By this time next week, I hope to have had a unique experience: crossing the finish line of a “half-Ironman” triathlon: IRONMAN 70.3 New Orleans.
The half-Iron distance race gets its name because its distances (1.2 mi swim, 56-mi bike, and a 13.1-mi run) are half the distance of a “full Ironman”, but there’s nothing half-y about it. It’s a tough event. I believe that I’m equal to the challenge, though. My new bike setup is solid, I feel good about the run, and the swim will be wetsuit legal in a protected anchorage.
My plan for the rest of this week is to get in a couple of easy runs and bike outings, get my gear together, and pack up the plane Thursday night. Friday morning the boys and I will fly to New Orleans, meet Mom and Tim, get set up in our nifty Airbnb rental, and just relax. That leaves me all day Saturday to get my bike into transition, get to the athlete briefing, and so on, then Sunday it’s race day! Monday we’ll fly home.
USA Triathlon rules prohibit carrying music players on the course. Some refs interpret this to mean that smartphones (which of course can be used as bike computers or athlete trackers) are legal, and some say they are not. I plan to have my phone on the course, which means that (thanks to my triathlon watch) you’ll be able to follow my progress on the bike and run legs live. I’ll post a link to the tracking web site Sunday morning before the race starts.
Paul's Down-Home Page 