5 Days Til the Ironman
Posted by Admin on July 19, 2011 in Training
I was up late last night packing for really two trips: one is the obvious Ironman week and the other is the honeymoon. I couldn’t help but laugh that my suitcase is considerably bigger than Roya’s. Plus, I have a big bike box, a heavy carry-on, and a fragile ego in tow.
Re the ego, I’m actually pretty stable right now. That has relevance because the first time I did the Ironman, in Lake Placid in 2005, I was a basketcase. I was so impressed and freaked out by the enormity of the event that on race morning, I wound up calling one of my best friends, Fernando, and cried from fear a mere 15 minutes before the starting gun went off. In this case, I don’t expect any such call to go out. I know what I’m getting myself into and I’m far better trained, but more importantly, far more emotionally stable.
I think that my biggest fear at this point is the wave of emotions and anxiety that will be apparent on race morning. It really is quite an amazing site… to be in the midst of some of the greatest athletes in the world, milling about as they prepare for their big day as well. Then there’s lil ol’ me, some regular Joe from America who isn’t terribly fast at any one discipline, who is probably a bit undertrained, and who has no great motivation to break any records but to just get across the finish line. I know that once the race starts, I’ll be “at the office” and find my rhythm. I’ve done plenty of long swims, long bike, and long runs, and I know what to expect of my body. There are a few variables that I won’t be able to control, e.g. weather and temp, but everything else is up to me to manage. So, like Nike says, just do it. It’s doable, so why not.
I picked up my bike last night from arguably the best bike mechanic in NYC, Imbert over at Master Bike, and rode it just to get from the subway to my apt. It is working so quietly and smoothly and just feels great. I’m actually excited to get it onto the race course and see how it’ll fare with me atop. Getting onto a freshly tuned bike is a lot like getting a haircut; you just feel cleaner and more refined, and this bike now feels like a smooth, sleek, racing maching. I was going to disassemble it last night and pack it into my bike box, but I couldn’t get the pedals off. I was on the verge of either breaking the pedals or injuring myself, so I quit the effort and decided to just stop by Imbert’s again this afternoon before I head home. For efficiency purposes, that meant bringing the bike to work, and because NYC is a boiling cauldron of heat and humidity today, I took the bike onto the subway. You should have seen the looks I got and the comments too: “Hey, that looks expensive. What’d you pay, like a thousand or sumpthin?” Humility and deflection are the only options: “Yeah, something like that.” Then, I rolled it onto my office floor and into my office, generating even more questions. Yeah, there’s a certain pride I get from having a nice ride, but it’s just a bike and how can I be proud of an object that I neither created nor cherish? Anyway, here’s a pic of my Ironman equipment in my midtown office.
The beast at rest.
My flight is tonight, I’m mostly packed (bike is the last item left), and already have dinner plans for Wed night, and lunch plans with another one of my best friends (who just happens to be in Frankfurt) on Thursday. Wednesday is essentially an open day for me with no real agenda, so I’ll either choose to do a solo tour of the city or maybe hook up with some of my teammates. For a role call, here they are:
– Graziani Feloni: He’s my favorite Italian and my primary training partner this season.
– Gunnar Pritsch: He’s my favorite German and my other primary training partner this season.
– Alberto Corvo: Another Italian, but you’d never know it by looking at him. He’s tall, red-haired, fair-skinned, and looks Irish.
– Anne Smart: Alberto’s signifant other. Very tolerant of Alberto which makes her a saint.
– Lucy Danziger: Editor of Self Magazine, mother of two, super sweet, and very motivated. I’m a big fan of hers.
More to come on all of them in future posts. Next time I write, it’ll be using German airwaves.
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