T minus 2 days

Finally got some decent sleep last night. Still woke up early and got a few things together. The boys came over for breakfast and then Bill, Mike, and I headed out for a short ride in the morning chill. An easy 30 minutes with a few short efforts. Legs feel good and the bike is humming—good signs.

We headed over to the registration and expo. Got my race number (765), timing chips, cap, etc. Walked around the expo a bit but nothing too interesting. Everywhere you look around town you see athletes, bikes, wetsuits, etc. Penticton has to be the fittest town in North America this week. Everyone looks fit and fast but a key rule of triathlon is that you can’t tell how fast someone is just by looking at them. So far, I’ve picked out about 3 people that I should be able to beat based on looks alone—I expect to do better than that.

After lunch, we picked up Kay and drove the bike and run courses. Sometimes when I drive a course, it freaks me out. Distances seem longer than they really are for some reason. Today’s drive was very reassuring. We were relaxed and had some fun (XM channel 49 kept us entertained with music from Loverboy, Styx, AC/DC, Hooters, Golden Earring, etc.—some of the best music the ‘80s had to offer…well, not really, but good times anyhow.) The course will be challenging but it breaks down into several do-able segments. Early on, the challenge will be keeping the effort low to save the legs for the hills later. The course is beautiful and bears a lot of similarities to the kinds of riding I’ve been doing back home.

The run course is pretty hilly—especially considering it goes around a lake. There’s a big climb and descent just before the halfway turnaround. Of course, that means we’ll have to climb back out. Mentally, the halfway point of the run will probably be at the top (or perhaps the bottom) of that hill on the way back. That will make for a short “2nd half” assuming I’m still “racing” at that point.

Bill and I took a short run and then a little hanging out before the pasta dinner and pre-race meeting. The scale of this race (as well as the “Ironlines” you have to stand in for everything) is massive—over 2,200 athletes and 4,500 volunteers. Lots of inspiring stories drove the dinner/meeting into the 2.5 hour range—too long to sit. But it’s all part of the Ironman experience so I’m staying positive and drinking it in.

Off to bed—tonight’s sleep is critical since the butterflies are likely to make tomorrow a tough night. Will post a bunch of pictures in the morning.