Race Coverage

Racing Happy....

Friday, 21 September 2018 23:10

“We do not learn from experience... we learn from reflecting on experience.”
-- John Dewey

By Dani Vsetecka (danvsetecka.com)
 
I came across the quote above the other day, and after a long hiatus from blogging, I’ve decided to try my hand at the keyboard again and reflect on one of my favorite race experiences thus far.  I'm not sure if people really read these anymore (really, please let me know! I’d love some feedback!), but I was proud of my mindset before and during the race and I want to make sure I record what worked for future reference!
 
On Sunday, August 26th, I raced the SuperiorMan 41.5 Triathlon in Duluth, MN.  It was better than I expected and I highly recommend the race to anyone.  It had a small town feel, was extremely well organized, and scenery was breathtaking.  Personally, Duluth holds a special place in my heart. Being my mom’s hometown and home to my grandparents and extended family, I grew up visiting the city often and in terms of racing, have extremely fond memories of the Garry Bjorklund Half-Marathon in 2016 and my half-marathon PR.  Although the past year (I know!) has been a roller coaster of several various injuries, having the chance to race was a pure joy. Instead of the standard swim/bike/run recap, I want to share five things that worked really well for me and that I hope to take with me to every race going forward.  ...

Expecting Only Your Best on the Day

As mentioned, the lead up to this race wasn't super ideal. Due to several bone stress injuries, my running has been extremely limited and the longest run I did prior to the 5.6 mile run portion of the race was a 5.7 mile training run that included 30 second walk breaks every 10 minutes. No problem, right?!? But, instead of focusing on how much I hadn’t trained or how fast I might have been able to run in the past, I kept my focus only on what I was capable of that day. This mindset loosened the grip of expectation and allowed me to just run hard, have fun, and see what resulted. READ MORE