What do you do after a big race to avoid the post-race blues? Plan something fun! And have a future goal already on the horizon.
After crossing the finish line, I headed for the finishers’ area, helped along by two volunteers. On our way we bumped into the amazing Coeur girls, the same two who had run me up the hill on Ali’i and given me that boost right when I needed it.
After qualifying for Kona at IMCDA, the very last qualifying race, I immediately followed the typical triathlete pattern of scouring the internet for advice on racing two Ironmans seven weeks apart. Depending on who I believed I was either (a) screwed and should resign myself to a sub-par race or (b) in a good position to build on the work I had already done for another peak. Since my desire to go back to Kona wasn’t about just doing the race again but about doing myself justice there after a disappointing first attempt two years ago, I had to believe in (b).
Race week
Thursday dawned with great excitement. Our first van trip for a race! Loaded with two TT bikes, two mountain bikes, a ton of gear, a few clothes and a mountain of food, we were off: CDA-bound via an overnight stop in Boise, ID.
We arrived in CDA a few hours before athlete check-in closed on Friday. The tent was empty. All done in ten minutes. I made it through the shop without spending a single dollar. Success!
So here we go. I’m writing a blog. I was reluctant at first. There are lots of blogs out there and I wasn’t keen to add to the mounds of rubbish on the internet. But I love reading other people’s race reports and travel adventures so why not share some of our stories too? And if only two people read it then I’ll just quietly remove it and pretend it never existed.
I had planned to write a race report of Ironman Coeur d’Alene, but I got carried away so I split it in two. The race report will follow. This post covers my journey to the start line.