Only 2 days until my first 70.3, and I am legitimately freaking out. I don't think I was even this nervous or obsessive about my first marathon. By most accounts, a marathon is more difficult than a half iron, though given my trepidation about the swim, I am not so sure. But I guess I am as prepared as I can be and there isn't much I can do at this point, so I keep telling myself to relax. It's not really working though!
May was a good month training-wise, and this week has been relatively easy so I am not feeling exhausted or over-trained. I was definitely ready for this taper though!
I've studied the athlete guide and learned several important things about Ironman races, including "Public Nudity is not permitted" and my personal favorite from the run instructions: "No form of locomotion other than running, walking, or crawling is allowed."
As of now, the race is wetsuit legal (barely), but it is going to be really hot for the next couple of days, so the lake temp might exceed 76.1 by Sunday. If that's the case, I am going to have to start with the last wave of people who are wearing wetsuits anyway. Fortunately the difference in start times is negligible since my age group is one of the last waves anyway (8:22 vs 8:10). Having decided to wear the wetsuit either way has somewhat alleviated my nervousness about the swim, because at least then I know I can float.
I did a test ride of the course, so I am prepared for that (I guess), but am not looking forward to the steady uphill start.
I have also studied the weather. Again, something I wish I didn't know, especially since I really can't do anything about that!
So I guess I've covered my bases preparation-wise, and now it's just a matter of execution... hopefully all of this obsessive preparation pays off :)
Good luck, Kara!
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