Racing Tomorrow

Race day is tomorrow!

I'm back at the hotel now after doing bike and gear check-in. It's been another rainy day here. The forecast calls for rain off/on through the night and into tomorrow morning. May be a wet start to the race. On the positive side, the daytime high will only be 69 degrees....my kind of weather!

Here's the game plan for tomorrow....I'm aiming for a smooth, efficient, quiet, uneventful swim at a steady pace. I'll be thinking about swim practice warm-up pace. On the bike, again I'll be aiming for a steady effort, with few ups/downs. I'll be looking for average power in the 160-170W range and HR in the 130's. Plan to take in ~400 cal/hour on the bike using Infinit and PowerBars. For the run, I plan to use a 9 min run/1 min walk strategy (with an additional short walk at the aid stations). I'll be looking to settle into a pace that yields a HR of ~135-140 or so. Again, I'll be looking to avoid ups/downs. For me, the whole day will be about pacing the swim and bike so that I have the best chance to run well.

Many thank-you's are due, so I'll do them in advance. Big thanks to the family for traveling to Brazil and for cheering all day tomorrow. Nothing's better on race day. Thanks to the various training partners....the Catfish (this ROCK will make good tomorrow!), the running group, and all the riding partners these past few months. Special thanks to George and Stephanie for the ample encouragement...wish you two were here. Thanks, too, to Michael, Tom, Collin, & the others at the Bike Rack. The new bike is awesome....and much credit to you all for making it happen. Thanks to Gordo and all the folks I've met through Endurance Corner. I have really appreciated the well-wishes along the way. And lastly, heaping thanks to JD, who's been at the coaching helm for the past year....you've been a terrific help.

Follow along at IronmanLive or check in with Lori, who'll have my cell phone during the race tomorrow. Remember, we're 2 hours ahead of CDT.

Back on Monday with a race recap....

Midweek at IM Brazil

It's been a relaxing few days here in Florianopolis. Nothing beats being 6000 miles away from the beeper! We went on an afternoon tour of the island on Tuesday. There are ~400,000 people who live on the island year-round and the population swells to ~1,000,000 in the summertime with tourists. This will clearly be the most urban of the IM races I've done. Parts of the bike course have a Formula One feel.

The training routine has included bike/run on Sunday/Tuesday/Thursday and swim only on Monday/Wednesday/Friday. Planning short SBR on Saturday. Weather's been cool and cloudy, with periods of rain each day, but we've managed to squeeze in the training during the dry spells. Forecast for race day: occasional shower early, winds at 16 mph, 67 degrees high, partly cloudy almost all day.

Visited the expo yesterday and again today. Nice assortment of local vendors. By comparison, very little IM or IM Brazil merchandise. Surprised.

Race registraation was today. I think that, for me, registration day is the most stressful day of IM week. Not entirely sure why, but perhaps patience is lagging....and who wants to stand in line? After registration, we had the English version of the pre-race briefing. Probably 150 people were there--most with our tour group. I think most entrants are Brazilian or S. American.

Planning a 30-min swim at the course tomorrow morning....1 lap around. Water's been much calmer these past couple days. Massage again tomorrow. Pasta party tomorrow night. Saturday includes short SBR for training, then afternoon gear check-in, early dinner, and early to bed!

I'll check in again on Saturday with some thoughts about the race and some thank-you's. Looking forward to the race!

Settling In

It's hard to believe, but we're getting settled into the routine here in Florianopolis, Brazil. It's my first time to S. America. I've never even been as far south as Mexico before!

The travel went well. Met up with my sister and parents in Miami and made the trip south to Brazil on Saturday night. Long day/night of travel, but no mishaps, so we're thankful. All of the luggage/bike/gear made it safely to Florianopolis. Met up with Ken, Greg, Ty, and Stacey from EST at the Florianopolis airport....it was great to see a couple familiar faces. They arrived just about the same time as us, but from Rio instead. We made the ride to the hotels with the EST folks and it was nice to get caught up on how everybody was doing.

Our hotel is great. It's a block from the beach and about 1/2 mile from the start/finish/transition for the race. It's sort of like a Gulf Coast condo building....we're in adjoining 1-bedroom units....a lot of space, nice balcony views of the water. Had dinner in a small group at an Italian restaurant not too far from our hotel. Went to Brazil for Italian food!

Went on a 1-lap bike around the course (~56 mi) yesterday morning in a group of 7 people who had arrived this early. The course is mostly flat, scenic, and mostly good road surface. I suppose no course is as flat as Florida, but the road surface here is better than any of the previous races I've done. I suspect that, if there's good weather, the bike leg will be fast. There are a couple hills that are encountered 4 times on race day. Not too long, but steep enough for the guys to reach 55 mph on the downhill! Went on a short run yesterday after the bike ride. Ran to the transition area and back along a beachside promenade. Other athletes were out doing the same thing.

Had wine & cheese last night and then a group dinner at another hotel. EST has 560 people coming to the race. Amazing.

Went for an open water swim this morning with Gerd Weber, another athlete staying at our hotel. Water's probably 70 degrees, moderate chop, some swells, and about 8-10 feet of visibility. Gulped more sea water than I'd have liked!

Lounging now at the hotel with the family. Nap later. More to come as the week goes along. Can't wait 'til race day!

Reflections

I'm in a reflective mood.


The IM Brazil race is just a few days (and a 6000-mi trip) away. The preparations for the trip and for the race are nearly complete. And so there's some time to reflect....on the training for this race and on triathlon in general.

The other day I was over at the Ridgeland public parking and boat launch for the Ross Barnett Reservoir. The local triathletes will know this as the site for the Heatwave triathlon each June.

This is where the improbable journey started.



Thinking back to 2004....I met my (now) good friend, George, at his birthday party in April, 2004. And George talked me into getting a bike. That chance meeting....and following through on his suggestion to get a bike....really did end up changing my life for the better.

A few weeks later I decided to go watch the Heatwave triathlon in early June. I don't recall now what motivated me, but I remember seeing an announcement in the newspaper or magazine. I went alone....didn't know anybody there. But I'll never, ever forget that day.

My lasting impression from that day is how "ordinary" people were making it happen....swimming, biking, running....cheered on by friends and family.

I've made a habit of returning to this spot before each of my triathlon races....to reflect. I reflect on the good times I had at the 2005 and 2006 Heatwave races, but also on the many new friends I've met along the way and the other races since then. It's good to pause and reflect, I think.

I leave for Brazil tomorrow. I'm looking forward to spending the week with my family and I'm excited about my prospects at the race. I've promised updates by email, Twitter, Facebook, and also here at the blog....and I'll do my best.

Why wait?

Learned today of the tragic death of 39-year-old Steve Larsen, former professional cyclist and long course triathlete, leaving his wife and 5 children.

Another sad example of how life is so precious....and often too short.

I'm reminded today of the recent blog piece by Gordo Byrn, entitled "Why Wait?" Steve Larsen is somebody who DIDN'T wait....It makes you think.

Ironman Brazil Trip

Thanks to everybody for the many well wishes for my upcoming Ironman Brazil trip. Many of you have asked about the trip details....

The race is on Sunday, May 31st.

I'm traveling to the race with the help of Endurance Sports Travel (EST), a tour group that specializes in travel to triathlons....along with a large group of triathletes from all over the U.S. EST handled our ground arrangements for last year's Ironman S. Africa trip and they did a terrific job.

The trip is long....but not nearly as long as the trips to N. Zealand or S. Africa for the previous Ironman races. I'm heading from Jackson to Charlotte, then on to Miami to hook up with my sister, Lori (from Washington, DC), and parents, Larry and Lee (from Hilton Head Island, SC). Then it's the long overnight flight to Sao Paulo, Brazil where we'll clear customs and connect for a short 1-hour flight to Florianopolis. With any luck, the luggage--especially the gear bag and bike box--will also make the trip!









Florianopolis is a resort island off the southeast coast of Brazil, nearly as far south as Uraguay. We're staying at a new hotel, the Il Campanario Resort, right on the beach, about 1km from the race swim course, transition area, and finish line.




It's May....but May in the Southern Hemisphere is approaching winter. Temps should be in the 70's and humidity should be in the 70% range on race day.


During race week, EST will provide support in a variety of ways:

b At each of 4 hotels, there is daily breakfast and dinner

b Bike mechanical support

b Daily group swim, bike, and run workouts on the course

b Translators!

b Activities for the non-athlete members of the group

b Local transportation


The race course sounds relatively easy. The swim is 2 separate laps (picture swimming in the shape of a capital "M" shape, with a short turn-around on the beach). The swim takes place in the relatively calm waters off Jurere Beach. The bike also has 2 laps along the western side of the island. The course is nearly flat, with only 4 short hills of about 100-150 feet. The run course has 3 laps: a first lap of 21km followed by 2 shorter laps of 10.5km on the same course (with a closer turn-around). The run is also essentially flat, with only 2 hills of ~85 feet during the first lap.

We're planning for a recovery day on Monday following the race and then the trip home on Tuesday, June 2nd. On the return overnight trip, we have stops in Rio de Janeiro, then Miami. And it's back to Jackson on June 3rd.

On race day you can follow my progress at IronmanLive. If the cell signal permits, we'll also provide some race-day Twitter updates. And I'll do my best to provide periodic updates here at the blog.

Looking forward to the trip!