Day before Race!

Well, my first “A” priority race is here. I feel pretty good about as long as I don’t dwell on the “what if’s.” The open water swim should be interesting. I hope I haven’t become too dependent on following a black line in the bottom of the pool. My goal is 8 minutes for the swim. I think it is easily doable as long as I don’t swim off course any.

Swim Course


The bike should be fun. It is 13 miles of pretty hilly terrain. As long as I remember to save some gears for the hills, I’ll be fine. My goal is to avg 17.5 mph which would give me a bike time of 44.5 minutes. I’m confident that I can make up time from biking up the hills when I fly down the other side (gravity is a big man’s friend when biking downhill).

Bike Course


The run course will be interesting. It is flat for the first ½ mile then uphill for the next mile to the turnaround. Good part is that it is downhill and flat for the return trip. I’m hoping to keep a modest 11 minute/mile pace (33 minute run segment). So far this year, I haven’t been great at the running. I figure I can take the first 3-5 minutes to shake the bricks off my legs and then focus on the run.

Run Course


Adding up the times and shooting for smooth transitions, my goal is to finish in 90 minutes. That might be too lofty of a goal for a beginner, but I know I have it in me. I just need to keep the “can’ts” at bay when I’m on the course. For those of you coming out to cheer, thanks for your support. For those of you racing, good luck. For those of you at home, drink a cold one for me!

Eric’s Quote of the Day: “Pain is temporary; quitting lasts forever” ~Lance Armstrong