Race of my life

I am not sure why or how Buffalo Springs 70.3 became one of the premier races in the country. Every time I mention it people give me this lost look and say, "Really, a triathlon in Lubbock?". Yeah, and not just a triathlon, one of the premier Half Ironmans in the country. I think it is because it is one of the few HIMs that gives out qualifying spots to the World Championships in Kona but it would have to have been popular before that in order for the organizers of Ironman racing to allow this. Whatever it is all I know is that on Friday I will be headed that way for the biggest race of my life.

Last week I was very nervous and even doubted myself. I shouldn't though, I've done the distance. Yet again this course is tougher and more hilly (contrary to what people think about Lubbock). I think that I was nervous because of what is at stake. First there is Kona, which would be a dream come true, its a long shot but there is a shot. Then there is a bid to Clearwater and the 70.3 championship, not as long a shot but still out there. I am also nervous because at Longhorn 70.3 back in October I was disappointed in my performance. This always makes a person question their abilities. Throwing that out and trusting that I have learned and grown stronger my ultimate goal is to be able to have a good age group showing. I am looking for 5 hours. According to last years results that would put me in the top 20 in my age group. Solid showing for me and anything better is just the icing on the cake.

Today I am just excited. The nerves have calmed. I have had a few good training days and I am feeling ready. Now it is time to organize, do some light training and try not to panic!

Food

For the past year I have been going through a transformation. Lets call it a food transformation. For 34 years of my life I did not worry too much about what I ate. My views on diet consisted of eating everything in moderation. Then as I started to get more serious about triathlon I was overwhelmed with information on diet and performance. So without ever really trying I started to gather information and started trying to make sense of the convoluted, controversial, and confusing industry of food. Now, almost two years later I am still learning and trying to make some sense out of the endless contradiction we call food, but I have learned a lot, which only scratches the surface, but awareness is the key and knowing all sides of an issue is what allows us as humans to make an educated choice.


Anyway, I am not an expert, or even remotely qualified to tell anyone what to eat but I have started to develop a philosophy on food and the other day I did come across a quote that I think sums up my entire view. It is from The Omnivore's Dilemma by Michael Pollan. In his opening chapter there is this line. "A great number of the health and environmental problems created by our food system owe to our attempts to oversimplify nature's complexities". So what does this quote mean to me? It means eat as natural as possible. It means pay attention to where your food is coming from (i.e, preparation, origin). It means that we all know what food is better for us than others so just know that your health is a conscious choice that YOU make. It means eat variety and never an overabundance of any one type of food.



Food is a very personal choice, people eat for many different reasons. Mine are for the long term health of my body and my performance at a race. Identify yours and follow the steps above.