First of all, why did I put two question marks after the title of this post? Does that make it any more of a question? Just something to think about I guess.
Anyway… on to better thoughts. The White Lake weekend is coming up May 2nd. That’s only two days away and the question athletes are asking each other is, “Are you ready?”
Sunrise at White Lake, NC.
For me and I’m sure many others, that’s a hard question to answer. Let’s take a deeper look at that. What are we ready for? The race? What about the race? I guess I’m always ready for the race. If I weren’t ready, what would I be doing? Here’s a simple example: If I am not ready to go to work, it’s probably because I can’t find my keys or I’m stuck on the toilet. So if I’m not ready to go to the race, is it because I can’t find my bike? Maybe it’s because I haven’t yet registered.
But I don’t think that’s what we really mean by “Are you ready for the race?” I think it’s implied that the person asking the question wants to know if the other person has trained appropriately and feels ready. The main thing about training is that it is so individualized and it is based on goals.
For example, my goal this weekend is to get out of the water (1.2 miles) without any help from the life guards and to pedal my bike (56 miles) around the course without falling down. I’m not concerned about the run, because I’m doing the aquabike, not the triathlon. I get to watch the others beat themselves up on their 13.1 miles of pavement pounding.
So my answer is a resounding, “YES.” I am ready to get wet, go for a joy ride and people watch. If my goal, instead, were to place in the top 10% of my age group, then NO. I wouldn’t be ready.
So, if you find yourself doubting your readiness for a race, just change your goals and you will always be ready!