Worry, what worry?

Race day jitters one week out. As I completed my final brick workout of the year today I'm thinking ahead to race day. By contemplating my worries, I hope to minimize them before Sunday.

The first worry is putting my bike back together while keeping its fine tuned functionality. I boxed up my bike today which went fairly smoothly (except for a puncture wound in my wrist from my hand slipping into my crank while removing my pedals). Rebuilding the bike will be a priority when I get on the ground in Cancun and I will be visiting the mechanics in Ironman village if I have any trouble. They are incredibly overwhelmed as time draws on so early diagnosis of mechanical problems is a high priority.

Nutrition and hydration are my next worries. Making sure I get enough water and proper food--in this case I'll be trying to avoid eating the great Mexican cuisine which as a vegetarian would not help me with my carbohydrates and protein. Not much tofu in Mexico.

Race day worries are next. How will the surf be? Will there be a strong current that I will have to battle? I've swam in the ocean before but it was a bay. The race offers a swim clinic and I will be participating in that to gain confidence for race day.

The bike--I need speed here. I'll get a look at the course via a bus so I know what if any hills I have to deal with. While on the bike, I need to eat and hydrate well and get back to T2 as quickly as possible to avoid getting too hot in the run. I'm a little concerned because I have never ridden by the sea without battling a brutal headwind. There is no mention of this in the race description--it says the course should be fast as you ride by Mayan ruins. I love the ruins of Mexico but I'm suspicious that this is in the description to allure you to the race. I would be less suspicious if they said the course could be subject to crosswinds.

The run--still struggling with the bike run transition in heat over 90 degrees. If it is not too hot, the tranistion for me is fine. If it is hot, it makes me feel like I'm carrying 300 pounds instead of 142.

There are many worries that I have and many strategies that I use to combat them. When the gun goes off, I am in the moment. I swim buoy to buoy, I ride and run mile to mile. The countdown to the gun continues.