Getting excited about Pleasant Prairie!

[divingbiker]

On my first tri, I'd read that you needed a towel in transition. I had no idea what for. So I brought a hand towel. Imagine me trying to set up a transition area on a hand towel!

OK, now I'm really confused. At the practice swim for my tri last Friday, the race director showed how to lay everything out, and he had a normal towel folded into quarters, so it was about the size of a hand towel or even smaller. It looked like everything fit on there. And he said to bring a hand towel to use to dry off with after the swim. He also said there wasn't much room between the bikes, so I can't imagine that a normal bath towel would fit. Will it?

What kind of towel am I supposed to bring??? Aack!!! One more thing to worry about that I thought I had figured out!

Oh, and Lise and KnottedYet, good luck to you this weekend! I'll be thinking of you.

Janice

[Lise]

I'm impressed that everything fit on a folded up towel. I'm sure I could learn to do that, if the space required it. You can count on the space under your bike--the amount of space on either side depends on the number of bikes/rack. I suggest you bring a full-sized towel, and fold it up if you need to. Definitely bring a hand towel to dry off with. It's also good to have a water bottle only for squirting the grass or sand off your feet.

[KSH]

As for waking up the morning of...falling asleep the night before is the real problem! I'll set a few alarms any way, but in general I don't sleep well at all from the excitement the whole week before a tri. I'm a goof.

I hear ya on that!

Except, I think I stay awake because I'm so nervous... not excited.

Knowing I have to compete makes me sick to my tummy. But, I compete so I will stay motivated to workout! HA!

I am so happy that they will know me as their fun, athletic aunt, instead of their depressed, fat aunt with the mean partner. They may hear stories of the bad old days, but that's not how they'll think of me.

That rocks! Sounds like you are setting a wonderful example for them!

I hope to be the cool Aunt too someday!

[Brina]

Lise,

You are going to do awesome at PP. the weather sounds perfect. My biggest fear is that the weather for Accenture is going to be hot and humid like it was the day of my 10K.

training for me is going well. My long runs are about 7 - 7.5 miles and my tuesday morning interval workouts are really paying off. I am definitely getting faster.

Are you doing the banco popular 1/2 marathon on Oct 1? I have heard good things about that race. I considered it for this year, but instead i am going to do on in November in San Diego. It accomplishes two things - one, I run the half, and two, I get a weekend away from my always wonderful but often trying kidlets.

[Lise]

Thanks, KSH and Brina!

Yeah, the weather looks just about perfect. If it could be steadily 72 degrees from 6AM until noon, well, that would be actually perfect!

So glad to hear your training is going well, Brina. I did a 7 mile run last weekend, and it really helps, psychologically. I *am* doing the Banco Popular 1/2 this Oct. 1. Sorry to hear we won't be running it together. It sounds great to do one in San Diego. Have you ever run out there? Do you know what the course is like?

It was so funny last year--I did the 1/2, and then 2 weeks later ran the marathon. The first time I ran 13 miles, I thought I was going to croak. Two weeks later, when I hit the halfway point of the marathon, I was fine! It's so mental. Maybe I'll tell myself I'm really doing a 1/2IM next weekend, and then I'll be pleasantly surprised when the distances are so short!

[Tri Girl]

Maybe I'll tell myself I'm really doing a 1/2IM next weekend, and then I'll be pleasantly surprised when the distances are so short!

Good idea! So true, as all athletic/endurance events are mental for sure (and I'm "mental" anyway, so it gels with me).

Are you excited for the weekend? PERFECT weather!!! I'm glad your family is coming so you'll get some pictures and a fully stocked cheering section!!!

Have a great time out there, and *details, details, details* when you get home!

[Lise]

Thanks! I'm half way through my longest work day--a clinic, 5 hours off, a 12 hour call shift. Once this is behind me, I have only one more short clinic day on Friday, and I'm all about the tri!

I've decided to treat this tri as "play" as much as possible. I'm not going to win anything, and I'm not there to impress anybody! Being part of these boards since last November has made the whole thing a lot more fun. So I plan to have fun, enjoy the people and the scenery. I always go out as hard as I can--that's part of the fun for me. But this time I'm committed to doing it without any shame or fear. I promise lots of details!