Seven days to go. I finished my open water swimming, I shipped my bike, and now, I am anxiously waiting.
The reality of the event hit me on bike drop-off day. I’m using Tribike Transport to ship my bike. This service allows me to leave my bike at a local bike shop and magically (I hope) it will appear in Tulsa. On Wednesday morning, I just stared at my bike contemplating the moment. Is today really the day? I’m not sure what I was thinking about, but I missed my freeway exit and had to circle back to the bike shop. The feeling wasn’t “excitement”. It was more like “somber”; maybe “sobering”? Whatever it was, it made the long months of training real.
Now I’m in the midst of packing. This is an exercise in thinking through detail. What clothes will I wear? What do I need to buy? What triathlon gear do I need for every possible condition (heat, humidity, thundershowers, rain, tornados — it is Oklahoma)? So, I’m making a list — and remaking the list — and reading other peoples’ lists. With each iteration, the pile of “stuff” on my floor grows larger.
And, did I mention the weather? I check the weather on multiple apps multiple times a day. I’m a bit obsessed. Right now the forecast is for 85°, 70% humidity, and 30% chance of rain (thundershowers). But really, the numbers change daily.
And of course, there is the water temperature. Today, Keystone Lake is 65°. I should be okay with this temperature, but it’s far below the advertised 72° on the Ironman website.
What’s even scarier is that someone posted that there are snakes in the lake. Hey, I can’t unsee that post. I just hope they are joking. Oops, I just looked it up on the internet — sounds real — now I’m scared too.
What can I say? Seven days to go. I finished my open water swimming, I shipped my bike, and now, I am anxiously waiting.
This week’s training log.
- Monday (5/10): Swim 1,650 Yards.
- Tuesday: Bike 15 Miles.
- Wednesday: Run 4.2.
- Thursday: Bike 18 Miles.
- Friday: Swim 2,050 Yards.
- Saturday: Bike 35 Miles.
- Sunday: Run 6.5 Miles.
- Total Time: 8 Hours.
Riding Thru Bees 