Prepping to Leave for Austin

So, 11 months after committing to run the Longhorn 70.3 Ironman, 10 months after I started my training, and 6 months since I actually got serious with my training, the day has arrived. I still can't believe that it is, and that I will be getting on a plane this afternoon and heading to Austin, TX. What a ride it has been, so far!

Yesterday, there was no anxiety. The fact that the race was only days away hadn't really hit me yet. I guess that I have been working and waiting so long that it just didn't seem real. Today, though, it is getting real. No real anxiety, but the excitement is starting. I can feel it building and know that, by Sunday, I will be psyched up for the race.

I knew that there was going to be a lot to think about and pack, and I was right. Thankfully, I don't have to worry about a bike because I have rented one in Austin, but I do have to worry about all of the things ON my bike. Aero bars, bottle cages, tools, water bottles, etc. They all have to be taken off of my bike, packed, and brought because, although I have rented a bike, it doesn't have any of the extras that I need to compete on Sunday. Then there is my race gear: watch, heart-rate monitor, goggles, running shoes, bike shoes, sunglasses, bike helmet, race belt. Oh yeah, let's not forget about nutrition! Infinit powder, GU, etc. The logistics of a triathlon became clear to me, again, when I started packing all of this stuff. What if I forget something?!

In my last post, I said that my goal time was sub-5:40 and that I would be ecstatic if I could do it in 5:30. The original mark of 5:40 was set because of the times that Mike Ferranti had done in the same race last year. Since that last post, I have spent a great deal of time crunching the numbers and I am going to update my goals. I will get to that in a minute, but here is kind of what I have been thinking:
The goal that I set is based on my past performance. Granted, these were swims, rides, and runs that were isolated and not one after the other, so there will likely be an impact as I do them all together. But, I have also been biking on hilly courses and with a low-end road bike. This is one of the big unknowns. What will a better bike, with high-end wheels, do to my times? Can I gain 1-2 MPH just on an upgrade of equipment? I think I can see a slight gain in speed just from the equipment upgrade.

Everyone that I have spoken to tells me that the bike, wheels, and helmet that you use all have a big impact on speed and performance. As of now, I have upgraded 2 of the 3 (helmet still under consideration). If I can squeak out even just 1 MPH above my 19 MPH average on past rides, I can shave 12 minutes off of my bike time. A gain of 2 MPH would shave 20 minutes. Those are big numbers and have a huge impact on my time and goals, but it is also totally unknown what the impact will truly be.

Given the above, and in retracing my past performances, I put together 3 scenarios and associated times: Highly probable splits/times, possible splits/times, and big stretch/less probable splits/times.
5:40 is highly probable. There really isn't any reason that I shouldn't be able to hit this mark, barring some serious problem.
5:30 is definitely possible and wouldn't take a huge amount of additional effort to hit, if my assumptions are correct (1 MPH on the bike would more than cover it, right?).
And, my BIG stretch goal is 5 hours. Doing this race under 5 hours would be EPIC! In order to do that, I would really have to kill the bike AND complete my run in a similar time to what I did at the Jersey City Half Marathon (1:38). I don't believe it is totally out of the question, but everything would have to go exactly right for me to hit 5 hours...

This race was initially meant to be one that a group of people from my BOG (Birthing of Giants) class were all going to participate in. Mike Ferranti convinced me, and I was told, 4-5 others to race in Austin. We were going to step it up in a way that was similar to the Titans, another similar group of BOGers, and do the race together. Over the last several weeks, the numbers have been twindling. First, it was Mike dropping because he committed to running a full Ironman next month and Austin was just too close to that race. Next, I found out that a couple more I expected to show had never signed up, for whatever reason, and now were not planning to race. Then, last week, the one remaining person, who HAD signed up and was on the competitor list, had to bail as well. So, here I am, the last man standing.

Fortunately, Mike hooked me up with the Titans, another group of BOGers from an earlier year, and they have welcomed me onto their team. There will be 19 of us racing on Sunday, and some 40 spectators specifically for/from our group. The Titans are well organized and have a complete agenda for the weekend, which includes pre-race run-throughs, a carb-loading pasta dinner the night before the race, a tent with catered lunch for family/friends during the race, and a post-race party. What a great way to enhance the experience!

So, the time is here. If I didn't train enough, it is too late to do anything about that. But, I am confident that I have. I KNOW, short of a major injury (knock on wood), that I will finish the race. The question is, "How long will it take me to get to the finish line?"