Coeur d'Alene: Day Two

Friday and Saturday were days to settle into the area. Summer and I arrived to CdA at the same time so I needed time to adjust to the heat. You know you have lived in Seattle too long when 85 degrees feels too warm!

Friday

After a delicious breakfast made by Kevin and a cup of coffee at the Java Cafe, Kevin and I made it down to the city park for my morning swim. It was my one chance to test the water before race day. I wanted it to be as similar to race day conditions as I was at the water's edge at  7 am. It was really busy with age-groupers and pros alike. As I put on my wetsuit, caps and swim booties, Kevin and I saw Lindsey Corbin and he told me to catch her feet! I'm not ready for that ... yet.

The buoys weren't out yet but they did have small markers out into the lake. I waded into the surprisingly decent water. It was cold for the first couple of breaths but then, I was comfortable. I headed out, following the markers. I was doing pretty well and didn't get freaked out until I only saw one swim cap in front of me. I promptly turned around.

Afterwards, I spent a few minutes in the hot tub. There is nothing better than a hot tub after a cold lake swim.

So peaceful and ridiculously pale.

I spent the rest of the morning and early afternoon with Kevin and my mom in Spokane. We went to Nordstrom to go shopping for her birthday! Her birthday was on Sunday, which of course, was going to be a big day for me, so I wanted her to feel special too.

That evening was the welcome banquet. I was dumb and didn't get a pre-purchased ticket for Kevin so we waited in line for about an hour. I was relieved that we got him a ticket and sat together to eat our pasta and chicken dinner. We sat across the table from the funniest Frenchman named Jeremy. He was looking to score a Kona slot and was definitely full of himself. He had on a matching Boston Marathon jacket and shirt and kept telling me I needed to run a 12/25 (like he does) instead of my 11/23.

The program was pretty entertaining. I thought it was kind of funny that they gave the person who lost the most weight by training for an Ironman a tote full of cookies. That man lost 190 pounds which is pretty incredible. I admire people who have the determination to stick with a weight loss program for that long. I can't imagine what that journey must have been. I know that my transformation into an Ironman hopeful was pretty dramatic, but absolutely nothing in comparison with that!

The 'mandatory' athletes meeting was directly after and they went over the rules. It was all information I already knew, but my favorite moment was when the bike course director told the gentlemen in the room that a woman would probably pass them on the bike and to not get too bent up about it! As a cyclist, I really appreciated the callout.

After the meeting, I knew I needed to get to bed. I had been told it would be the most important night of sleep. Kevin and I worked on my transition bag/special needs bag packing for a little bit and then tried to sleep. The results were just so-so. I hoped it wouldn't hurt me on race day.

Coeur d' Alene: Day 1

Just 2 days and a few hours left until race day.

I feel ready for the race but I'm not sure I'm ready for the journey to end. Of course, I'll do more triathlons and bike races, but you only get to do your first Ironman once.

It has been a tough, yet rewarding road, full of both moments of achievement and moments of complete humility.

As Coach Tom can attest, I could barely run 400 meters at an 8:00 min/mile pace. In mid May, I finished an 8k road race at a 7:38 min/mile pace. I've taken 2:15 off my 1,000-yard swim time trial. Also, I finally did a long ride on pace to finish a 112-mile bike ride under 6 hours.

I feel like I've done all I can do. I'm ready to start my life as an Ironman!

We arrived last night at 12:30 am after a drive through pretty violent lightning storms. Today, the energy in town has an electricity all its own.There are so many athletes with tanned, leathery skin and lean, cut bodies walking around. Kevin and I took the 15 minute walk from our rental house down to the Ironman Village where I picked up my registration and my bib number, 2094!

2094!

Super helpful volunteers

Afterwards, we made a couple of signs for me and my teammates, got a bite to eat, and headed back to the house. I then took my bike for a 45-minute spin followed by a 30-minute run, both out on the course. I am glad I got a chance to practice in a little bit of heat, because after day-in and day-out of cold and rainy weather, today's 82 degrees felt really hot! I seemed to do okay and I got to practice with both my aero helmet and my disc wheel. I felt speedy!

I am excited for more people to arrive tomorrow and Saturday. My dear friend Danielle has created a very cool t-shirt design for my race day supporters. I can't wait to see it in real life.

Front

Back

I love it! During a triathlon workshop, Coach Tom told us that sometimes you just have to 'Be the Bee.' Apparently, the physics of the bumble bee should make flying impossible, yet, it flies. Every day.

The whole concept has really stuck with me as a mantra. The funny thing? There is a diagram of a worker bee literally drawn on the wall of the laundry room of our rental house. I think it is a sign.

Okay, more tomorrow hopefully. It is time to rest and eat!