Getting Ready to Rock N Roll...No Melting Allowed!

Road trip!!!

Solo. (no Dave or Joy with me this time. Oh where, oh where, are my traveling buddies?)

The funniest thing happened this week, too. My wedding ring is missing a prong, the band is cracked, and it is too big. I ceased wearing it on Monday so I don't lose it or damage it further, and I do intend to have it fixed, once I make it that far down the "to-do list." Dave suggested I just wear the ring he gave me for our 1st anniversary, but come Wednesday, I still didn't have anything on my finger. (because I was lazy and didn't feel like searching for it)

Wednesday night, Dave said, "so, I guess you are going to race this weekend as Damie Turpin?" Ahhhh ha ha ha!!! It was so funny I couldn't go to sleep after he said that, and I got out of bed and started sorting through junk to find the anniversary ring. Well, the dern thing doesn't fit either, so I am wearing a ring that my mom gave me as a kid so that I can travel as Damie Roberts, married triathlete with a pretend wedding band.

Currently I am sitting in a roasting hotel room. I mean roasting. It was 100 degrees here today, and I just checked the current temperature at 95 degrees!!!!!!! seriously!!!!! And there is no air in this hotel room. I keep telling myself this is just heat acclimation.

So, here is the scoop. Tomorrow is a half ironman distance event. The event is decently challenging- hilly course on the bike, but not awful. Just lots of hills to get over and one major climb. I was excited when I drove some of the course this afternoon to see climbs at mile 1...then mile 2....then....yes!!!! It is just so much fun to ride different topography, especially after riding in Memphis day in and day out.

The run course is interesting in that it changes every 400 meters it seems. It will be flat, then you climb, then you are on a false flat, etc... so, it is up and down- some gradual and some a little harder- and some nice and easy.

But doesn't 13.1 miles seem so long when you drive it in your car? I kept thinking today on the interstate...boy 1 mile is really a long way! I have to do how many tomorrow?

Of course the big issue for tomorrow is the heat- it is projected to be 97 degrees while I am "racing." And since it was 99 degrees here today, I believe it will reach its projected temperature. While it is normally hot this time of year, we are having "severe weather alert" heat in the south. Go figure. And the race course? NO shade.

I go into this type of event understanding that I cannot defeat the heat. After my awful meltdown in the Chicago Marathon of 2007, I have learned that I MUST readjust my plans in hot weather. At Chicago, I refused to do this. I decided I had trained for a certain pace, and I was running that pace no matter what!!! I would not budge!!! The worst part of that decision was not the med tent visits (3 of them) or the horrible heat exhaustion. It was the destruction of the rest of my year. I never quite recovered from that event, and it destroyed the rest of my season.

So, with a little more experience, I am heading into tomorrow's race very conservatively and hopefully with increased safety. Safety and staying cool are my number one goals tomorrow. Since I have a history of being a poor performer in heat, I know I need to be absolutely diligent about hydration, sodium, and staying cool. I am going to wear my HR monitor tomorrow and compare it with RPE to make sure I am not doing anything too hard. I am also going to follow my sodium and hydration plan faithfully.

And no time goals. Out the window. There is no way I can project a bike or run time. There is no need to try to finish in a certain time. This is about using my brain and solving a tough puzzle to put together the best day that I can safely put together. But honestly, I am excited! I love a challenge. Triathlon is not just about raw speed, it is about making good decisions over and over again to put together a good day.