Tomorrow is the day

It is full-blown now. This is one i will never forget. I'm really excited to do my very first Ironman 70.3 tomorrow. Was this how it felt before you said your wedding vows? When you held your baby for the very first time? Before you started on your final examinations? Before your first driving test?

For me, it didn't help that unlike most other races, the Ironman is a superbly organised event with 3 full days of activities and briefings. Not surprisingly, world champions are in town to participate in this event. So i got three full days of the event pumped into your head.

Speaking of world champions, at the briefing, i was 2 metres away from this man...



..that's two-time world ironman triathlon champ. The feeling is surreal; to be watching him on youtube for inspiration and seeing him in the flesh is an incredible feeling.

I'm excited, but calming my nerves and preparing myself mentally now. I'm psyching myself with these thoughts..

Swim - Go SLOW. It's 1.9km and i will force myself to go slow. Don't kick the air out of my system at only the first leg of the race, save it for later. I should use it as a warm-up, and warm-up only. The real challenge is coming later.

Bike - This is misleading. There's a 'high' going onto the bike. 90km and my mind will be kept busy with traffic, overtaking and proper handling (i.e. getting drinks from aid stations). But i must still go slow. My legs must feel fresh right up to dismount. Take your time, let others overtake you, it's your race and your race only.

Run - I tell myself, this is my strongest leg (although its obvious my swim is). My legs are powerful. Take my time, feed off the power in my legs and maintain a comfortable pace. It's about lasting as long as possible, not completing it as quickly as you can. Breathing. Don't get the wind knocked out, not just yet.

Overall, it is an endurance race, not a sprint. Not like my competitive swimming days where every second and every stroke matters, a sprint at the end won't even affect much of my overall timing. Not when you're racing for more than 6hours at best.

Maintain, slow and easy, last as long as possible, eat off the muscles you've got. Take it easy, don't care about the rest.

Alright, let's go.