Good Night

Just got home from dinner with my family.  Fantastic time filled with lots of laughter.  And lots of questions about Ironman. I've learned over the past two nights that spectating for an Inroman, for the uninitiated, is a daunting prospect.  I think Stephanie and my family is every bit as nervous about where to go, what to bring, how to act, what to do, etc.  It's stressing me out but at the same time it's humbling to see my core come together so beautifully just at the right moment. I'm excited for the big day, and it's invigorating to see that they're every bit as excited also.

On a different note, my daily tire-changing sessions with Frank are going well.  I've cut my tire changing time down in half in one day.  Frank timed me and I started at 4.5 minutes for one tire (not including reinstalling the wheel on the bike) and trimmed that to 2.5 minutes by standing instead of sitting and working over the wheel instead of parallel to it.  The other key I'm learning is that it's all about inflating the tire enough before inserting it into the tire.  Not enough air means the tire loses its form and it's tougher to cinch inside the rim.  Worse yet, it could pinch, resulting in the explosion "snake bite" (as Frank called it) the other night.

The more comfortable I get mechanically, the more relaxed I seem to get about the race.  That really was the only factor I was truly worried about at this point.  Wind, I'll deal with.  Heat, well, it worries me too but there's nothing I can do about that except slow down and grin and bear it.  Fixing flats and other mechanicals, that's something under my control.

Thank goodness for Frank.

It's late.  I've got a brick tomorrow and a full-tune up for the bike scheduled at Helen's.  My friends are racing Ironman Florida in the morning  I'll be tracking them too.

Good night, all.

16 days and counting.