Gear bags are packed, bikes are checked in, last minute shake out swim/bike/runs are done. Now it’s just time to hurry up and wait till morning. I’m fortunate to have some good company, friends and fellow athletes Haley Cooper and Mark van Akkren. To kill the time, we’ve posted up at the local Safeway–on account of the free wi-fi. Ironically, we just heard a shopper tell the cashier that he was just hoping to see some pros out shopping. Apparently he didn’t hear about the 3-for-1 special at the end of aisle twelve.
Or run into the Queen of Canada herself, Lisa Bentley, over by the Ensure section, as I was fortunate to do.
I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t nervous, but I also feel ready. Ready to “get ‘er done”, as the Canadians say. Prep for this one has gone smoothly—fitness wise, I’ve been feeling great on the bike, ok on the run, and have even seen a few glimmers of hope in the water. I have lots of rock star training partners as of late to thank for this challenging, yet highly entertaining training block—thanks to all of you who have made even the big training miles slide by easily. I’ll do my best to put it to work tomorrow.
With a challenging course, a well stacked field, and race day temps expected to top out over 90 degrees, it’s going to be a tough day out there no matter how you slice it. Fortunately, IM Canada has the reputation for being one of the most beautiful courses on the circuit. In just a few short hours, I’ll be out there with a few thousand friends doing what I love best.
See you on the other side!