Nerves, Excitement or Necessary Process?

My first triathlon this year is on Sunday.  I'm freaking out.  I'm worried about everything from the water temperature, to what to wear, to what to eat the morning of the race.  Ugh.  I do this to myself all the time.  I get freaked out.

In thinking about WHY I get freaked out, I started to wonder if it's just a part of my normal process in getting ready for a race.  I used to freak out over 5K's, then I freaked out over half marathons.  Now I can run both of those distances without the freak out ever happening.

I am very new to the whole world of triathlons.  So I freak out.  Yes, I am nervous and excited.  But maybe the nerves and excitement actually serve a purpose in my pre-race routine.

Because of the freak out, I've been googling how to handle cold water swims.  This gave me some valuable tips that I will be implementing on Sunday.  So without the freak out, I never would have thought to wear 2 swim caps.  Genius!  (It probably won't make a hill of beans of difference but mentally I'm ready to handle those chilly water temps with my 2 caps!) 

Because of the freak out, I've talked to several people who have given me encouragement that I am farther along in my training than I think I am.  So without the freak out, I never would have gained that confidence.

Because of the freak out, I got in the pool for the first time in a couple weeks.  (Yes, I'm a slacker)  So without the freak out, I would never have pushed myself to overcome the minor obstacles that stood between me and the pool yesterday.  I really needed to get in the pool and work out some kinks with my swimming.

So while I am a nervous wreck this week, I believe that I am actually benefitting from the freak out.  As with the other races like the 5Ks and half marathons, as I get more comfortable doing the triathlons, the freak outs will reduce and eventually go away since they will no longer serve a purpose.  (I hope there are no English majors reading this because that was quite the run-on sentence...and I'm not editing it!)

I am truly looking at Sunday's triathlon as a learning experience.  I have a lot more training to do before the Olympic distance tri on June 2nd.  So this weekend will be about enjoying the time with Colleen and just finishing the race.  Anything else that happens is a bonus!