Ironman NZ Friday 3-4-05
I wake up early and open the curtains. Pea soup fog resides over Lake Taupo with an amazingly strong breeze.
I remember swimming Alcatraz during relatively heavy fog conditions. The fog, if floating lazily above the water, is a welcome sight for Alcatraz swimmers as it means that there is no wind and the water is relatively calm. Of course if the fog is floating right on the water, then we don’t go because we can’t see where we’re going. Very bad.
The fog over the lake worries me, as well as the breeze so early in the morning. If it is pea soup like now, I doubt the race directors will start the race as we won’t be able to see the buoys. And the wind itself will be a big hinderance on the bike, as well as whip up waves in the lake during the swim. We can only hope that the conditions will improve by tomorrow.
This morning I double check my gear. I may go out for a ride but that may end up just being a quick run. 9am we have a mandatory race briefing so I cook breakfast and wait to walk over with my friends. After breakfast, I go for a quick bike. It is definitely chilly out there, but I know I should be ok in the race. After exitting the swim, I am usually all keyed up and my HR is racing so I probably won’t feel too cool out there until the sun comes out.
A geeky thought goes through my head. One of these days I need to figure out how to mount a mini-video camera on my body and let it record the whole event from my view. That would be REAL COOL. It would probably catching me cursing, eating, pee-ing, humming “Gonna Fly Now” through the whole race….ha!
We head over to the mandatory race briefing. They go over the rules one more time and then add more detail, like what color the buoys will be and how the swim start will begin. So much info, but I can’t remember hardly any of it. The only thing I do remember is that the weather report says it’s going to be beautiful tomorrow. Unfortunately, that also means that the sun will be really intense and I probably will get a little burnt. At least it won’t be raining. That is a good thing. Supposedly light breezes only as well. That should help generate really fast times especially for us weaker bikers.
By the time the race briefing starts, the fog has disappeared breaking away into a beautiful sunny Taupo day.
After race briefing, I go for a quick run. Things feel pretty good. A few tight spots but I’ll work on those late afternoon.
I get back to my room and check over my bags one more time. Somehow I feel that something more should be in there, but I can’t think of anything. The bags seem kind of empty to me, but maybe that’s just me. I go over to the bags check-in and drop those and my bike off. I never like the day before check-in. I always wonder if I forgot something. If I have, I’m sunk. But we’ll see.
I feel so fatalistic now. Everything seems so much in the hands of some higher power: the weather, my physical condition, did I pack the right stuff?, will I drop all my nutrition on the bike, etc. etc. All I can do now is sit back, have a big bowl of pasta, and get a good night’s rest.
I know I put in the time. I know my fitness is there. I do need to pace correctly and not burn out and run on fumes at the end. It’s always the run that gets me – don’t know how hard I can go on the bike to leave some fuel in me for the run. What else can happen – the wind picks up and the bike split goes haywire. For me, the bike is the critical juncture – to save enouigh energy for the run.
Later, I head over to my friends’ room and have a huge pasta meal. I keep shovelling down until I can’t eat no more. It is a pleasant evening over Lake Taupo. The sun is setting over the lake and it is a fitting end to an excitement-growing day.
I sit with my friends for a moment and go over tomorrow’s plan. I ask for some pictures to be taken, and the super important recording of the announcer saying, “Dave Shen You..Are…AN IRONMAN!!!!” (Hahah!). We coordinate a bit for after the race, and then we are all set.
I am also incredibly happy for my friends’ presence at this race. People have done it alone and it’s tough when others can’t come for various reasons on your behalf. I was ready to do this alone because in truth this was about my personal journey and something I needed to do. But as race day approaches, I realize that finishing Ironman can require every ounce of support you can get from within or without.
Having someone on the sidelines yell support at you when every fiber of your being is saying quit will be re-energizing and probably necessary. It’s also a rush when you run or bike by and you see a sign saying “Go Dave #861 go!” – even a bigger rush than when I hum “Gonna Fly Now” to myself!
I won’t forget their support for me on this very important day of my life, and again I thank them profusely for coming all the way to New Zealand to cheer me on. I can only hope to reciprocate someday in the future.
Next morning, I schlep all my swim stuff down to the beach and….jump in to prepare for start! Stay tuned!

Looks like it will definitely be covered at IronmanLive.com. This page has an athlete lookup and will have news and updates.
You can also check the Ironman NZ website for updates but I don’t see any indication yet of what they will do.
My race number is 861.
More pictures at my Yahoo! Photos account.

When my buddies from San Jose arrived, I’ve been mostly hanging out with them. It’s been great having them around as they’ve done the race before and have been giving me lots of tips. In the morning, we head over to registration and already by 845am there is a long line to get our race bags. I hand in my picture, which they seem to make super important but yet they just throw into this box with a hundred other pictures. I get a red wristband with my race number written on it and it stays on until after the race. The wristband admits me to the carbo load party as well as into the transition areas so that I can change or pick up my things. I get weighed and I weigh 69 kilos, which I guess is 151.8 lbs. Very low weight for me and in the last few weeks, although I feel that I’ve been munching continuously, I have gotten down to my fighting weight. This is even with sneakers and clothes on too! I am glad I did not balloon out, which just means extra pounds of fat to carry with me to the finish line. Waste of energy!
We wander through the sports expo where there are sponsors with booths. We grab some Ecuadorian micro bananas from the Bonita Bananas booth, the main sponsor of the event. Very tasty! I guess they have extra small monkeys in Ecuador, to have evolved such tiny sweet bananas!
After registration, we head to the beach for a quick swim. VERY SCARY. Today the wind had picked up in the morning, which is unusual because every other day it has been very calm. There were 2′-3′ swells out there.
I once swam an Alcatraz swim in those conditions. I remember the water being somewhat calm in the beginning, but once we got out about half way between Alcatraz and Aquatic Park, the water started getting real choppy. You wonder if you’re even moving forward because the waves are tossing you around. Several people get seasick due to the motion. Not pretty. Don’t want extra one-time edible stuff out there to attract sharks! Every breath you take you wonder if a wave will wash over your face and give you a mouthful of salty water – yeeech. It drains you because you try to keep moving but the waves keep sweeping you around. Amazingly, you still move forward even if you can barely feel it. Sighting – when you occasionally stick your head up to make sure you’re moving the right direction – is very difficult as you float up and down between the waves. You need to time your head going up at the top of the wave so that you get a quick look before swimming a few more strokes. And all the while, you’re expending more energy than in calmer conditions and always wondering if you’ll burn out before hitting the beach.
Today was just such a day on Lake Taupo. At least when you’re out there with a few hundred other racers, it doesn’t feel so lonely. But I quickly lost my two swimming buddies within the waves and tried to remain calm and stroke. Upon clearing the beach, it was a bit easier because the shallow waves caused the waves to rise higher and break. Still very tough swimming and glad to have made it back to the beach.
I wonder if race day will be like this. I am sure they will pull people from the water. But at least I know that I’ve swam in these conditions and while tough, I know how to survive and keep moving. I am still worried about being those waters for 2.4 miles though….
We get cleaned up and eat. On the way back, I pick up an extra Memory Stick (one I brought didn’t work!), some suntan lotion as well. I head back to do laundry and take a shower.
Later in the day, we head back to the tents for the carbo load party. On the way there, I look to my left on a street at a printing shop. In the window was a sign that said, “Go #861, DAVE SHEN, Stopping is Not an Option”. Wow! What a pick me up! My spirits rise as I snap a few shots and remind myself to stop in the store tomorrow and say hi. Maybe they will give me the sign after the race! I think they must have seen the message I wrote on this T-shirt in a small department store where they try to get all the competitors to sign it each year. I wrote the exact same message on the T-shirt and they chose to print it to help sell their printing services to create signs for spectators.
Those signs are great. It helps you locate your supporters and also it is an incredible boost as you’re struggling to the finish line and then you see a sign on the side saying, “GO DAVE GO”, and you smile, wave back, and some of your energy returns knowing there are people out there supporting you and encouraging you to the finish line. My friends will be doing the same and I am glad for it.
At the carbo load party, there are some pre-race festivities like a Maori performance and a parade of nations. Certainly amazing that people from so many nations come to compete. We run for a large table as we have a party of 10 or so who will sit with us. We load up on pasta and food and eat. Then some announcements from our race directors. They show us people who have done an incredible number of Ironmans. One Japanese guy has done 53 Ironmans! Unbelievable! And there are 2 people who have done 20 Ironman NZs, which is every year since its inception in 1984. They bring the pro field up. They are an interesting bunch and it will be exciting to watch them, so I remind myself to tell my friends to make sure they watch the pros come in.
Last, Greg Welch, Ironman competitor and Ironmanlive.com announcer, gets up on stage and gives us a few words of encouragement. He gives us 3 amazing ironman stories which have always inspired me:
Julie Moss 1982 – She is in the lead of the women field and as she hits the finish chute, she collapses, her body all but spent and out of control. She tries to get up but can’t. But the finish line is so close and she wants it BAD. The second place woman comes up and passes her. That prompts her to crawl. Her face is a grimace of determination as she puts one hand in front of the other and doggedly makes her way to the finish line. Even with the crawl, she comes in second. But I think she really is the top finisher. It is an incredible series of photos to see. Her crawl is the crawl that put Ironman on the map. It is her crawl which so accurately described the iron will of the competitors to reach that finish line at all costs.
Paul Newby Fraser 1995 – Queen of Kona, she is the top seed for the women. All race week she is beset by reporters hounding her about how she will do, will she win, etc. The pressure breaks her resolve. About a few hundred meters from the finish chute, she is way out in front. But then, she just collapses and sits down on the road. She cannot go on. The pressure just wore her down the will to go on just evaporates. Nothing will move. She just sits there and weeps. Other competitors pass her. But then something changes, she gets up and walks to the finish line, learning a valuable lesson which was to not let the pressure get to you. It can be tremendous. And that the battle is truly between you and yourself, not everyone else out there. It is what Ironman is all about.
Shawn Welch, Wendy Inagraham 1997 (I think I have the year right, but let me know if I did not) – Shawn Welch in the lead and hits the finish chute. But something happens. One minute she’s running, the next minute she just collapses. Her body has lost all control. Her legs will not support her. Her arms are flailing about, her balance gone. She tries to rise but can’t. The second place woman, Wendy Inagraham is running and makes it up to her. But somehow, there is some psychic field around Shawn which touches Wendy. She collapses next to her, limbs flailing. They both lay there unable to control their bodies. But then, something recovers in Wendy. She realizes that even though she cannot get up to run, she can still get to the finish line. She starts crawling, crosses the finish line, and claims first place ahead of Shawn. This is the second best crawl in Ironman history!
Truly unbelievable stories. I, too, hope to have some great stories to tell after race day is over. But, as Greg Welch calls it the “Dance of a Thousand Headless Monkeys”, I really hope I don’t do the same dance that Julie, Shawn and Wendy did so many years ago, when your body has been pushed beyond its limits and at some point the brain and body just shut down, your limbs go whipping about, your balance gone, and you collapse uncontrollably to the ground.
After the carbo load party, I get to my room to do some pre-race preparation as I need to check in some stuff tomorrow. I attach race numbers to my bike and race belt. I get out my nutrition, fluids and electrolytes. I put things into the right bags and get all my clothes ready to go. I put some reflective dots on my race jersey and one of my friends remarks that it looks like a disco suit! I just hope the reflectors don’t ruin my race pictures… The pre-race preparation is a welcome activity usually the night before but in this case two nights before race day. I mentally go over my check list on everything I’ll need for race day and for the transitions.
I talk with my friends and plan on how and where to take pictures. One person will video my finish. How cool is that! I also ask my friends to use my digital recorder to record the cry that we all want to here as I cross the finish line: “Dave Shen, YOU…ARE…AN IRONMAN!!!!”
Also, I am happy to feel some of the annoying knots in my legs start to unwind finally. I hope they are all gone by race day. One more day and then…IRONMAN.

At my Yahoo! Photos account…. Have a look and see Taupo, race preparations, and then… the race!

Again another glorious morning in Taupo. Starting to sound like a broken record I think!
I awoke early today, almost time zone changed completely at around 4am. I do not want to sleep in too much as race morning I will be up early to prepare for the race. I bring out my little MIDI keyboard and practice a bit of piano. However, as I practice, unbidden thoughts of uncertainty and fear arise in my mind about the race.
Yesterday I swam really slow by my standards. I also have a new wetsuit now which hasn’t stretched to fit me yet, and is a bit constrictive about the chest. It is a bit hard to inhale, which I wonder might have affected my performance yesterday. And on race day, that distance will stretch almost another 4 times. I also have some knots in my quads which have been nagging me the entire training period. Part of me wants to just take a few days off and maybe that’s the smart thing, but I also want to go out onto the course and familiarize myself with it. And perhaps gain a bit more confidence.
I’ve been thinking about uncertainty and fear of…performing. Of what my friends will think. Of how my body will react and behave under such stress. Of what my coach will think. Of quitting in the middle. Of my bike getting flats. Of forgetting yet something else. Or the worst – of how I will judge myself.
A lot of these feelings have always been minimized by me, as in years past I have been a supremely confident person. No wall high enough, no barrier strong enough. I always knew I could find a way, an answer. As Mr. Spock of Star Trek fame once said, “There are always possibilities.” I’m such a geek to quote Mr. Spock, but the spirit of that statement and the context in which it was presented always inspired me, even if it was science fiction. No matter what situation Spock and Kirk were in, they always found a solution, even if it meant bending, breaking, or rewriting the rules.
But in these last few years, doubt, uncertainty, and fear have slowly crept into my being on variety of fronts. How funny that as I approach probably the most arduous of physical and mental trials in Ironman, that I think more deeply about these feelings.
In my life coaching, the book I am reading “A Path With Heart” talks about these feelings and acknowledging them, embracing them, and then they don’t seem so bad. I apply that here and it seems to be working, and the thoughts seem to dwindle a bit.
But also, I shift two more things. I was thinking about hitting a time goal of 13 hours. Instead, I shift to “Have fun and finish!” The pressure of achieving is totally unnecessary and only serves to distract me.
The other mental shift was realizing that everything I feel is just a state of mind. We all have total control over what we want to feel and what we don’t want to feel or what we let bother us. So applying the principles in “A Path With Heart” along with this principle, I acknowledge the negative feelings, and then just let them go. They are free to wander about my mind, but I do not let them dominate my thoughts and know that I will focus only on the race itself and getting from one stage to another, and just enjoy the ride.
I also know that Ironman is truly about exitting the comfort zone. Whenever we exit the comfort zone, uncertainty, fear and doubt always easily come out. But it is also when we exit the comfort zone that growth can truly take place.
Next confidence boost: Today I learn there is a damn current in the lake which was flowing quite strongly yesterday during the swim! I have no doubt that was what slowed me down quite a bit. I also heard they will close the dam on the river into which the lake flows into so that the current will be minimized. So maybe I don’t suck as much as I thought….!
Biked at 11am with my tour group. We cruised the run path to the turnaround and came back. Lots of rolling hills, and at least the hills didn’t seem short, choppy, and steep, but rather long and gradual. Could be killer after biking 112 miles…!
Man are the roads funky here. They use some sort of crushed gravel mixed with tar which creates this annoying vibration in your hands all ride long.
I am also worried about the wide variance in temperatures. When we get out of the water, it may be 55-60 degrees. By mid-day, it will climb into the mid-70s. I have arm warmers for the morning but hopefully the excitement of the race will warm my body and it won’t bug me too much.
The next crazy thing is that the bike course is not closed to traffic, and around here that means these double-length logging trucks roll by at 60 MPH and they wind they create is immense. It is really nerve wracking to have these guys barrel past you when there is practically no shoulder.
But the most crazy thing is the fact that I ride on the left hand side of the road, with passing on the right. Everything is reversed from the US! I hope I don’t zone out out there and forget which side of the road I’m supposed to be on. Today, I seem to be getting more used to it, but I concentrate quite heavily when riding.
Even crossing the road is challenging and knowing which side to look. In London, they mark the near the sidewalk “Look Right” so that foreigners know which way to look for oncoming traffic. No such markings here.
The Ironman expo is in full swing. I went over there and probably bought way too many things! And I better finish now or else I’ll feel funny wearing Ironman NZ ’05 gear. Cool hats, shirts, bike jersey and tri-shorts. Very nice.
Again, still a beautiful day in Taupo. All of us pray that the weather holds until Saturday.
TWO LAST NOTES:
First Note:
One of the funniest things about triathlon is the tan lines you get. Swimming in speedos in the sun gets you the cool euro tan, but when you wear a race singlet or jersey and are out there all day, you’ll get weird overlapping patterns of tan no matter how much sunscreen you put on, not to mention having the bike shorts leg tan line. One friend remarked to me that if you wear bike shorts and switch to tri-shorts, which are shorter than bike shorts, you’ll get the Neopolitan Ice Cream tan line set on your legs.
Today I got my first Orca race jersey tan lines. It’s gonna be funny when I hit the beach this summer, for sure….
Second Note:
There is this public bathroom called the “SuperLoo”. Now mind you, this is no ordinary “loo” as the brits or near brits call them. This is a SUPER LOO. Why is it super? Well apparently there are toilets from every country in the world. Want a pee wall? Got it. Want a hole in the ground? Got one of those too. And you can take a shower there and all sorts of other things too. Amazing!
REALLY THE LAST NOTE:
I just posted pictures here at Yahoo! Photos. Enjoy!

Yet another beautiful day in Taupo. Partly cloudy, sunny skies, slight breeze blowing. The air is once again super-fresh and it is just lovely country out here. The pace of life is so much slower. The stores are open only from 9 to 5 – something I’m not very used to at all.
Early this morning my Ironman group was supposed to meet at 8am to go swim part of the course. So I put on suntan lotion, get all my gear ready, bodyglide lube up everywhere. Then, I go to put on my wetsuit. I carefully shimmy up the legs, get my arms in there. Then, I go to zip up the back of the suit. It’s a bit hard to pull the zipper up because sometimes the neoprene sticks to my skin and I have to stretch it around a bit first. But this time, I don’t. I just give it a real hard yank and SNAP! the zipper pops off the wetsuit!
Holee moley! Here I sit at 7:40a in the morning, with a wetsuit that can’t close! I was pretty mad but after I calmed down, I impatiently waited another hour or so before setting out to the Orca store. I brought the wetsuit with me and the saleslady took pity on me and gave me $100 NZD off a new Orca Pflex Suit, a suit I’ve been wanting for some time now but just too lazy to get because I had a wetsuit. Now I need one! At least I walked away from New Zealand with a new very cool wetsuit!
I wander over to the official Ironman store and buy lots of stuff to bring back to my coach and others. Not much of a selection here which is too bad. But I would have had to lug all that back anyways. So maybe it’s just as well.
Later at 11a, I join the tour group to ride part of the bike course. I have worried about this big hill on the elevation map provided in the race manual. I ask Andrea Fisher, our pro-Ironman tour guide about it and she says, “Oh don’t worry! It’s just a pimple!” Ha, I say. It’s just her making me feel better. Probably the hill is monstrous and totally energy sapping. So we take off and there are rollers up to the “big” hill and once we hit it, I realize that it truly is just a pimple. It wasn’t bad at all. What was kinda bad was the slight headwind on the way back. Just enough to slow you down and sap precious energy away. I just hope that on race day the wind is mild or non-existent. I feel better passing some of the tour group, thinking that my training had been a bit better than theirs. But then I am humbled by a few who dust me in headwind conditions. Still more work to do on my bike.
A little past noon, my two friends make it to the motel. We eat a wonderful lunch at a place overlooking the lake. It is definitely a relaxing environment, totally unlike what I came from back in California.
530p comes and the swim course is open for swimming the whole course, if you want. Too much to do for me so close to race day, but I did miss the swim this morning.
Man, was I sloooooooow. There was a 1 km timed swim and a 3.2 km timed swim, just for fun and some prizes. I didn’t enter but I swam the 1 km for kicks. I came in at 26 minutes! Too slow for me – I should have been faster! Sure the water was choppy so hopefully on race day the conditions will be more perfect.
So I still wonder about my time on the race. I hope to not stress about it but can’t help thinking about achieving some sort of time goal. I think I will just relax and enjoy the race. 13 hours, 15 hours, 17 hours – as long as I cross the finish line, I’m good.
Sign up for Pacific Grove is tomorrow and I hope I can get in. Already I am thinking of another Ironman and exotic place to do next year. Maybe Ironman Brazil or Ironman Western Australia. Maybe to Europe for Ironman Germany, although that is REALLY hilly I hear. Even though, I am not sure I will do another Ironman, I need to still plan ahead now or else it won’t be possible at all to do another one next year due to the popularity of these races.
Off to dinner and then to the Internet cafe for blogging this entry.

It’s always interesting to board a flight to a famous triathlon or Ironman competition. As you check in, you always see others with huge bike boxes in line with you. Where else would they be going but to the Ironman you’re going to?
The plane ride was uneventful. I slept the whole way. An uncomfortable sleep at best, but better than nothing. Arrival in Auckland ran me through the typical international traveler passport check-in lines. What struck me next was the rather humid climate after getting my luggage. The temperature was fairly warm, maybe in the 70s and drizzling rain. I remember reading about all the microclimates in NZ. This will become more apparent during the drive to Taupo where the rain disappears, the sun emerges amidst beautiful partly cloudy skies, intensely warm while in the sun, but downright chilly in the shade. This should result in an interesting race temperature and weather-wise.
I ride on a smaller bus due to the fact that I booked my own motel. I am staying at the Le Chalet Suisse, which is right behidn the second transition area (bike to run transition, also known as T2 – T1 is the first transition of swim to bike). I have a room which overlooks Lake Taupo and you have a bird’s eye view of the swim and T2. This should be great for my friends staying with me and I am envious of the fact that they will be up there hanging out on the porch, sipping great New Zealand wine or beer, and watching all the Ironman competitors roll past them in the water first, and then in and out of T2. Me, I’ll be cruising along burning every last bit of calories left in my body – hmmm, the wine and hanging out doesn’t sound so bad…
On the smaller bus are 4 of us. 2 are Canucks and 1 is from Northern California. I am heartened by the cheerful and open banter that occurs between them. They remind me that there are only 10,000 people at most worldwide who compete and that once you get into racing you can’t help but bump into people you meet from races past. They tell me that they have the most amazing, friendly, down-to-earth people in the world at these races.
What is it about Ironman competitors then? Why are they open, friendly, and accepting of others?
Perhaps it is the comraderie of people with the same goal – to reach the finish line. There is more support in an Ironman than I’ve ever seen, whether it’s from friends and family or from other racers. One of them was telling me about Ironman Canada where the last racer to cross the finish line (before the 17 hour cutoff) gets an enormous crowd building behind him or her. Usually it’s close to midnight, and the race officials pretty much know who can or cannot finish. As the racer passes each aid station, the people in the aid station follow behind, jogging/walking and/or cheering. By the time the racer approaches the finish line, there is a huge crowd following behind. It is an emotional moment; the entire finish chute is cheering now, urging the racer to keep it up and the finish line is within grasp. Remember the racer who finishes last is a true Ironman in every sense of the word. This person has been going non-stop for 17 hours straight! Usually the racer is a wreck, every muscle is sore, feet aching to stop/stop/stop but can’t because the finish line is finally there, and the 17 hour ordeal is almost over, knowing that as soon as the finish line is crossed, another Ironman is born.
Or maybe it’s the similar stories of trials that many Ironman competitors face. Sometimes it’s a personal journey like myself, sometimes it’s facing incredible odds like emerging from rehab after being a drug user foryears and watching it destroy one’s life. Sometimes they are racing for others, like someone who has died from cancer, or perhaps another competitor whose dream wsa to race and finish Ironman but passed away before they could reach their race. The stories are endless, sometimes tragic, and infinitely bonding.
They give me tips, as I am the only Ir5nman virgin on the bus. Here are a few:
“You don’t need to swim train. I swam for the first time in months last week.” – From a sub-12 hour Ironman competitor! Wow, what great genetics!
“I took Red Bull for the whole bike. I was so wired it took an hour off my bike!”
“Gotta eat pizza the night before. Pasta is too heavy for me.”
“Snacking on Tim Bits is the best!” – Tim Bits are donut holes from a Canadian coffee house, started by some pro-hockey player.
“I read People magazine the night before the race. Otherwise I stress too much.”
“You gotta stay in the host motel to be able to pee in your own hotel room. All you gotta do is run out of transition, go up to your room, an dthen run back down and out.”
“Remember to pee. You should need to pee.” – From a Canuck, who managed to go through one of his entire Ironmans without the urge to pee – Amazing!
“Do what you can do for the moment – don’t worry about the whole race.” – On when the race gets monotonous, and you’re butt tired, and every fiber of your being is saying “why am I doing this?”
“Thank the people at every aid station.”
“Gotta keep your sense of humor.”
“Wax before the race.” – From a male competitor!
“Put on tanning color for great photos.” – Especially if you are a white anglo saxon and don’t want to have this ghostly white appearance in your race photos.
Very funny stuff – but I do agree with the last one. You gotta look good in your race photos.
If I see a camera guy on the bike, I will definitely go into aero position and have a smile on my face. But I DO NOT LOOK AT THE CAMERA. I did that once and looked like a dork. Hunker down in aero position, look cool, and smile like you’re out for another training ride.
If I see a camera guy on the run, I pick up my knees more and kick my legs back just a bit more also as I pass him, no matter how much it hurts. Usually this always happens when I am butt tired and my legs are dead, because I am part way through the run. But I don’t care. I make my legs look like I’m running instead of shuffling, which is probably what I was doing before I saw the camera guy. Again, no looking at the camera. Doesn’t look good later.
The ride to Taupo was filled with great conversation and funny anecdotes. I am amazed at all the stories. Some of them are scary, like the ones about NZ’s unpredictable weather in Taupo, and how years ago they were racing in rain, sun, and then rain again – all in one day. I get the willies thinking about my pretty steel Ritchey Breakaway with no defense against the elements….! I can only hope that someday I will buy the Titanium/Carbon Breakaway supposedly ni testing now. Many were stories of hardship during the races, some memorable, and some half forgotten. Many are of helping other competitors, some are of what goes through their minds at various stages in the race. I am wow-ed by the variety of their finish time, from 11 hours to 16. You can never tell by the way they look how fast they will go. And each Ironman is a different test for each competitor as well. Different weather, road, physical/health conditions exist for each race. One can only hope that the training and mental determination will carry them through the race.
I arrive in Taupo mid-afternoon. Taupo is a beautiful place. The wind had picked up and ws raising swells on the lake. We all hope that wind doesn’t come on race day as that will trash bike times for sure. The air is supremely fresh. It is very scenic and reinvigorating to be there. Taupo is a small town, somewhat like Kona, Hawaii. Somewhat quiet, but many decent restaurants and little shops. The sky is partly cloudy, and the sun is intense due to the elevation.
I quickly get to my room and put on some running shorts. There is a short run session with pro-Ironman Andrea Fisher. I have not been up close to many pros before, but for some reason I expected something different in Andrea. She is taller than me, about 5’9″ I think and supremely muscled without an ounce of fat. She is our tour guide for the course during pre-race week. Today, we run 30 min on the run course to shake out the tightness from the flight. She takes off at what is probably slower than her jog pace. I find that as we move, it slowly creeps up to my base pace and she is barely noticing the run! The others feel the same way. Some drop back or go back to their hotel. I stay with the group because it’s a nice day and it’s nice to keep up the positive sensations going (as my coach would say) of running fast. I’m only going 30 min so it’s no big deal. I do feel good that my body does feel fairly decent after the short run – a testament to my hard-won fitness in the months leading up to the race.
I get back to my room, shower, and go grocery shopping and get some dinner.
After dinner, I put together my bike and notice my rear derailleur is a bit out of whack. Ride-able for tomorrow’s short tour of the bike course, but definitely something to get checked out after we get back.
In my room, I am frustrated that I cannot dialup to the internet on the room phone. It may be my modem, but it is most likely the phone system is digital. So I type this in hopes that somehow I can post it at an internet cafe in town later in the day.
Time for bed.

Hanging out here in my LA apartment and going through my stuff one last time.
Sunglasses, GU, water bottles, bike helmet, bike looks ok…
I always feel like I’ve forgotten something. I guess I’ll have a week to replace it in NZ if I did.
I did forget my bike helmet last year at Pacific Grove. Geez. Racing back to Cupertino the night before the race to get my helmet and race back down to my hotel room. That really sucked.
Checked out my Ritchey Breakaway again. Looks pretty good. I’ve been in contact with the PR firm for Ritchey as I told them that I was racing with their Breakaway. I will be taking some pictures of me racing on their bike and they’ll put me in their newsletter. COOL.
They also told me that they built a Titanium/Carbon Fiber Breakaway! I WANT THAT BIKE – it’s in testing now and I hope it goes into production soon. I may just sell this one after the race and get their new one. And the suitcase will have wheels too!
Went for a swim and run today. Feeling pretty good and less burned out. I know I’m less burned out when I can count laps while swimming. My mind doesn’t drift and I can pay attention. And counting in a 25m pool is REAL challenging if you’ve ever tried it. I hate doing more than 400m in one interval. But, for endurance events, you gotta workout at race pace for intervals up to 400m or more.
This should be interesting as I hang out more in NYC this year and will probably join the YMCA which has a 25m pool. I’ve never done 4000m in a 25m pool. Not sure if I’ll survive the monotony.
At least it’s a beautiful day in LA at the beach. About the only thing I do enjoy down here is the sun on the beach and a cooling breeze blowing from the ocean, and nothing is like a run in that kind of condition. Too bad the rest of LA sucks.
Leaving at 830p on Qantas. I hope to pass out as soon as it takes off. Next week is filled with activities as I joined the Premium Plus Sports Ironman Tour. You can see the activities at their website.
Next stop – AUCKLAND BABY YEAH!

Finally found my race number: 861 – age group Male 35-39.