Kevin and Marshall just left to go pick Kurt up at the airport so I thought I'd catch up on a few things...

This has been a very long, relaxing day. We didn't have much to do today. The main thing was to take our bikes down to the transition area (see above) and our bike and run bags. Our special needs bike and run bag we take tomorrow when we arrive at the start.

So this is the plan for race morning:

• Arise at 4:00 AM, drink coffee, eat cereal.


• Put on swim suit and dry clothes over it


• Get dry clothes bag, bike special needs bag, and run special needs bag and make sure everything I need is in each bag


• Walk to starting line and drop off bags. Fill water bottles on bike with CarboPro, Gatorade, and water


• Pump up bike tires! Please don't let me forget to do that....


• Put on wetsuit, goggles, and Ironman swim cap (I've been secretly waiting to do that!)


• Walk down to the "corral" (where all the athletes go) on the beach


• Watch the elites start at 6:50 AM


• Swim like hell at 7:00 AM!

Right now, I'm amazingly calm. I don't feel nervous about the swim at all. The water doesn't bother me but the distance is a bit daunting. I've never swam that far in my life but for some weird reason, I'm not worried about it.

I have been a bit frustrated today with the lack of physical "zest" that occurs with tapering. I feel downright sluggish. I don't feel like I'm an Ironwoman yet...quite the contrary! I feel like I've lost all of my conditioning. But, the weird thing is, I want to sign up for next year!

Yes, it's true...I really want to do this again. Well, right now I do, maybe that will change tomorrow. Marshall said that if Kevin signs up for 2010, he will too. Which means I might too...I'd like to try this again and now I know what I need to do differently. But, it may all change tomorrow!

The ocean is so beautiful (see pic above). I am sitting on the deck of the 15th floor of a high rise condo building overlooking the gulf. The water is turquoise and the sound of the waves is mesmerizing. I've always been a mountain person but I don' tknow....I can see why people live here.

I didn't know MTV hosts their annual spring break show here in Panama Beach City. In fact, it's at the hotel next to us. Maybe that's why the mayor of PBC said that the Ironman is "different" than other events they host! She said it was definitely "cleaner".

There are 2200 people in the race tomorrow AND its a mass start - wow, that means there will be 4400 arms and legs in one imaginary swim lane (and people wonder why I was nervous about the swim!). Did I just say I might want to do this again???

I'm not sure I'll have time to write again...the next time I post, I just might be an Ironwoman!