Day 2 started off a little later then day 1. I was able to get a solid 8 hours sleep and woke up at 4:30 AM CDT. This is good because that’s the time I need to be up on race day. I started my day off with an easy P90X workout, XStretch. This is an hour of slow easy stretching.
Next I thought about going out and doing an easy swim but the rain storm from yesterday was still hanging around and making the ocean look pretty bad. So plan B was to go for a run. I headed out onto the marathon course and ran easy. There were tons of people out on the course and I ended hooking up with a guy from Tampa. We ran easy 8 minute miles and covered 8 miles. I finished feeling refreshed but very wet.
I then cleaned up and it was time to make breakfast. Protein shake. Over the past 6 months I’ve kind of developed my own special formula. 8 oz skim milk, 1 whole banana, raspberries, 1 scoop of protein powder, 1 raw egg, 2 table spoons of coconut oil, and crushed ice. Blend until smooth, pour into a tall glass and enjoy a delicious frap like drink.
Next item on the schedule it was back off to the Super Walmart. Once again I was walking in the rain. I needed to get some more bread, a tall plastic cup for my protein shakes and some straws. I was successful on all accounts.
Then it was back to the expo. Things were really starting to pick up. Yesterday there weren’t many people or vendors. Today the vendors doubled and the line to get checked in was over 2 hours long. I don’t understand why it takes so long to check people in but their process is very poor. Mike O should give them some lessons.
I scanned the long line and spotted Sean Snow, coach of S2 Tri team. Sean is from Concord, NH and did Lake Placid, then went to Kona, now is here for Ironman #3 in 3 months. Next he’s off to Clearwater, Fl next week for the championship 70.3 race. He is an animal. We chatted about the race on Saturday but then got talking about Snow Shoe season. He and I are really looking forward to a change of pace.
Now it was time for lunch. PB&J was on the menu with some nice ice cold grapes. Now your might be thinking PB&J, what kind of power food is that. Well think about it, peanut butter is high in protein. The J of choice for me is strawberry preserves, so I get a fruit and some sugar. The bread was whole wheat with a touch of honey. For me this is my perfect energy food.
After lunch the sun finally came out so it was time to get out on the bike and test out my control of the new wheel set. The wind was blowing pretty good so I started off slowly to get used to how the wind moved the bike around. After a couple of miles I was comfortable with the wheels and got down to business. The area is so flat that I was able to easily bring the speed up to 23 and hold it there for 20 miles. At the finish once again I felt light and refreshed.
Now I was taking a look at the ocean and thinking of heading out for a quick swim. I walked down to the water and stuck my feet in. The water was about 75 degrees, nice!! However, I decided to walk away and save my ocean training swim for tomorrow morning.
When I was walking back to the hotel from the water’s edge, a women stopped me and asked “you didn’t swim without a wet suit, did you”. I’m looking at her thinking that these southern folks are wimps. But then again, I am very afraid of the heat so everything is relative.
Next was the pre-race banquet and mandatory meeting. They really get the crowd going at this event. Their message was “You WILL do this”!!! That’s right there nothing negative in this message. They brought a couple people up on stage. The youngest, 18 years old. The oldest, 81 years old. The person who lost the most weight during training, 90 pounds. Lastly the person they called “The Everyday Hero”. This guy, named Jack is blind. He has a pacer on the swim who is attached to him with a rope, and rides a tandem bike, then is hooked to his pacer by another rope on the run. WOW!!!
Now it’s time for bed.
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