Been a day of final preparations and tweaks today.
This race is a little different to many others I have done is a lot of little ways. For one bike racking is tomorrow morning on race day. Another is that the briefing isn't until tonight. Combined with registration being yesterday, today has been pretty cruisy.
That isn't to say it has been empty. I have managed to keep myself busy which is just the way I like to be.
This morning we headed back down to the pool at EduCity for a swim session. Last bit of training before the race. It was a good session, the swimming was feeling spot on. It also gave me a chance to finalise a few decisions in my mind. Firstly I have been trying to decide whether or not to wear my new sleeved tri suit tomorrow. My decision sort of hinged on whether I not I felt I had time to get out of the swim, roll down my swim skin and pull up my tri suit. Now that I have seen the transition I suspect I will not have time to do that. That left me with a decision to either swim with the tri suit on my shoulders (which is legal now) or race in a sleeveless suit. I have never swum with the suit covering my shoulders and so this morning I gave it a go. Not for me I think. From what I saw it was costing me 1 second per 50m. I am not sure how much a sleeved suit would save me on the bike, but I can say for sure that it was going to cost me nearly 40 seconds in the swim, so that shut down that idea. As I said, if transition was longer then I would simply roll the suit up, but it isn't and so I won't. Decision made. Easy.
Another thing I got up today was try and sort our my heart rate monitor. My heart rate monitor has been a little iffy for a while now and yesterday on my run it seemed to suddenly and inexplicably die. I have tried all the tricks I can think of to no avail. I then borrowed one of Stef Puszka with out much more success. Finally I decided that I would have to replace it, since I sort of need it for the race tomorrow. It is a replacement that has been on the cards for a while, Usually I would not like that sort of stuffing around the day before a race, but fortunately for me I knew exactly where a Garmin shop was. Getting a taxi out there, buying a new one and getting back was the work of an hour. Simple. If only all problems were solved that easily.
Other activities have included just general relaxing, race preparation and transition familiarsation. To be honest there isn't much to do on that last front. Transition is one long rack and so it is going to be a case of running along it until you get to your bike. Since our bikes aren't there yet (and the racks aren't numbered) we won't know exactly where they are until morning. Transition seems quite simple, there is one entry and exit for everything, but beyond that it is a little hard to tell since it is still being set up,
That slight feeling of uncertainly can be said for a lot of the race. For instance everybody is still unsure whether the run leg is one lap or two. Looking at the map and based on my run last night it can't be two laps, it would be too far. But talking to organisers last night they were adamant it was two. The description given on the maps around the place say 6 aid stations 3kms apart, which would indicate that the maps show one lap, but, as I have said, the organisers seemed pretty sure it was two. It is the sort of thing you would clarify in a race briefing, but we haven't had ours yet, so that is a bit hard.
Still, as frustrating as it is, it actually sort of doesn't matter that much, the 6 aid stations 3km apart bit is the item of bigger concern. That will be by far the fewest aid stations I have had in a half ironman run leg, on what is going to be a hot day. It is going to make pacing and heart rate critical. It also makes me think I will start the run with bottles of water. Of the items that have me concerned heading into tomorrow, that is the biggest one, trying to stay hydrated and cool on a hot run without much water. Melting down on the run is a real risk, so my focus for the day will be avoiding that.
Sitting here now typing though I don't have much more to do for the day. The pasta night starts in a couple of hours and the mandatory briefing starts not long after that. I am not that bothered about the pasta, but if I have to go to the briefing I might as well go and get some food too. Hopefully we get some clarification about the run.
I usually like to be in bed super early before a race, but with the briefing being late that is a little beyond my control. However, tomorrow morning isn't that early anyway, so if I am in bed a little bit later then it is not the end of the world. Hopefully I get a good night's sleep though.
Anyway, that is me done for now I think. Time to do a bit more preparation, some stretching and then head out to the pasta night.
Next time I am writing it will be post race for a wrap up.
Wish me luck.
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