Whenever something is consuming my life, I tend to dream about it. When I was an auditor for a big public accounting firm, working 70+ hours a week, I used to dream about Excel spreadsheets. Usually I’d be trapped in a spreadsheet and I couldn’t figure out how to make the schedule make it tie out (auditor lingo). Terrible.
The good news is that since I now have a much more flexible and less demanding job, I rarely dream about pivot tables and paste special. Instead, my nightmares involve …. you guessed it, triathlon.
Two out of the three most recent nights I’ve had triathlon nightmares. The first one started pretty fun. I was at a big race (I think it was supposed to be Oceanside) and everything was going well. However, at some point we had to get in the water for the swim start and I soon realized that the waves were huge – we’re talking 10-20 feet. As soon as I got in, I was getting tossed around (I dream about swimming in big waves pretty frequently actually now that I think about it) and realized there was no way I was going to make it past the swell to start swimming. One of the first things that crossed my mind was my concern for Asia who hates big waves and has just recently overcome her fear of the ocean.
The second dream involved waking up on race day in a panic because I realized I hadn’t packed anything and we had only 10 minutes to get to transition before it closed. I was frantically searching the house for everything and kept realizing that I was missing something. I was full of panic as I searched and soon realized I would miss the start.
So what does it all mean? I’m not a dream expert but it probably means that I’m apprehensive about the upcoming race this Saturday. However, I have actually been quite calm all week and besides obsessively checking the weather (65 and partially cloudy is the current forecast in case you are wondering), I am not all that nervous. I guess since it’s my first time at this distance, I have lower expectations for myself. I’m pretty confident that I can go the distance so I’m not worried about whether or not I’ll finish. And since, it’s my first race at this distance, I can’t compare my time to my previous time so there’s not pressure there. Ideally I have a finish time in mind, but I honestly won’t even be upset if I don’t come close.
But, apparently my subconscious has more going on than I realize!
Do you ever have crazy pre-race dreams? In general, do you dream about what is going on in your life or about completely random things?
You’ve got this! Everyone has those dreams before a big race. I see it as a good omen. It shows you’re mentally focused and yes, you’re ready! Just laugh it off and enjoy the journey 🙂
i totally do this too, especially before a big race! let’s hope that forecast holds!!
i totally do this too, especially before a big race! let’s hope that forecast holds!!
sorry i posted twice, the first time was from my wordpress acct, which i don’t use.
I have crazy pre-race dreams too! I think it means nothing, unless you need a boost of confidence, and then it means you are going to whip ass.
Let’s just say that your dreams show how passionate you are for the sport 😉 Keep on keepin’ calm, it’s almost race day!