The Jitters Have Begun: Ironman 70.3 World Championships

So here we go..If you haven't already guessed by now, based on my previous blogs, then I'll tell you; I get the nervous jitters before competition.  Less than one week until I board the plane to Austria to race in my second Ironman branded triathlon ever, and my first Ironman 70.3 World Championships.  Up until this week it's all seemed like a far away happening.  It is that no longer.

Monday is around the corner.  My nerves are starting to get to me.  Funny thing is, it's not about the race itself,  it's more over the travel to get there!

Since becoming a mom, my comfort with, and desire to fly has greatly diminished.  My husband calls me "worse case scenario", because I can think of that for every situation, very quickly.  This is something that I've somehow passed onto my youngest child without knowing it. My daughter is great at rhyming off scenarios that involve sharks, cold water, and lack of rescuers. Being that I'm flying, I'm sure you can imagine the thoughts that may go through my mind (the same as my daughters), one comfort is knowing that my kids will still have  a parent should something happen, which of course it won't. 

With the reality being that I'll make it to Austria in one piece, my concern has moved over to my bike.  Will my bike be at the airport when I get there? Will it get transferred with me over to the other plane during the stop over?  When I get my bike will  all the pieces be in tact, no damage, and ready to be reassembled?

Next question is, if everything goes smoothly and my bike arrives in good condition at the airport with me, will I be able to reassemble it myself and do it well?  Don't need a peddle to fall off on a 90km ride!

My bike shop sponsor, County Cycle, is giving me a lesson on disassembly and reassembly; trust me, I'll be taking pictures and making notes!  My coach doesn't know it yet, but I'll be banging on this door on Saturday for another go through before I leave.  My Coach, Lee Hart at Tri-Hart Triathlon, has also been amazing at realizing what's bugging me and has been providing me with contingency plans if anything should happen to my bike.  

I know that once I've landed in Austria and the bike is assembled, I'll be much more calm.  Yes the race will bring some anxiety, it always does, but not because I'm afraid of the competition, but because I want to race well for me, my family, my team, and my coach.  I'm not expecting to win, but I have a goal of a podium finish. Yes, that may seem lofty, as this is my first World Championships in triathlon and second Ironman 70.3 race ever, however that's my goal.  I don't know my competition, and I don't care what they have done or how they have placed, or how long they've been racing.  I'm going out to race my own race, my best race so far, and hope that will be enough to place in the top 5.  Regardless of my placing, I know that I will have given it my best shot.  I will then come back home and work on my weaknesses, and maintain my strengths so I can qualify for Ironman World Championships in Kona  at my first full Ironman in Mont Tremblant 2016.  

August 30th is the big day for 70.3 World's.   WWW.IRONMAN.COM will be televising the race.