The training is in the arms and the legs, the planning is in the head, the bike is ready to roll and I’ve taken over our hotel room in a military operation style. Mylast post was about Obsessive Compulsive Triathlete disorder and it was well-timed - my hotel room takeover for big races is something to behold, making even the most anal of nit-pickers seem positively chilled-out and laid-back in comparison.
Anyway, we’ve been down to the incredible race village here in Roth to register (added bonus of Our Lass entering a women’s 5k tomorrow morning), and we’ve walked a little around the expo wishing I had a spare 50k or so to splurge on toys and tri clothes!
Then it was time to get to the hotel in Greding (at the foot of the bike course and the site of the biggest climb on the course) and hit a nearby restaurant for some quality German-sized portions of meat and potatoes (rest of the day was high fat/low carb so can get away with few fries in the evening).
That in mind, what will success look like on Sunday?
Goal #2: PR. I went 10:59 at a brutishly difficult day at Ironman Austria a couple of years ago. I’d definitely like to beat that time.
Goal #3: Sub-10:30. This seems like a good goal - not easy, not impossible (although the baking hot weather here might make that tough - latest forecast says 33C).
Goal #4: Anything under 10:30 is a bonus.
SWIM:
The plan is to swim well but maybe lay off the gas a little compared to how I swam in Austria. Roth is a wave start event, so I guess it’s just a case of getting lucky with what wave you’re in, but I’m hoping for some good swimmers whose feet I can jump on and keep the swim steady but not too slow.
55 minutes or less will be a result
This is the first time I’ll race with power and I’m going to take comfort in the numbers. In fact, the screen on my Garmin will show me only Current Power, Normalized Power, Cadence and Current Speed. These are the data that I think I need to make the smartest decisions on the bike: no average speed, distance, time etc etc… I’ll focus on numbers and the time will be what it will be.
Somewhere around 5:30 would be a good day - although Roth has a reputation as a fast course, I’ve ridden it and am not sure how. Happy that I’m not the only one as Rinny (current Ironman World Champ) agrees in the interview at the foot of this blog.
RUN:
Traditionally my weakest leg, I actually have high hopes for the run leg. I’ve improved a lot but feel like I’ve very much shuffled/walked/survived in my previous attempts at this distance - I realize it’s never going to be a fast run, but I want to do myself justice and show that I can actually put together a half decent IM marathon.
I hope that around 3:45 is not out of the question - but, again, the temperatures are going to play a significant and, ultimately, unknowable role.
Tomorrow - it’s time to get the bike loaded and the bags packed and check them all in. It’s all feeling very, very real!