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....