Talk about traveling in style! I'm chilling at a very posh hotel room (ahem, Le Meridien) the night before a race. For my pre-race dinner, I had a delicious warm salad of grilled eggplants, zucchinis, portobello mushrooms, red onions, goat cheese fondant, and salmon filet at a cozy little neighbourhood bistro. I even found time to visit an artisanal candymaker out in Laval and tried on some dresses while shopping on Rue Sainte-Catherine (girls, the dresses at Boutique Razberry are adorable and affordable!). Am I really here in Montreal for a race?
I am not feeling terribly stressed out the race tomorrow. The weather forecast is calling for temperature of 4C with windchill of -1C. It will be windy with wind coming NW at 30km/h. High chance of mixed precipitation...that's weatherman's talk for rain with snow thrown in for good measure. I stopped fretting about the weather a few days ago because it really couldn't get any worse! I am feeling an odd sense of calm because I have no choice but to trust my training. All spring I've been training in cold and windy condition. When I step up to the start line tomorrow, it will not be comfortable. However, I only need to hate it a bit less than my competitors do and that will already give me a small advantage. This race will be as much about mental toughness as fitness. Coach SZ specifically trains me to have oodles of both.
I expect to doubt myself during the race when it will be at its coldest and windiest. I know that I will be driven by the promise of a hot shower and a visit to Marche Jean Talon. I get my motivation from all the fun I will enjoy in Montreal when the skating is done! An unusual priority perhaps but I suspect tomorrow will be an unusual race.
See you at the start line.
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