Low key day today. Nice big breakfast, picked up some reading material at Borders, took a walk through the IM expo and ran into some friends, scoped out potential parking areas for Sunday, otherwise chilling.

I feel pretty good. No unusual aches and pains. In fact other then the achy knees that have become part of life I feel great.

I wish the race was tomorrow. I'm really eager to get out there.

It's odd doing a race in a larger metropolitan area. There's very little indication of a race outside of the park where the IM expo is set up. You see people on tri-bikes pre-riding the course, and obvious athletes milling around in the "downtown" area next to the ASU campus, but there are no signs or banners anywhere. Our hotel is less then 4 miles from the expo and within 2 miles of the bike course, but I would wager that most of the people around here have no idea there's a race going on Sunday.

The other odd part of racing here, is Tempe is a suburb. So lots of strip malls (with lots of vacant space) and corporate restaurants. It's been very difficult to find somewhere to eat that's not a chain. Hilary and I try to avoid chains/corp rest. at all costs, but we're really struggling to find places to eat.

Air temp felt warm when I got out of the water. No need for anything other then tri kit on the bike.

Packed, probably overpacked, and ready to go. Due into Phoenix at 2:30. I'll do a short jog after I get checked into my hotel.

I'm getting anxious to race. Dave sent me his projected times for me. I think he's overestimating my capabilities a little, but they're not out of the realm of possibility. It would take perfect conditions, execution, and some good mojo to go that fast.

Dave's Projection vs. My expectation
Swim: 1:02-1:04 - 1:05-1:10
Bike: 4:55-5:05 - 4:59-5:15
Run: 4:15-4:25 - 4:25-4:45

For me to go under 1:05 on the swim I need to have a great start, stay on course, and find a fast pack to swim with. My IM swim starts have been historically rough. I don't deal well with the early contact. At AZ I'm planning on staying wide and back for the start, then work my way through the crowd. I think this is the best strategy for a stress frree swim, but it will likely keep me in the 1:05-1:10 range.

I think this bike course is ideal for me. If the wind stays calm and I can avoid flats, a 5 hour bike split is realistic. However I need to avoid getting caught up in trying to "win" the bike leg.

The run is always a mystery in an IM. For me it's not only fitness, but how does my riddled body handle it. I feel more confident about the run today then I did a few weeks ago, but the reality is that I don't have a lot of quality run training in my legs. On top of that I have a severely arthritic right knee and something going on with my left knee. Add in my back issues, and it's hard to say what can happen. The good news is my back feels better then it has since before my injuries, and my run form seems to have rebounded some in recent weeks.

 

walk, swim, sauna. That's it for today. The swim was a pretty key indicator session for me, especially following up on a hard session yesterday. I feel like I'm right where I've been the past couple of IM's.

The bike left for Arizona on Saturday. I fly down Wed. I should probably start packing. I did get around to making a list last night. I'm not sure if I'm ready, but I am starting to get that pre-race buzz. I'm sure it will kick in once I get to Tempe.

15 minutes in the sauna after swim