Getting Real

Here we are. Race week. Challenge Iskandar Puteri is only 5 days away. Things are getting a bit more real now.

Today is crunch time really from a race preparation perspective. I fly out tomorrow and so today is all about packing, packing, packing. I feel like Santa, making a list and checking it twice.

Really I have plenty of time, I don't fly out until lunch time tomorrow and so I have all of this evening and a big chunk of tomorrow morning too. I am hoping there might even be a bit of time for some relaxing as well, but I know from previous experience that that might not happen. I seem to have a talent for making packing into a bit of a saga and I suspect today will be no different.

One thing I am trying to do this time around though is stay calm with it. I can be a bit of a nervous nellie (I can't believe I just wrote that, but oh well, it is out there now) when it comes racing and race preparation. Perhaps even more so for this race since it is such a long time since I have done it. I have a habit of stressing myself out, and if I am at home taking that stress out on innocent bystanders. My aim for today is simple. Don't do that. Really I have plenty of time and I have a good packing list. My task for tonight is to take some bags and put everything on the list into those bags. I will then weigh those bags and remove half of the stuff in them, but that is all part of the process. Simple really, nothing to stress about.

Deep down I know what causes the stress and that is that it is a reaction to the knowledge that packing means racing is coming up. The thing is though that the racing isn't for nearly a week and I have a bunch of hoops to jump through first. Thinking about and focusing on the race is important, but doing it now won't get me packed any quicker or make sure I don't forget my helmet (that reminds me, pack a helmet). Sometimes the process of getting to a race can seem like a never ending list of things that need doing, but my mantra for this time is 'focus on the next step, get that done'. Usually the process is easier than I am expecting.

Getting nervous before the actual race is a whole other thing, with a whole bunch of other steps I can take to keep it under control (although some nervousness is a good thing I think). I don't need to be dealing with those things now though.

Today isn't all about packing and stressing about packing. I have also done a bit of training too. The training was just a simple technique session down the pool. Session went fine. Absolutely frigid wind blowing, but at least the pool water was warm. The body is definitely a little flat from the weekend, but that is okay, that is why we have a taper week. I expect to start feeling good in a few days time, once I get to Malaysia and settle in.

With tomorrow being a travel day I am going to put it out there right now and say I won't be blogging tomorrow. I usually give a sort of half commitment and say I will get to it if I can, and then feel bad when I don't. I know from experience that the day always fills up with things that are unforeseen and so I usually run out of time. To avoid that I won't even bother to half commit this time around, I will put my hand on my heart now and say there will be no blog tomorrow. Probably.

Should be back on Wednesday assuming all things wireless go the way they should.