What will it look like when you are there?

This is a question a mentor of mine asked when I was talking about an event I was planning to attend later this year. (Just one month away, in fact.) As I was explaining the training, the practice schedule, and the gear I had pulled together in preparing for the Santa Barbara Long Course Triathlon, my coach asked me to describe it as if it was already finished.

The challenge is this:

I have finished this race 3 times. Each time (yes, even the first race) I did better than I thought I would! In fact, the third time I reviewed and updated my anticipated times over and over again, including during the week of the race!

For anyone out there who does not live around or personally know a triathlete, let me describe this game I play. To the best of my ability, I'm going to let you inside my mind, here is what it could sound like:

"Hmmm, let me start planning for the race. Ok, it's a one-mile swim, 34 on the bike, ending with a 10-mile run. Now, if I got out hard, I can finish that mile swim in about 28 minutes; if I go softer, maybe around 32. It is usually choppy out there; I remember one year the swells were so big I could not see the buoys on every sighting. I really do have to look for some time to practice that swim. Oh, the other thing is that sunrise; coming back from turning around the final buoy always puts me into line-sight with the rising sun. I have to find a land mark, a tree on a hill or something, to sight as I finish the second 1/2 mile. That could take a minute or minute and a half off my time!"

"T1 (that is Transition One, the time it takes to move out of the wetsuit and on to riding the bike) should be less than 40 seconds; up the beach, through to my bike, and out the other side. Next that ride; ok, finished it last year 1:45, but that one training ride, we finished around 1:43. Could I knock 5 minutes of the old PR? I know I'm stronger on the hills, but I still do not have all the power I need to keep up with the guys I race with. With some more practice, I think I can get the time down; maybe a few minutes faster than 2002. Man, that is a lot, ok, so I will just put 1:44 down; that will give me something to shoot for."

"T2 (off the bike, into the run shoes, out on the trail) should be less than 30 seconds. That puts me out on that run. 2 miles flat, 2.5 miles up, 1/2 mile down, 1/2 mile up, 2.5 miles down, 2 miles to finish. I know it and I can see it in my head. Get me out there, however, and it has made for a tough day (in the past). Now, I blew up there my second year, went out much too hard on the bike. The run is 10 miles, ok, if I can do them at 7 minutes each, that puts me at an hour and ten. My PR for that run? 1:22 (earned in 2005). So, what if I put a 30 second fudge in there somewhere? If I could do 5 miles at 7, and 5 miles at 7:30, that will put me up around 1:15."

So, with my coach's help, I am setting a clear, objective and believable goal. This goal includes training AND racing outcomes that are just a bit bigger than what I have done in the past. This is giving me something to work for. Even while I am in training sessions now I am thinking about, and pre-living, those intentions. I'm looking forward to this event, that is for sure!