I’m less than a week away from Ironman Western Australia (IM WA) and down in LA with all my typical Ironman equipment.
I look in the mirror and see my face kind of shrunken in, as if my flesh is disappearing. It always seems to get this way right before a long event like a marathon or Ironman. My physical therapist tells me it’s because I have reduced volume during my taper, and now fluids don’t collect in my muscles because I am not damaging them as much during the taper process. Consequently, I see my weight dropping by several pounds in the weeks right before a race. It’s kind of remarkable. I hang near 148-150 lbs for many months and then it all flies away until I am almost 145 by race morning, and usually the week after as well.
Another stupid thing. I get to LA, on my way to Australia and I realize that…I forgot my bike helmet! AUGGGH!!! What an idiot I am. I call all over LA looking for an aero helmet and finally find one in Redondo Beach at the Triathlon Lab. What a life saver! I pick up a Limar Cronos aero helmet there.
Otherwise, I battle little aches and pains here and there. I always worry about them because I do not know if they will be OK or flare up during the race. Racing while in pain is not good; you have enough pain from maintaining a pace and you don’t need other pains to distract you.
News from Busselton and Perth. Customs at Perth is super strict. Hope they don’t take all my powders and gels. A buddy of mine arrived there a little while ago and drove the bike course; he says it is pancake flat. I hope it’s true. Plus it’s pretty hot in Perth right now, but Busselton is much cooler on the coast. At least the Australian drought means that it’s extremely doubtful we’ll have rain on race day.
Tomorrow, I hit the 1030p flight to Sydney. It’s one long ass flight.