Ironman Race Report - Pre-Race (Thursday)

Ahhhh, vacation. I woke up when my body told me to. Of course it was still relatively early because that is what the body is used to. After breakfast we went grocery shopping to get items we didn't bring from home. When we finished putting things away Aimee, Tom (her dad) and I drove the bike course to see what the roads were like, get a general feel for the hills, and enjoy the scenery. Downhills would be fast, uphills would be manageable. The hills were relatively mild compared to the Death Ride back home.

Back home for an early lunch then head up to the Olympic Oval where the athlete village is set up. Driving around town we saw this guy running along the road. Turns out it's Eric Hodska, he lead the summer tri camp I did in June. We pulled over and talked with him for a short bit. It was great to finally see a familiar face around town. He told me that I was ready for this course and that Coach Angela had me dialed-in for race day. It's always good to hear those types of words coming from an accomplished coach and triathlete like Hodska. We would be seeing him the next day at downhill practice and on the course race day.

At the Oval we looked at the merchandise for sale but I didn't see anything that I needed or wanted. We started to head over to registration and found the ART (Active Release Technique) tent on the way. I walked up and signed-in to get worked on. Dr. Zak had given me three names he recommended to have work on my legs. Barry Horpestad was the first name on my list and he was immediately available. Barry was great. He worked on my hamstrings, hip flexors, and other connectors. Barry has been an ART doctor for 9 years and has also been an athlete at Ironman USA.

After the ART we went in to registration and was taken care of in like 10 minutes. We dropped off my race stuff and grabbed my swim gear. Coach's plan called for an easy loop of the swim course. I felt great in the water and enjoyed the swim. I took a nice nap back at the townhouse.

My mom and dad came over to the house and we all drove to Tail of the Pup BBQ. They have a lobster clam bake and great ribs on the menu. I went with the ribs for my race protein. It was a nice relaxed atmosphere and Ironman was about 10 miles away. Back at the house we relaxed and sorted through my athlete bag. I took this picture of my Ironman Gorilla.

I don't think he really wants me to GO but I'm not going to let him stop me on race day.