Stuff

I've got one more week of the build phase before all hell breaks loose in the peak phase. I'm almost 2/3's of the way done! It's time to start figuring out the logistics of our trip, making packing lists and designing goofy team shirts for the family.

What has really become overwhelming is the amount of STUFF needed to do this race. I'm usually the kind of person who tries to get by on as little as possible. I don't need all the bells and whistles and all the latest new gear. But I have to admit, for this race, I would rather have too much than too little.

 I was thinking recently about the first sprint tri I did with Deanne and the rest of our tri-friends almost 10 years ago (happy anniversary, guys!). I managed to do pretty well with my old mountain bike, wearing a bathing suit and running shorts and no socks. I didn't have bike shoes, aerobars, a Garmin....I had a cheap $30 shorty wetsuit that probably slowed me down more than anything. The amount of gear needed for that race was pretty minimal.

Flash forward to my first Olympic tri, where I had by then bought an entry-level Trek road bike and had bought a pair of bike shoes and pedals second-hand. I did the swim with no wetsuit and felt like I was swimming in place while everyone else in the field passed me. I did the bike and run in running shorts and a bathing suit. Miserable! Lesson-learned: for tri's longer than a sprint, a certain amount of gear is needed. Especially gear that pads my butt.

I've learned that wetsuits are a necessity to hold up my dead-weight legs. I've also learned the value of a good pair of tri-shorts. And although my Trek served me well for years, last year I broke down and got a tri-bike that makes it SO much easier to run after a long bike. I got brand new pedals and shoes. I've never been much of a gadget-girl (my husband has called me a Luddite on more than one occasion), but I got a Garmin and cadence sensor for Christmas and I don't know how I ever trained without them.

And then there's all the bike stuff: helmet, spare tubes, pump, CO2 cartridges, tire levers...you just can't do a race of this length without tools to fix a flat. There's all of the nutrition/hydration you need to take with you on the bike: gels, bars, sports bottles. You need spare clothes for weather changes, sunscreen, anti-chafing stuff, hats and sunglasses for the run. Oh, and a number belt for your race number. And...I need a nice new tri-bag to carry all of this stuff in. OK, I don't really NEED that, but that might be my splurge.

Lastly, I'm not going to say we bought a new car just for the Ironman, because we had definitely outgrown our little Subaru Impreza, but we definitely pushed our car-buying plans up because there was no WAY we were going to fit everything we need to bring to Lake Placid. So lastly, if you're doing an Ironman, and you're not traveling alone, you need a good-sized car.