T minus 14 days

I'm within two weeks now of my final triathlon of the year, the Cancun Ironman 70.3. I am strong but tired and eager to take time off after the event.

This week, my regular pool has been closed for maintenance so I swim at a city pool close to our house. They have a masters swim program there with some of the best swimmers that I have seen, including this long-lean guy swimming next to me that covered 25 meters in about 9 strokes. He looked as if he was born in the water. I watched with great envy.

The masters coach approached me after my swim and gave me advice on my stroke. He thinks my entry is short and it is slowing me down. I'll take any advice that speeds up my time in the water. Although normally I would not make any changes this close to the race, I could not wait to get back in the pool to put his advice to work.

The stroke feels different, and as my coach says, different is usually good. I think it feels a little faster and from a physics standpoint it makes more sense. The masters coach was watching my stroke but made no further comment. Either he was otherwise occupied or he just had no comment. I'll continue to work with the stroke in my remaining practices.

My bike has had a few mechanical issues, even the bike is tired from this long season. First, it was shifting horribly and I thought it needed a minor adjustment. As it turned out it needed a $200 overhaul. Then last week my arm pad on the aero bars brokeoff mid-ride. It took a week for the part to come in and my mechanic had to do a little jury rigging to get it to work. Today, on my long ride, the tape on my handle bars completely came off. My bike probably has about 10,000 miles logged on it over the last three years and will be retired as my racing bike this year. Somehow it senses the need.

Ah, the off-season will be so sweet....but first, 70.3 miles of Mexican terrain calls my name.