The Desert Half Ironman

It seems as though there are quite a few pro's coming into town for this race... So, my thoughts of winning are out!

But it's received some top billing on xtri.com which is arguably one of the best websites for triathlon-related articles. You get a variety and nothing all that filtered, plus a lot of athlete's post their own race reports online.

The article is at http://www.xtri.com/headline-v.asp?nID=1425

So, I have been joking around that I'll be planting CO2 cartridges and tubes around the bike course to avoid the mishap that occurred at the Victoria Half Ironman... I guess that I can't escape that thought but, if anything, it's fueling me up to make sure I get to that darn finish line with more determination than ever. My ride on Saturday felt very good, as I rode out on the new Cervelo. The Cervelo One is a tri-specific bike which is a far cry from the road bike I am used to, and it took a good hour or so for me to completely settle in. But, after some minor tweaking on the seat angle and a little tightening of the bolts, I found the transition quite smooth. The bike has bar-end shifters which allow you to shift while sitting in a complete aero position. This is a bit unnerving at first but, LET ME TELL YOU, it makes it so much more pleasant as the ride continues on. You just keep going up and down gears depending on the terrain and the effort level is seamless. For once I actually felt like I could keep up without a massive amount of effort, and my heart rate backed me up as there were few points where I was above a base level HR zone, other than the occasional hill. The heat played another big factor on Saturday, but this time, with some added nutritional considerations and water, I ended the ride only slightly exhausted (after 6 hours it's tough not to be tired) and even started my brick with a low heart rate and a little spring in my step. My legs felt way more fresh. I don't know if it's the bike or the fact I had 7 bottles of water, 1 bottle of gatorade, 1 bottle of e-load, 2 salt pills, 2 clif bars, and a bag of gummy bears. Whichever it was, I'm planning on repeating it for Sunday's race.

Last night I trekked over to Sasamat to do a quick swim out to the canoes and back (about 1180 meters). I'm trying to work on my sighting and rhythm, so that I avoid adding any unnecessary distance to an already long swim. After my 2 hour run in the morning, I felt pretty tired and unmotivated to get the swim in, but I knew I was meeting up with some of the Ironcops team out there so it gave me some incentive to get up off the couch. I am definitely appreciative this time of the other warm bodies around me who are training, as it makes it a lot more difficult to back out of a planned workout. I already have a standing appointment to ride at 5:30am tomorrow (Wednesday) as I did last week. It's early, but it feels great to get the ride done before the day really begins.