Today we wait, tomorrow we race!

We got to Coeur d’Alene a few days ago and are settled into our rental house nicely. My training buddies, Trevor and Navarra, are here and we have a great team of support people that are helping keep us sane and fed. We’re staying in a house in Post Falls, about 10km from downtown CDA.

Yesterday we went for a ride into town and it was pretty chilly and wet. This morning we went for a swim along the route, which was pretty awesome. The water was a little choppy on the way out, but coming back it was a sweet tail wind. Last night was the welcome banquet, which was pretty good. We hooked up with the other Saskatoon triathletes and ate some grub… and lots of Endurance Gatorade. I’m glad that I brought my Nuun tablets and don’t have to choke down Gatorade through the bike. I’m going to enjoy my Gu gels and my Clif bars at the Special Needs areas.

The food at the banquet was salad, buns, macaroni w/ marinara sauce, and chicken. I asked them if they had a protein source for vegetarians. The guy at the table looked a little shocked and looked over to another worker, to which she replied, “There is pasta with marinara sauce.” I repeated myself and asked for the protein, but she shook her head to indicate no. I said, “That’s ok, we don’t need it anyway.” She didn’t really get it, but the guy next to her did and we had a little chuckle. I’m not sure when it’s going to happen, but one day I will go to a race dinner and us veg*ns will have an option. I look forward to that day!

Actually, a cold and wet race would be all right with me. I’m a pretty warm person so I don’t have much problem with 63F weather, but Navhas renoids and is making back-up plans to keep her feet and hands warm. We made an emergency trip to the outdoor store for winter gloves and Hot Shots. Hopefully this will be enough to keep Nav’s fingers warm through the race. Luckily, I remembered to pack a long-sleeved shirt, which I will use if I need it. I am not planning to, but it’s better to be safe than sorry.

So we’re packing up our gear bags and getting ready to check in our gear and bikes. This is a beautiful town – tons of great scenergy, bike trails, and people. Lots of small shops and it is very clean. There aren’t even any seagulls! This morning I saw a hawk-like bird circling the lake and dive down to get itself some food. It was really beautiful and I take it as a good omen. This is going to be a great race. I feel really calm and ready to rock this race!

Tonight I’m going to write down my time goals, even though my coach told me not to worry about it. I’m not going to worry about it so much, but I like to have goals… even if I don’t really plan on making them.