame for eating alot. I just eat because i enjoy it and i can. All family gatherings , special moments, etc, etc all revolve around eating and drinking, and in return bring even more joy to the occassion. And instead of saying no to these moments. I enjoyed them to the fullest - just because i could. "More wine Natasha ? " - "sure , why not".

So January 21st i started saying "NO" to almost everything i enjoy. And i am totally fine with it, because i know i enjoyed it to the max and more for 3 months. anything worthwhile comes with a price, and while i have started really late to get my game face on for my triathlon season, i was 100 percent ready to put all my chips in . Part of racing to my full potential is that i need to be in the best shape to do that , and i needed to lose all that weight i gained off season and more. I was in ok shape last year, but it was time to take it to another level in training / nutrition/ recovery , etc

So far i have lost about 14 lbs in 3 months. and even better news - i fit into those "skinny jeans" that i have had in my closet for 6 years and held onto for this very day. Is it worth it - definately.

Now the training - Since January 21st , i have been able to follow my coach Siri's plan almost perfectly. I know that her plan will fully prepare me for the races and to reach my goals, so i know i am shorting myself when i dont do a workout. But you know how it is, some days life gets in the way , and you can only do what you can do . this seemed to be the case alot last year, and i had alot of " i dont feel like it " moments. But i can honestly say that this year that hasnt been the case at all. I think i owe that to having a coach who writes a prefect program for me , and knowing what i have to do everyday has purpose and structure, makes it more motivating for me to do it . I feel that i have done what i could so far , and i am as prepared as i could be at this point. Do i have alot of improvement ahead of me - without a doubt. I am prob about half way to where i think i can really be at my full potential, but it is a start, and it is gonna take time. I am not going anywhere...

So Sunday will be the first test to see where my fitness levels are, and what i really need to work on . It will be a celebration of all the hard work i have put in over the last few months . I will sign off with this quote that my coach posted today that i think is fitting to the weekend ahead.

To dream anything that you want to dream. That's the beauty of the human mind. To do anything that you want to do. That is the strength of the human will. To trust yourself to test your limits. That is the courage to succeed.” Bernard Edmonds

Back home after camp - more to come

It is so good to be back in Austin , and in our new duplex that my husband lovingly moved us into while i was training in CA.
Once i get unpacked, rested, and back in the swing of things. I look foward to writing more about the experience at training camp ....so stay tuned.