I was originally not planning on attending the Welcome Dinner, since I figured it was just some boring speeches by the race director and organizers, some bland food, and more boring speeches by local dignataries. However, my triathlon coach recommended going, since it's a part of the "Ironman experience" and it's good to hear some of the talks, including, perhaps, from one or two of the pros. It's at least a good chance to talk to other athletes and get excited about race day, and maybe an opportunity to pick up a little more inspiration and race course information. But since we're here and I've put in so much time and money into Ironman already, I should try to soak up as much of the "Ironman experience" as possible. So tonight, Iron Sherpa and I will be attending the Welcome Dinner together.
The morning's quick run led Iron Sherpa and I back to the Ironman Expo, where we cruised around for a little while. Ended up buying a shirt and Iron Sherpa had a fun arts-n-crafts day making spectator signs for me!Tomorrow will be the last day before my first Ironman. It'll also be a day filled with very important things to do.
The schedule will be another "late" morning, and followed by a quick swim. The organizers are opening the swim area for two hours so athletes can get into the water and feel it out. I brought two swim wetsuits and will be slipping into my "back-up" suit tomorrow to test out the waters. Currently the water is listed at 67 degrees (that's 4pm on Friday). I suspect the temperature tomorrow and on Sunday will be near that. The waters in which I usually swim generally stay in the low-60s, so this water will be plenty warm.
Then it'll be time to turn in my various gear bags (T1, T2, 2 "Special Needs") and my bike - and then try to get a good night's rest.
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