What I did this weekend, by Davie S

My final weekend before the race. Time to kick back, catch up on sleep, and get a little taper in. Uh, huh.

Saturday morning was Benjamin's Mighty Kids Triathlon (25m swim/1 mile bike/.5 mile run) at the Erie Rec Center. It was pouring rain most of the morning but the race went on. Swim and run were indoors but the bike was out in the elements. The race was awesome and the kids had a great time. Finisher medals for all. Ben was wet and tired but energized when it was all over. When I get a chance, I'll post a few pictures of Ben's day as well as Kami's race from last weekend.

My workouts called for a swim and ride on Saturday and a run on Sunday. My son is tougher than I am--I won't ride in the rain unless absolutely necessary (e.g. I'm halfway through a ride when it starts--gotta get home). So I took a chance and flipped the weekend. That meant 70 minutes in the rain or on the treadmill. Went with the treadmill--not my favorite but it really wasn't that bad. Afterward, I ate and stretched and then had an hour to get my bike ready and pack a gear bag to drop off for shipping to Canada.

Getting the bike set up went quickly--swap out wheels and pads, quick wipe-down, run through the gears, etc. For tri-bike transport, I paid to send one gear bag. Had only given a little thought to what I would send ahead prior to actually packing the bag. Wetsuit--heavy and bulky, aero helmet--light but bulky, CO2 cartridges--can't fly with them, and nutrition. As Bill pointed out in explaining his decision to send the nutrition ahead, "I don't want to be dealing with white powder in baggies at the border." Good call. Tossed in a few bottles and some other random stuff and stepped on the scale (25 lb. limit for the bag). Weighed in at 14 pounds. That's when the craze of opportunity hit me. Running shoes, more nutrition, fuel belt, etc., etc. Got it up to 20 lbs. and the bag was stuffed. Took the dogs out for a quick walk and then Bill drove us into town to drop everything off. Feels good to have 3/4 of my racing stuff already out of the way. I made a list of what I packed so I wouldn't freak out about what I'm missing when I pack the rest tomorrow.

Woke up early Sunday and made shape pancakes for the kids (one horse, one cow, two firetrucks, one banana, and two hearts--for Teegan). I just make circles for myself (since I know you're interested). Plan is to take the kids swimming and sneak in a workout while we're there, then come home and head out on a ride. I played my weather card just right and it's finally dry and nice out. Teegan heads upstairs to take a quick shower and get the kids' stuff ready, leaving me to supervise the kids and dogs. 45 minutes later, she wakes me up from my nap on the couch and we head out.

The Lafayette rec center is closed for annual maintenance. Doh! We head over to Erie. They're open but no lap swim. (Why would you build a 3-lane pool that's attached to the kids' pool?! Don't get me started!) Everyone has fun swimming and we head back--even though this is supposed to be a brick, I figure I'll get the ride in and try to find a pool that's open afterward.

Get the road bike off it's hooks and set up--it's been a while since I've been on this bike--finally get out at 200p. What is that annoying clicking? I'm sure I'll get used to it. Start my first interval. That clicking is going to make me crazy. Goes away when I stand up--must be the seatpost. Workoutus interruptus--stop in at Niwot Cyclery. Run into a buddy while there and we chat each other up for a bit. Cajole the owner into a little carbon prep for the seatpost and I'm back on the road. Start the second interval. Hmm, that front tire feels a little soft. Pull off the road, extract the goat head, and change the tube. Only brought 1 CO2 along and I'm only 45 minutes into my ride. The way this is going, I consider bagging it and riding home. Ultimately decide to continue on but I'm now just riding for the love of it--it's been a while since I've done that. It's a beautiful day and my PowerTap isn't working on this bike--sorry coach, no data.

A few miles later, I see my buddy Jeff Keil who's going the other way. I figure that if he's on some sort of easy day, I can have a little company so I turn around and chase him down. Okay, he sees me coming and waits up--there's no chasing Jeff down--he was the first amateur finisher at 5430 last weekend and is beginning his final build for Kona in 8 weeks. So he's not on an easy day but we stop and chat for a few minutes. He introduces me to the guy he's with and we talk about Canada. His buddy gives me the same advice about the course that I've heard from everyone else who's been there--take it easy up Richter, the race doesn't really start until the out-and-back, etc. He tells me it's his favorite race and relates how one year he was in 60th place at the out-and-back, came off the bike in 11th, and ran everyone down. Oh yeah, did I mention Jeff's buddy is his coach, Chuckie V (former pro triathlete who won IMC in '99)? I'll take his advice for sure though I have to explain to him that relying on my run to chase people down isn't going to work for me--while he's Chuckie V, I'm no Davie S. Gotta love (or is that hate?) Boulder.

Get home at 530p and look online for open pools while I stretch. Only option is at Flatirons in Boulder--would have to drive 40 minutes round trip and pay $20. Never mind, my swim is not going to suffer for missing this workout. Walk the dogs, eat dinner, get the kids to bed, clean the kitchen, shower and shave, and hit the sack at 1000p.

Good weekend--I'm feeling ready.