Arizona 2007 - Day 4

Another perfect day, albeit a little windy. Strong winds are in the forecast for the next day or so ... let's hope they subside by the time the race rolls around.

I let myself sleep a little longer than I had planned and didn't get to the swim until around 8:30 ... no worries though ... its a big lake and as it was I was only the 243rd person to check-in at the Gatorade booth. The water was calm and clear. I jumped in and started swimming. I had planned on swimming the buoy-line as a pre-race exercise. Little did I realize that only one of the two sets of buoys had been set up and I was swimming right into the 'on coming traffic' of the swimmers on their way BACK. (Those of you who know my 'prowess' in open water will not be surprised by this.) Finally finding the correct lane of traffic I had a great swim. Nothing too strenuous. Just nice to be in the open water, swimming, following the line of big yellow buoys and the sun. After about 15 minutes of swimming, I turned around, joined the return flow of traffic, and made my way back to the launch. I made my way to the bag-check, retrieve my stuff and picked up another Gatorade water bottle for the collection.

After swim, I wandered around the now fully operational expo. Tons of things to spend your money on, new wheels, vitamins, socks, and everything in between. A modest purchase was made by yours truly.

The final Ironman related event of the day was registration. I must say, it was more than a little confused and congested, but I made it through without incident (except for the shock of my weigh-in).

One of the things I like most about this sport (other than the cool gear) is the camaraderie. During the swim, shopping and registration process I must have talked to 15 - 20 different people: while putting on my wet suit, getting in the water, in the water, getting out, browsing the over-priced Ironman gear, in line, everywhere, people talk to you. Newbies look nervous or lost; I remember how I felt at my first few races and offer a few words of encouragement. Veterans tell tales of previous races and herculean training regimes. What other sport can you think of that has one of its greatest athletes, Paula Newby-Fraser, checking USAT memberships and joking with people who say that they forgot their membership cards at home that she "would chase them down."

Plan for the rest of the day: reading by the pool and picking up my parents at the airport.