Just a quick one

I followed the standard advice and did an easy 20-minute bike + 10-minute run. I don't think I'll swim later, unless I find that I have written a massive heap of quota pages and have a couple hours to spare! Which is unlikely - and there is the gear-organizing part of the preparation to do too.

Went to mandatory race briefing yesterday (very glad I have done this race before - the warnings about the "steep, technical climb" and the risk of crashing while coming out of transition were singularly alarming to me last year!), registered and picked up packet, purchased a new pair of goggles at the expo but otherwise restrained myself.

(TNYA lanemate Kent was volunteering, very nice to see him!)

Will meet up with former swim lanemate and occasional run partner H. when I drop off my bike later this afternoon. She is doing IM Louisville at the end of the summer, her first Ironman, but we haven't been able to coordinate training times - I am going to be pestering her with questions about her race plans, that's for sure! We should try and have a run or a swim together sometime over the next few weeks...

I could have sworn there was some form of athlete tracking in this race, but now can't find the link; however, results should go up here pretty much immediately. Close perusal of race materials suggests to me that this year they may not allow anyone back into transition to collect bike and gear until the last cyclist has gotten out onto the bike course, which may be as late as 11am, so I think it is likely that I won't be home till several hours after I've finished (even more reason to hang around in the finishers' tent!). My wave sets off shortly after 6:30 - I was toying with the idea of putting an extra set of keys and some dollars in the drop bag with shirt/shoes at swim start, and then going home in a cab from the finish line and coming back out to collect my gear after I've showered and eaten, but I think it will be better just to gut it out and wait - once I get home, I really will not want to go back out again!

In case it is not clear, I really am looking forward to this race. When I did it last year, it was my second triathlon ever and I was a bundle of nerves re: cycling; I don't know that my fitness levels are that different this year, but my mental fitness is infinitely greater!

In the meantime, if you are short of reading material, you might go and read Spokane Al's very charming post about a conversation he had with a young person who was curious about his wetsuit!