The Day before

Alarm went off at 4:50 am. I wanted to make sure I had time to eat and double check I had packed everything I was going to need on race day. Connie was arriving at 6 am. We decided to leave early, so we could pick up our race packets and make the first race meeting at 11 am.

Connie got there a little after 6. She loaded my bike while I bought coffee from Dunkin Donuts. By 6:30 we were off. We had a fairly uneventful drive. Spent our time chatting about the race, meditation, weight loss, different groups to train with and Lake Placid IronMan that she's doing next year. I am both inspired by and in awe of people who decide to do an IronMan distance triathlon. I know several people now who have done, are on their way to do, or are planning on doing one.

I'm none of the above. It's an idea I consider from time to time, but the jury is still out. Connie did ask if I was going to come up and cheer, which I plan to do.

"And then you can sign up for 2008 while you're there."

"Um, I don't know. How about I finish this race, and then we'll see?" It's a huge commitment to train for one. It's double what I was going to attempt on Sunday. I'm just not ready to decide either way.

Before we knew it we were in Narragansett, Rhode Island. It actually took just over 3 hours, but it flew by. We decided to see if we could check into the hotel early. But we were told absolutely not. Instead of trying to fight the receptionist on this, we decided to get some breakfast.

We happened upon a little diner, Whales Tale, just past the pavilion, which was where the transition area for the race was being set up. We waited as patiently as we could for a table. Turned out we were very hungry, and the slower pace that the staff was moving was hard for us to adjust to.

But it was well worth the wait. Connie had Lobster Benedict, which she decided was in the top 10 best meals she has ever had. It looked like a full lobster tail had been split onto two buttered english muffin halves, topped with poached eggs and Hollandaise sauce. It was fun to watch her enjoy it. I wasn't feeling adventurous - two eggs over medium, extra-crispy bacon and potatoes. All of which was very good.

We went back to the pavilion, picked up our race bags, and looked around the expo while waiting for the meeting to start. We both bought hats. I picked up a sports bottle that has a strap to hold it around your hand while running. It also has a pocket to put stuff in. Very handy, but not for tomorrow - nothing new on race day.

Connie was excited that Dick and Rick Hoyt were at this race. I had seen their names listed as the first wave, but didn't have any idea who they were. She explained in a nutshell that they were father and son. Rick has been disabled since birth, so Dick will pull him in a inflatable raft during the swim, they have a bike with a seat on the front for Rick to sit in, and Dick will then push him in a wheelchair for the run. They have done a huge amount of triathlons including several IronMan races, and marathons including Boston. It was awe-inspiring to hear her talk about them. People do amazing things.

The meeting started, and seemed pretty straight forward. They warned everyone that penalties will be given without warning or being told that you received one, so everybody should obey the rules. For the swim, we were told that we had to go around the turn buoys by keeping them to our right. The other buoys were just guides, and it didn't matter which side of them we swam on. The only thing I caught about the run course was that there was a person station at a turnaround point, and we were to give our numbers to them. Everything seemed pretty much what I expected or nothing to really worry me, except when the race director went into detail about the bike course. The more he talked about the bike course the more I began to worry.

"You want to drive the bike course after this and then go for a swim." Connie whispered.

I told her it sounded like a good idea. If nothing else, it would let me visualize what I had to do the next day. Most of the course was relatively flat, and you spent majority of your time on Route 1. But there was a section about 18 to 20 miles into the start of the bike that was hilly. They called it the stair step section, because you went up a hill and it leveled off and then up again.

As Connie and I drove along that roughly 10 mile section, we both began to rethink our times. There didn't seem to be any hill that we wouldn't be able to climb. It just felt like it was unending, and we were in a car. The road was narrow and one section of it was pretty beat up. I was glad we saw it. Along our drive we also found a gas station that had a port-o-potty. We made note of the location just in case.

We headed back to the beach, and managed to get ourselves off course in the same place we had gotten lost at the beginning of our drive. It didn't worry me too much, because there would be volunteers or officials at those critical points.

We decided to pick up supplies for the race - mainly water and a disposable sports bottle. There were two bottle exchanges on the bike course, and I didn't want to throw away both of the sports bottles I had brought. After a quick phone call to my friend Cyn and a sandwich, we decided to check into the hotel, and then go for our swim.

The day just seemed to be rapidly disappearing. We finally got settled and out the door for our swim. Michelle and Connie were chatting by the car when I came out to leave. She was telling Michelle about the bike course, and what we had been told at the meeting. We made plans for around 6pm for dinner.

I didn't need to swim long. I just wanted to be sure my wetsuit was comfortable. Connie had the same goal. I stepped in the water and for the first time since my first triathlon, I was glad to have the wetsuit. The water was really cold. It took me a bit to get in and under. Really it took a wave that was about to crash into me. But I finally dived into the water and let the initial shock of cold wear off.

We swam out to one of the buoys, and looked around. I was hoping the current would switch directions by morning or the swim was gonna be hard. At that point it was pushing us towards the start and the shore. We finished our swim and I gave the wetsuit a double thumbs up - a first.

It was past 4 o'clock when we got back to the car. As we got in my phone rang, it was Cyn. She needed to know what the address of the hotel was. We got back to the hotel, and as I was getting my stuff out of the car Cyn drove up with Ethan, who is 3.

"Wow, that was fast! Are you that close?"

"No, I had already left, but couldn't remember where you said you were."

After rinsing off my wetsuit, Cyn, Ethan and I went for a walk, and tried our best to catch up without ignoring Ethan. Cyn and I went to college together, and don't get many opportunities to see one another. Unfortunately, this visit had to be short. By time we got back Connie was heading up to grab the others. I managed to say good bye, shower, get dressed and out the door in 15 mins. I didn't look or feel pretty, but I was there.

We headed to Point Judith, where the ferry boat leaves for Block Island, for dinner. We ate at a place called George's. It seemed to be the popular place to go, because we had to wait for awhile to get seated. The food wasn't that great, but the company was nice.

On the way back to the hotel we stopped at Dunkin Donuts, so Connie could get a very large cup of coffee for the morning. She planned on reheating it in the microwave. I picked up some milk for the coffee I brought with me. I make sure I bring my race day food, so I don't have to worry about finding the food I'm used to. I tried to reach my folks while I waited for the others to come out. No one home.

Back at the hotel, I mixed up my sports drinks and put them in the frig. I also decided to freeze some water to leave in transition. I laid out my clothes and repacked my bags. My head started spinning with thoughts about what I might have forgotten, and mainly whether or not I was able to do the race.

I tried my folks one more time. Thankfully, my step-mom answered. We made a plan for where to meet. The conversation was short, but it did the trick. I felt calmer and able to sleep. 10:30pm not so bad.

Next time, I'll try to find some down time. The good thing was that it kept me from thinking too much about all the random fears that creep up. There's nothing to do now, but get some sleep, get up and do the race.