Thursday 20th - I had a pretty busy day at work and had to do some marketing things for the conference week. I took a couple of tours through a building I am working on. I ended up leaving work a bit early so I had some time to kill before I headed into Elwood to pick up our Tri Alliance shirt. I ended up checking in and walked through the expo. Having been to the last two expos and having raced this last year, 2014 was uneventful. It felt flat and there was just nothing on show. The ironman merchandise was a bit better but that's about it. There was no "waiver" board where you signed your name, there was nothing really special about the whole check in process.
Friday 21st - I had to do a few things in the morning before I had my nails done. This included riding my bike for the last time just to check out the gears and testing out the race wheels I borrowed for the weekend.
I bought a loaf of white bread and started to have a few coconut jam sandwiches throughout the day. Went down to the expo just to have a final walk through and saw that they brought out more merchandise. I bought a jumper which had all the athletes names. I then walked back to the race briefing venue and met up with a few people. The evening was also uneventful compared to last year. There was no dinner and the entertainment was forgettable. The speech by the deputy mayor was hilarious. Very funny. Then it was the race briefing which took forever to get through. I seriously don't remember it being so long, going through all the rules and what happens on course. Everything they went through was in the athlete guide, they really didn't need to repeat it again.
By the time I got home, it was around 8pm and we had a late dinner before I packed my T1 and T2 bags. The temperature this year is a bit cooler than last. I decided to ride with road bike shoes this year so I will be wearing socks on the ride too. Hopefully, this will keep my feet warm. I have also decided to wear my cycling jersey as I don't have enough pockets to store things. I am going to be carrying some shotz solutions in a flask and also carrying 2 gel flasks and some spares.
In my run bag, I have decided to pack my hat as I had been training with it. If it is a cloudy day, I might not wear one. I can fit 6 gels on my race belt so I will have the remainder in my special needs bag.
Saturday 22nd - had my final massage before I started to get my final things for the bike. I needed two spare tubes as the race wheels were deeper. I then went to Frankston to drop off the bike, the two bags and had a small walk along the pier to have a look at the buoys out there. It didn't look too bad and the buoys really didn't look too far apart. Happy about that.
I then went to Bunnings to buy some plumbers tape so I can secure my canisters down. Went to Officeworks to buy some markers and some contact adhesive so I can make my special needs bag.
I have finished packing my special needs bag - spare gels, a packet of chips, some spare salt tablets and some pain killers just in case. My morning bag is packed with my wetsuit, goggles, swim cap and all I need to prepare for my bike in the morning. I have also packed my post race bag with a hoodie, some recovery foods and some pain killers.
Transition opens at 5:30am and I will most likely get there early so I can prepare and go to the toilet multiple times.
I don't know if "excited" is the word I can use to describe how I feel. The feelings I am having now is very different to what I felt last year. I am feeling tired and slightly worried about how I will handle myself tomorrow. I just want to get through the bike leg without feeling defeated. I don't want to start the run in such a bad state that I will be in tears. Fingers crossed that I will be having a good day. My main goal for the day is to ride to my ability and make sure that I am eating and drinking according to my race plan. I only have 1 alarm for nutrition this year so I won't be all confused and stressed. The run part will be about getting from A to B with aid stations every 2km. I can't wait to cross this finish line, can't friggin wait!!!
See you on the other side.
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