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IM MD - RACE WEEK!! - Stay Calm
Best takeaway from CoachR's video this week - "Stay calm". Remember that this week!! Deep breaths...
Did you all see the video links Nemo posted on the 2015 Maryland Coach Video and AMA Thread...? If not, do take a look - GREAT previews of swim/bike/run courses and the transition areas!
Does anyone want to coordinate a practice swim and run/ride course recons? When are you planning to do this? I wish I were coming in a day earlier, as I won't be arriving to Cambridge til Thursday morning (flying into Reagan very late Wednesday night.) I'll have to make a very efficient, kind of full Thursday!
See you all very soon! Can't wait!
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Oh- and whatever you do, don't look at the weather forecast yet. Seriously. It's waaaaaay too early to freak out about weather and they truly have no clue. I packed an "in case of bad weather" bag. Hope I don't have to open it up, but that's it, nothing else we can do about it until the day before the race anyway.
Trying to be cool about the weather, but honestly, last night I picked out a long sleeve technical shirt I was willing to throw away at a bike aid station if its too cold and rainy in the morning. Crazy ugly black shirt with white stripes. Also brining the rain jacket. Thinking positive thoughts. I'm about two hours away and the weather has been "looks like its going to rain, but doesn't" a lot. Just lots of cloudy systems moving through. So even if the forecast calls for rain on Saturday, it may not actually rain, or if it does it might rain in the late afternoon, which honestly might be nice.
Bringing the bike and gear bags to T1 on Friday could be an adventure. I just imagine everyone waiting in line for the bus with their bikes...how's that gonna work??
anyways, slowly making piles for packing. The EN checklist found in the Wiki is really good. bike is cleaned, chain is cleaned. Last little spin tomorrow after work.
How is everyone feeling? My legs are feeling tired and heavy, I don't seem to have any pep in my step and I feel really tired - not exactly how I was hoping to feel during the taper. I took a pass of the 2.5 hour ride Saturday as I felt a cold coming on and chose to put in some time under the covers. Sunday I did an hour trainer ride. Today I picked my bike up from its time at the salon and took for a 25 min spin and did a 20 min run and 15 min of gentle yoga. I think tomorrow I am going to do a short run with some strides mixed in. I would like to hop in the pool for 40 min on Wednesday before I get in the car. I am trying to find the balance between resting and staying fresh. Any thoughts?
Sarah,
you are doing it right, your legs will come around...the main thing is to remember you are NOT training for anything right now...don't work too hard, just stay loose. for swims this week I like to, Get the feel of the water, spend some time at race pace, do some drills, done. Your work out plan sounds good.
Yah, I'm trying to stay calm, but getting excited and nervous. last little spin and run after work...
Thanks Nate, that is just what I needed to hear! Can't wait to see everyone!
did 40 min spin and a 20 min run in the rain today. I was reminded that, "yep" you can ride in the rain, braking is about 50% reduced, seeing through wet glasses is tough and you probably will put them away, having an extra layer or two on under a rain jacket is probably a smart move.
I'm thinking about bringing trash bags on Friday for Gear Drop Off. Trying to protect my drive train.
My main concern is getting cold not getting wet. Being wet is not fun but not the end of the world either. The good news I think the temps are going to be ok. not hot but nothing silly cold.
1. Do you have enough layers on leaving T1. Even if its not raining when we get out of the water I will have a small rain jacket with me in my jersey pocket. May even just put it on regardless. I would rather spend a few extra minutes, putting it on + taking it off, than get totally frozen on the course.
2. Consider Have extra layers in both special needs bags. you may not get them back. Oh well. At least have options at mile 56, or a shirt tied around the waste, or something you can pull out from a jersey pocket. Rolling up a long sleeve technical shirt and tie it around your waste. Great way to leave T1/T2 if you are unsure of how cold its going to get.
3. any turn on the course you need to slow down more than normal. Ride safe. Keep the bike stable, not leaning to one side or the other more than needed.
Hey Nate/Everyone-
Just posted a question in the Race Execution forum. What wheel setup are you thinking of using? I don't know how to copy/paste a link from that forum to this one. If you get a chance to go check out the question over in that other forum so that I'm not posting it in two different places that would be great and would appreciate everyone's advice.
Thanks! Looking forward to meeting everyone! Wolf
Wolf- I've got 404's on my bike but I'm bringing a "normal" front wheel and will likely swap it out for race day. Given the expected wind, I think it's safer to leave disk wheels home.
I guess its one less thing to worry about then...besides a rusted up bike. ugh.
http://www.ironman.com/triathlon/events/americas/ironman/maryland.aspx#axzz3nDsFW6L4
If they are able to postpone to Oct 17, how many of you would actually be able to turn around the logistics to make that happen?
not sure how i feel about the "maybe on the 17th" part of all of this. feel really bad for people flying in and already shipped their bike...
The other alternative is B2B (not a WTC race I know) which is also Oct 17.
And yeah- I've got a friend who found out after arriving at BWI. It's the really out of town folks I feel bad for the most.
Dang!!!
my hotel, comfort inn, is debating on how much of a fee they are going to charge all of us folks who are cancelling. The funny thing is my wife got a better rate for the weekend of the 17th.
I agree with Nemo on the out of town folks...Let's just hope the hurricane doesn't cause a lot of damage to cambridge and the surrounding area.
agree on the idea of posting on what the heck to do now in terms of training. Julie, do you have a road bike, maybe see about borrowing someones bike for a few weeks.
I am feeling very fortunate that so far, we've been able to cancel all our reservations and get refunds. So sad for all the athletes already in Cambridge - THAT would be devastating. To all you East Coasters, stay dry and safe!
I'll start another post on What's Next for us... as I'm sure we're all thinking about that! Try and enjoy the rest of your day, and don't bother unpacking... that would be depressing. Save that for tomorrow!
Crap I'm one of the ones caught in cambridge..fangled work, flights,bed and breakfast now it's all just numbness....oh well s@#t happens
Julie, Any luck with cancelling your reservation at the Hyatt without a fee? I called the Hyatt 1-800 customer service line and they hadn't waived the 1-night fee yet, but they could do so later. Since I'm not checking in until tomorrow, there was no reason to cancel now, so I'll wait to see if they change their minds. Thanks.
Hey David, yes... we were successful in canceling Hyatt. We called about 2 hours ago and did it through an automated system. After seeing your note and realizing I didn't get a confirmation email, we just called them directly to double-check. All's good. Hope you have the same results!