Only three days until my first half ironman and the nervous energy is really starting to build. Actually, it's not built as such, but gone from 0 to 100 in no time flat. I find myself concerned about the unknown - what is transition like? how long is the run out of the water to transition? what is the weather going to be like? what is the water temperature? As such, I have been searching for as much information as possible to try and calm the nerves, but I am not having much luck finding things out. It's driving me nuts!
Yesterday I was fine, but today I'm really on edge. I am not nervous about my own ability to pull this off: I have done the work and I have trained hard. Geoff has put me through my paces and I have done (almost) everything that he has asked of me. This really is just another step on the road to Challenge Wanaka, but I don't like going into a race not knowing what to expect.
I hope today's training will help me get rid of some of this nervous energy. I don't think I can last three days at this level of heightened excitement!
5 comments:
Fire away with any questions about the course Richard! I love the Ashburton course and wish I was doing it again - very straightforward and dare I say it, enjoyable! A group was at Lake Hood at the weekend and they said the water was very warm - we haven't had the late snow melt like in previous years, so the water coming into the lake from the Ashburton River is not so frigid! The run to the cycle transition isn't very long - the toughest bit is exiting the lake as you have to clamber up some wooden steps (in the water) up onto a boardwalk - not so good when the pins are a bit shaky!
You'll be sweet - I'll be in the water as a safety kayaker, so I'm looking forward cheering you all on from the other side. :-)
Thanks for that Rachel. One of the things I am trying to figure out is, exactly where the tranistion is. It's not at all clear from any maps of Lake Hood where the restaurant is and I the course descriptions don't help much. I guess I am just being impatient. I will be there on Friday to check it all out and to run through transitions, etc. I just found your photos of the race on Facebook and they help heaps.
Good good! I'm trying to visualise the swim to cycle transition, and it's really probably not more than 100m in distance. If you have a look at this map showing where the restaurant is, the swim exits right at the restaurant itself (you swim up the wee canal (which is where you start also)), and the cycle transition is just above the icon/picture of the jetboat. Then you cycle out along Huntingdon Ave.
http://www.lakehood.co.nz/documents/LakeHoodDirectionalMap.pdf
I've just removed the privacy setting from my race report for my first HIM at Ashburton. You might find some tips or additional information in it. :-)
http://racheyachey.wordpress.com/2008/11/22/i-am-a-triathlete-a-half-ironman-at-that/
Thanks again Rachel. I have just read your blog from Ashburton. It's great and has given me a lot more confidence. The swim start scares me a little too, even though I have done a number of open water events before. I have definitely picked up my swim pace and I could now be amongst it instead of slashing away out the back. I am really impressed by how quick your transitions were and that has spurred me on to try and do mine efficiently too. See you on Saturday.
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