• Log in

Gregg Gordon

A triathlete’s diary and other stuff

• Home
• About GG and this Site
• Contact Me
• Professional Summary
• Pics
• Race History (through 2015)
• Hawaii Ironman Report
• Ironman Minister
• 2016 Race Calendar

In Brazil

Posted by Admin on May 21, 2008 in Training

Well, we made it to Brazil without any hitches.  The trip was super long but rather efficient.  I am in an internet cafe (a whopping price of $1.33 per hour!) but don´t have a ton of time available to write since dinner is right around the corner.

Went for an hour long bike ride and encountered a couple of steep but short climbs.  The rest of it was totally flat.  I later went on a tour of the course hosted by the owner of the Ironman travel company of which I am a client on this trip.  The bike course is ridiculously flat.  The only perceivable problems could be wind and humidity, but it looks like the likelihood of either is slim.

The run course is interesting.  It starts off with running in essentially a square pattern but at the last turn to complete the square, and only on the first loop, athletes turn in the opposite direction and run up and down a couple of steep hills before encountering a flat out-and-back section.  When returning back to that previous turn point, athletes complete the square before doing that square pattern two more times.  That means that the first loop is 13.1 miles while the second and third loops are 6.55 miles each.  Everything is measured in kilometers obviously, but I´ve practiced my conversions to make sense of it all while I am out there.

I will swim half of the course tomorrow morning, go on a short run, then attend an athlete´s meeting held by the Ironman organizers to learn any final details.

On Friday, I will cycle again and on Saturday, we are going on a fun boat excursion.  Sunday is the big day and while I´ve been feeling a little concerned about wondering if I should have done more, riding and driving the course today has put my mind at ease.  Mostly, I am focusing on remaining strong mentally and not letting all the chatter out there and the awe of the Ironman lore freak me out.

I cannot wait for how much I am going to revel and celebrate after this race is over.  It is admittedly hard to be in such a beautiful place with so many physical fun activities available (as well as eats and booze!) and not be able to take advantage of them.  Actually, I have exceptionally strong will power so it´s not that hard after all.  But, like the swing of the pendulum in one direction, so goes the potential for utter debauchery in Rio in the second leg of this trip!