Ironman 70.3 St. Croix in less than a week...

The "hay is in the barn"...as the saying goes. I'm just coming off a hard 12 day block, and am in what Shawn calls "sharpening mode". With less than a week away from St. Croix (May 3rd), I've been scrambling to get everything taken care of before the trip. So much to do! Getting equipment in order, packing bike for shipment, getting nutrition ready, race gear for all the sports, confirming reservations and details of flight and car, getting all the race week info together, packing camera and computer equipment...and getting reservations for our kids at the doggy resort.

It's really tough with all the coordination required to do a half or full Ironman event, especially if you're traveling out of the country...or at least to a small island subsidized by the U.S. Anyhow, it really is a heck of an effort. And during all of this your wondering how much the airlines are going to screw you for traveling with your bike. I stress traveling with my bike, it's such a tough thing to do these days. If all goes to Delta airline code, then I'll get charged $175 EACH way for my bike...oh, it won't stop there...and an extra $25 since it counts as a second bag (now $50, but I purchased the ticked before this change happened)...and another $90 since it weighs more than 50 lbs...for a total of $290 each way, and $580 round trip. I could have purchased another freakin' ticket for that price! AND...you also pray they get your bike there in one piece! Ok, breathe, breathe...I'm ok now...I'll move on.

We're staying at a really cool place called The Buccaneer that everyone recommends. We'll be there for a few days after the race and hope to take some little excursions and enjoy the island. Maybe some diving, kayaking (Jennifer's paddling!), hiking, and other site seeing.

The St. Croix race attracts the creme of the crop in talent from the U.S. and Europe, and the course is a really tough one. Besides the searing heat, there are steep climbs on the bike and run course. This will be the hardest triathlon course I've ever done...by far.

The swim is non-wetsuit (duh) so I'll use my new Zoot speedsuit to try and gain a bit of an advantage...or at least limit my losses. You first swim about 300 yards to a small island where the actual swim start will take place. Each year they have divers that video the triathletes swimming overhead...kind of funny hearing the bubbles from the tanks.

Once out of the water, the bike course gives you a 20 mile warm up before sending you to the infamous "Beast". This is a climb that reaches over a 20% incline! From there it's all hills, several having over a 15% grade...oh, didn't I mention the winds?

From what I hear, the run is very scenic...but really tough due to the heat and hills. After reviewing times from the previous years, it looks like everyone dies on the second loop of this two loop run course. Hopefully, I'll die less than some others!

Here is a link that will have race day updates and tracking.

In parting, I want to thank Velocity Multisport, and specifically Shawn Burke...for your coaching, support, and pep talks during this huge effort. Also, thanks to J.R. and Zoot. for helping provide me with gear that is extremely functional and has helped me gain an edge.

I'm not sure what to expect, but I do have my own personal goals and will try to control...what "I" can control. I hope to do well since this is one of my objectives for the season, but as I've found out...it's hard to predict the outcome when doing long course triathlons. One thing is for sure...I'm going to leave it all on the race course.

We're supposed to have internet access at the hotel, so will try to post updates as often as I can.

- Sween