A couple updates

The most noteworthy is that I bit the bullet and decided to rent race wheels. I'm excited about it. This is my first IM, and at least for the near future, will be my only one. I've been experiencing some serious fatigue lately, both mental and physical, and I will definitely NOT be racing another IM next year... I might not even race at all. More on that later though. Back to the wheels... I was directed to racewheelrental.com by my local bike shop and found a deal that was a bit cheaper than the Ironman rentals. And I figured since I would have to replace my tires anyway (I looked closely at my front today and realized it was worn to the threads), I might as well just spend the money on wheels. I decided to go with the Hed. Jet 6 on the front and Hed. Jet 9 on the back (check them out). They are clinchers, which is nice bc I don't know how to change a tubular. They come with nicer tires than I would pay for. They are getting shipped straight to Lake Placid for pick up on Friday before the race. I'll use my own cassette, and I don't need special break pads bc they have an aluminum braking surface. They might help me get closer to my goal by adding a little speed. And let's face it, they are going to look AWESOME! I'm excited about it.

In other news, I've been writing up my nutrition and race plan. As soon as I finish getting it down on pen and paper I'll type it up. By race day I should have this thing memorized well enough that I'll be able to execute it. And if I do, I should have a good day. There are a lot of variables in a race this long though.

I'm not sure I'm feeling the positive effects of the taper just yet... Although I did pound out a 75 mile ride today that felt like a 25 mile ride did a couple months ago, I am lacking some power. During a couple climbs today I noticed I just couldn't push the way I have in the past, or the way I thought I would be able to by now. One thing I hate about doing something for the first time is that I don't quite know what I'm capable of. Not having raced this distance before, I just don't know what I can do. On the one hand, I want to push it to the limit and have the best race I can physically handle. On the other hand, I don't want to blow up and be disappointed - I can be very hard on myself. And historically it takes me 2 tries at a race/distance before I figure things out (ex: first marathon- 3:52, second- 3:00. first 70.3- 5:55, second- 4:59). Can I break the trend?? Well, we'll see won't we.

Last thing- I'll be wearing #802.
Do great work.