To better explain why I have a new bike, my uncle Erwin has lent me his for the season... I am so grateful, not because my GT is a bad bike, but because this one is great for racing Ironman distances and it is always cool to have a new toy to play with (c'mon, I think that's the real reason).

I'm into a slight taper week this week, although I really only see one or two things as being part of the "taper" concept... My swim mileage is a little lower and I obviously won't be doing a long ride or run on Saturday or Sunday. The biggest keys during your race week are in nutrition and rest, and I am diligently trying to adhere to both disciplines. I'm sticking to my 8 hours of sleep/night and have even resorted to taping The Daily Show and The Colbert Report (really the only reasons I ever stay up to watch t.v. anyway) and watching them in the morning. I really need Tivo though because my VCR is not recording properly at all... I guess it's outlived it's 10 year lifespan.

In getting ready for the weekend I plan to head up on Saturday morning sometime, giving me an opportunity to do a short swim, bike and run in the morning, and have breakfast at home. I've stopped having any alcohol since Friday night (not that that's a HUGE stretch) in order to make sure I am resting properly and not dehydrating. While in Victoria, I'm staying with 2 other people in one room, all of whom are doing Ironman this year. It's sometimes fun to see what other people's preparation habits are... I just hope I don't get thrown out the window for whistling or my snoring problem (:... (no I don't have a snoring problem as far as I know).