The Making of an IronBird ... my journey to Ironman Lake Placid: Race bags packed, Pitoune ready, Sealey & Lake grounding me

Beautiful morning at home. If only my 1k swim race this aft and the start to the main event = 3.8k swim tomorrow were guaranteed to be this 'placid'. Likely similar. Stellar weather weekend for... Sunbathing. Gonna be a hot race.

As usual and as per plan, I stay clear of the mania that is a part of all races until I need to be in the environment to train, check in and race.

Having Sealey and this home is such a blessing.

Another great welcome banquet last night with yummy gluten free choices. Here's a good sample of tri club friends in attendance ... Oh and Banook Lake in the backdrop - where I will swim today and tomorrow

After mandatory race briefing ...

I sorted, Pitoune put all the race labels on helmet, bike and two race bibs on two different race belts.

An aside I need out of my system: end of week from hell stress-wise coping with delays & disappointments & unkind remarks from my usual bike shops where I have spent close to $6000 this year alone! shameful and I think its time I broke up with them. suffice to say i had to scramble to get the newly built rear wheel with powertap G3 hub some rim tape thanks > Ideal Bikes on Barrington. I would have thought it a basic courtesy to add rim tape to a wheel being built for a loyal customer on the eve of her important race? Tubes get pinched and multiple flats results - gee thanks guys. Tech at Ideal shook his head and confirmed without prompting that I'd have flatted out repeatedly during the race. Oh! Remember wetsuit crisis = more stress this week. I'm happy to say I'm using my old faithful - BlueSeventy. Bought some silicone cement to repair some tears but no time pre EPIC. Will do next week during recovery time and well before Ironman Lake Placid

Back to last evening race prep - did the big task of sorting all five bags - two have to be passed in today: T1 - swim to bike and T2 - bike to run. I will have access to them in the morning - mostly to make sure everything is there & in case I forgot to add something.

Three other bags I turn in tomorrow. Special needs bike bag available at 90k turnaround and run special needs bags available at same location I will pass 4 times 1k, 9k, 11k, 20k approx. Last bag to check are dry clothes bag - clothes I wear to race in the morning and same or different for post race plus my recovery drink powders in a bottle ready to add water to help tummy - oh and Zantac!! Which I forgot and writing this reminded me : )

Below, some other goodies I got in my EPIC race bag: towel (yay! Getting another today at swim race), 60 SPF sunscreen, Gatorade powder someone will get since its kills my belly and a race finisher shirt (kinda pre mature but... Hopefully I will earn the right to wear it)

Oh and a visor that I packed in T2 bag as I may just use it tomorrow it goes great with my race outfit!

MOKA’S EPIC SCHEDULE

Fri June 27th

5:15 PM Check-in and Race packet pick up

6:00 PM Welcome Dinner at Mic Mac Aquatic Club

7:30 PM Mandatory Pre‐Race meeting (all competitors)

Saturday – June 28th

To bring: Pitoune, T1, T2 bags

To do post Epic Swim and before 4pm

General info:

9:00 AM – 12:00 PM Secondary Check-in and Race packet pick up

12:00 PM – 4:00 PM Bike and gear bag drop off

HOME

07 :30 - 8:00 AM Alarm, Cuddle time with Seals

08 :00 AM-9:30 AM Eat, Pack, Organize

09 :30 AM-10:15 AM Walk Sealey in Bell

10 :30 AM Leave home for venue

AT EPIC SITE

11:15 AM Arrive at venue

11 :30 AM Epic Swim check in (numbers, caps, towel)

12 :30 PM Epic Swim briefly (wetsuit legal 20c)

1:00 PM 5K race starts, then 2k, then 1k

2:30 – 3:15 PM Brick B30' + R15', accels 45 min
Bike 30 minutes + run 15 minutes. On the race course.Include 3-4 short, race efforts at goal power/pace/heart rate/effort on each. Afterwards, tighten all bolts on your bike.
3:30-4:00 PM Tighten all bolts on bike, bags on seat andaerobars, gear bag drop off

4:00 PM Transition closed until Sunday morning 5 AM

HOME

6:00 PM – 7:00 PM Eat and review race plan

7:00-9:00 PM watch a movie with Sealey

9:00 PM BED!!!

Sunday, June 29th

03:45 up/shower/eat

04:30 leave home

04:30-5:00 am drive & park

05 :00-5 :30am Sealey/Mikey intro & pass off

05:30 – 6:00am body marking & washroom - sunscreen & Vaseline with gloves.

06:00-6:30 remove rain bags, add bike nutrition, inflate tires, washroom

06:15 AM Swim Start Area opens . Washroom

06:30 am - wetsuit on and 15 - 20 min warmupswim

06:30 AM Transition closes

06:45 AM Two long blasts from a horn will indicate “Swimmers Return to Starting Line”. Have Gel. Chest deep water start. 6:55 AM National Anthem, followed by brief starting instructions

07:00 AM Race Start

Swim 3.8k 7:00- 8:30

T1 5 min max

Bike 180k 8:40-15:00

T2 5min

Run 21.1k 15:00-17:45

Happy Dance!!! Find and kiss Sealey!

All times are best guesses.

Recovery 1 hr - drink recovery accelerator, soak legs in lake, massage, eat

Pack car

Retrieve Sealey & head home to celebrate day with Barry who should arrive home from PEI around suppertime/early evening

MONDAY -EPIC awards lobster lunch