Trying for a Tri

This may be a long post. It’s been a long day full of work and getting ready for my triathlon tomorrow!

I was up at 4am, a half hour before my alarm went off. I was crazy thirsty from all the food I’d eaten at the barbecue. Plus, I think I was already getting anxious for the race. Got to work a little early and munched on the usual breakfast cookie.

• 1/2 cup rolled oats
• 1/2 scoop chocolate whey powder
• 1 tbsp unsweetened coconut
• 8 chocolate chips
• 1 tbsp almond cashew butter
• couple splashes unsweetened vanilla almond milk

Later in the morning, I snacked on a naner and Pbu.

Lunch was my favourite meal to make at work – egg white pillows on an english muffin with laughing cow cheese. 

And one of the juiciest, sweetest oranges I’ve had in a while. 

Once I got off work, I went downtown to pick up a few items I needed before the race tomorrow. I got a bike bag, running hat and running socks. I had some time to kill in the mall before the course orientation, so I hit up Second Cup for a refreshment and snack.

A sugar-free strawberry Italian soda, peanut butter chocolate chip PowerBar, and a free magazine I got at the Running Room.

The course orientation went really well. I found out that I have a solid 2 minute run from the lake to the transition area that I will have to do on a gravel trail in my bare feet. It also looks like I’ll have a nice jaunt from the transition area to the road in my cycling shoes (which have the chunky clips attached to the sole). Finally, I learned they changed the run course. Instead of doing three loops around the lake, I’ll be doing two loops with a random out-and-back run up this crazy steep hill. Oh yes, and that hill is the first thing I’ll be tackling when I get off the bike.

I’m also now paranoid that I’m going to be disqualified for accidentally drafting or crossing the centre line on my bike.

I actually made a list of all the things I’m worried about so I’d stop going over them in my head. It really helped!!

After the orientation, I came home and attempted to nap. Despite only sleeping 6 hours last night, I could only squeeze out 15 minutes of shut-eye. So I just got up and made an early supper.

Can you tell I’m sticking with safe foods today to keep my tummy behaving? This is a turkey pita with tzatziki and crammed with veggies.

Then I proceeded to get all my crap ready for tomorrow!!

I started by cleaning and lubing my bike chain. Then I attached this fancy gadget that finally arrived in the mail yesterday, just in the nick of time.

A CatEye strada wireless bike computer. It’s one of the pricier models, but I ended up getting it on eBay for around $60, not too bad. Plus, it looks pretty stellar on my bike.

 
I have no idea if I hooked it up right. I tried moving it around my apartment and it didn’t pick anything up. It probably won’t work tomorrow, hopefully it doesn’t fall off!!

I also attached my new bike bag, which I’m pleased to see doesn’t look overly hideous.

 
I’m hoping after treating my bike to a little lovin’, it will be nice to me tomorrow

Then I prepared my water bottles. One is a coconut water-water mix and the other is just plain water (doubt I’ll even need the second one).

And five dates stuffed with peanut butter for fuel during the bike ride.

I’m not entirely sure what I’m going to do with these yet. Either tie the bag to the handlebars, but keep it open so I can just reach my hand in. Or put them in the bike bag, leave that open, and just reach back.

More fuel for tomorrow…

I’ll eat the Clif bar about an hour before the race starts. I debated between this and the Luna. But decided the Clif is more calorie dense and has more carbohydrates. The PowerBar is just a backup for afterward in case I find myself starving right after and can’t get to food for whatever reason.

On the topic of food, I’ve decided on my best bowl of oats ever for breakfast tomorrow. I’ll be getting up at 6am, and won’t be racing till 10am, so I’ll have plenty of time to digest. My best workouts have always been after a bowl of oats, plus the comforting bowl will hopefully keep me calm in the morning

Okay, now on to how I’m dealing with the tricky clothing situation! Triathlons are tough, because swimming, cycling and running all require very different gear that you have to change in and out of quickly. I never bothered getting a trisuit because I didn’t want to spend the money on one, then never wear it again. So I’ll be starting the race in my regular swimsuit and goggles (I’ll be given a cap to wear).

From that, I’ll be racing up to my bike (barefoot on gravel I might add!!!) and throwing this on over my swimsuit:

Helmet, bike glasses, tank-top, bike shorts, running socks, bike shoes. I’d debated wearing a running bra under my suit, but I was scared it would get really uncomfortable after getting wet. So I opted for this Lululemon top with a sturdy built-in bra. That’s the benefit of a small chest! My only concern about it is the tight built-in bra will get twisted when I try to pull it on over my wet swimsuit.

Okay, then from there, I’m going to be taking off my helmet, bike shorts and shoes, and wearing this:

 
Running hat (to hide what will likely be a horrible mess of hair!), bike glasses, tank-top, running shorts, running socks, running shoes. I’d considered running in my bike shorts, but putting on the running shorts didn’t really take that much extra time when I was practicing my transitions. I’ll probably just look funny yanking down my trousers

Oh yes, and since all these clothes need to be at my transition station, here’s what I’m wearing over my swimsuit while I hang out at the site before the race.

Just a simple (and wrinkly) jersey dress with flip flops that I can easily take off and hand to Chris before I line up to start.

Sorry if all of this is a little boring. But I think figuring out what to wear during the triathlon has been one of the biggest aspects of my preparation!!!

Now all I have left to do is pick out a colourful towel to put my stuff on in the transition area, so it’s easy to spot. I want to pick out some good tunes to play in the car on my way to the race site. I also just finished making iced coffee so it’s quick and easy to drink with my oats in the morning!

Phew!! How’s that for preparation? I know it will probably still be a bit of a scramble in the morning, but I’m trying to keep from getting stressed out as much as possible. Chris will be meeting at the site at about 9am. Poor guy is coming straight off a night shift to watch me race. Don’t worry, I got tips on all the best locations for taking pictures, so hopefully he’ll be able to get some good ones!!!

Oh! I totally forgot, my bedtime snack…

Blueberries, yogurt and Nature’s Path blueberry cinnamon cereal. This is guaranteed to sit well in my stomach overnight. 

Holy crap you guys, I can’t believe it’s tomorrow!!! To be honest, I don’t feel well-prepared at all. But I also know that if I’m careful, and take my time, I’ll be able to finish it. And that’s all that matters.

Eeee! Excitement!!!!

For the record, that’s me fresh out of the shower without a lick of makeup on. Inspired by Angela’s amazing post on going make-up free! I’m a little more comfortable without face paint, it’s hard to wear mascara in the pool!

Okay, I’m off to wind down and read a few blogs in bed. I’ll be back tomorrow night with my recap. Hopefully not from a hospital bed!

Happy fourth o’ July to all you American folk!! A salute to not having the Queen’s mug on your money!