Calm before the storm...

It might just be me, but a week or more out from the race, the days just slowly and serenely drift by, with the event only faintly visible on the horizon, and nothing more than a concept. This close, though, the days are a blur. There is a also a vague sense of dread - knowing that there is something a bit nasty creeping up, and that it cannot be avoided. Its a strange mix of emotions indeed. As I tap this out at 6 pm on the eve of the race, I'm excited, a little scared, and generally just on edge. It helps some that I've been in this frame before, but its probably the least enjoyable part of the race package.

Today's been mainly one of resting, interspersed with some necessary periods of activity. First up this morning, Teresa and I went down to the swim start and I did a very easy swim/bike/run session of around 40 minutes. There is absolutely no training benefit in this; its all mental. First, it allows some release of the tension that is building up. Second, it serves as a confidence builder. This is because over the last week my hours of training have dramatically reduced. In the final weeks before leaving home, I was training for 18-20 hours a week. My first week here saw that drop to 14 hours, and this week its only been 3 hr 10 min. As a consequence, my body has had the chance to catch up on, and consolidate, all the training. I was taking it very, very, easy this morning, but I felt fantastic; it means I can start tomorrow knowing that I feel in good form.

I spend around an hour making final checks of my racing wheels, all bike components, checking cable attachments, screws, bolts etc for tightness. All my racing gear was laid out and checked, then packed into separate bags for the swim to bike and bike to run transitions. It pays to use a list!

Around midday, it was time to take the bike and my gear bags down to the transition area. I was prepared for the bike/helmet check and gear hand in to take forever, but I was in and out in under 10 minutes. very impressive. We each had a guide allocated, who proceeded to walk us to the bike rack, explaining the flow of both transitions in the process. Bags for the swim to bike and bike to run transitions were racked. Very slick, very good.

The rest of the day has been focused on resting and drinking. I'll probably spend half the night up peeing, but its absolutely critical that I hit tomorrow fully hydrated. That's certainly more important than sleep. I slept pretty well last night, so its really redundant whether or not I am restless tonight. I've done many races after a less-than-perfect sleep, and its never been a problem.

Its a little weird thinking that I've been focused on competing in this race for two years, and this time tomorrow, it will be completed. What's next? Certainly not another ironman, for quite some time.

As to my predictions for tomorrow, I'm mainly concerned with racing well, than racing for a time. There are just too many variables to predict an accurate time. The closest that I'm prepared to predict is between 10 and 11 hours.

Its been great having T here. Its made the last bit of waiting so much easier, and of course, having completed this race herself, she knows what is going through my mind. It matters.

So, adiós. Lets wait and see what race day serves up. You can check out live coverage at www.ironman.com starting from around 6 am NZ time. I am race number 779. Wish me luck!