Prep and Pack

It's rainy and overcast outside, but not overly cold. I've got the first stage of the Giro d'Italia (Tour of Italy) bike race on TV as I sit here thinking about what we have in store for us tomorrow. No workout yesterday, but a nice 4 mile walk on a perfect spring night to keep the legs moving a little. One of the things I've picked up over the past couple years is that doing nothing the days before a race is almost as bad as doing too much. You don't want the legs to get too still.

Packet pickup opens at 3 today, and we'll be there right about then. I watched the bike course video a couple ot times, and it doesn't look too bad other than a climb that takes almost the whole 2nd mile. Quite a few turns so it's going to be a bit hazardous if it's wet. That'll lead to some slower speeds I'm sure. The run course has some rolling hills but doesn't look any worse than what we see walking along the river. A couple hundred feet of climbing across the entire 5k.

The swim course is an out and back rectangle, and the interesting part is that while it's a wave start, it isn't a running start. Each wave starts in the water by start bouys. Plus there's a bit of a hike from the beach to the transition area. I'm not sure where the timing check will be after you get out of the water, so either the 1st transition will be a little longer or there might be an extra minute on the swim time.

Finally, to show that I'm not just an amateur athlete but an amateur journalist as well: I received word yesterday that Tyler Wright would be gracious enough to take some time to sit down for an interview with me. I was truly excited, as bringing some outside flavor into the blog from time to time is something I hope to be able to do on a regular basis. So, when the CBJ PR folks asked for my number I responded quickly. Or should I say too quickly; I typo'ed my own phone number when I sent the email. This is NOT the first time I've done this. Chalk it up excitement or nerves, either one would be accurate. 

I know Tyler will be kind enough to call when he gets my email with the right number on it. Until then, you'll just have to make do with my personal story, which should have an interesting entry following tomorrows race.