Game Day T minus 9 Hours :)

This morning I made it out to the Sand Hollow Reservoir for a chilly, choppy swim in my new Zoot wetsuit.  It was windy, sunny and very very choppy.  The water temps were posted at 62F.  Needless to say my feet and hands will be numb after spending about 90 minutes or so in water temps that low.  Fortunately I have my neoprene cap and I should be generating plenty of heat to avoid getting hypothermia.  Post water I'm certain that I will not regain any feelings in my feet for at least a couple of hours on the bike.  It's always good to know in advance what to expect....I think.  To the right is a pic of the Sand Hollow Reservoir at about 10AM.  Total expected time on the 2.4M swim is 1:30.


After getting through a series of calls this morning, I managed to get out on the bike course to test out the new treads and make certain that everything was in working order.  Fortunately, everything was great.  The bike is a high desert course.  No clouds, just the sun, the hot pavement, wind, sand, rocks and cacti.  It reminds me of IM Lanzarote.  It's going to be a long day on the bike.  To boot, the roads are made of a tar/gravel that makes for an uneven bumpy ride.  I'm spoiled on from my smooth Brentwood TN roads.  That'll take a toll on the shoulders, which the right is already suffering from a pinched nerve.  Should be interesting. Total expected time on the 112M bike is 7:00.

The bike transition (T2) will be in downtown St George.  It's a nice little downtown area, not quite as scenic as they make it out to be.  Nothing special per se.  The temps peak in the late afternoon at about 83-85F, which will be on or about the time I head out for the run.  Hydration on the bike will be important.  I'm wearing my long sleeve white Swiftwick compression top on the bike.  Hopefully it'll protect me from the punishing rays of the sun, which will take down many an athlete later on the run as a cumulative impact from the sun exposure on the bike.  That was my story in Australia, seen how that story ends and plan on rewriting my ending in St George by preparing better on the bike for the transition to the run.  Total expected time on the 26.2M run is 4:30.

Total expected time for this event is between 13 - 14 hours.  I plan on having fun throughout the day.  Not going to push too hard anywhere and just try to enjoy the event.  As long as I can finish before the sunsets at about 9PM I'll be happy.

Looking forward to a great race day.

Cheers!