Triathlon Training Daddy: Ironman Lake Tahoe 2013

All my bags are packed, I'm ready to go... sort of

Well, my bike bag is packed and my bike was ready to go!

I dropped off the speed machine for its trip to Lake Tahoe Saturday at my local bike shop for TriBike Transport, so now I just have to pack everything else and be ready for an early plane flight.

It was cool that you can pay extra and pack a small bag to send with your bike. Takes some of the hassle of carrying a helmet, bike shoes, CO2 cartridges, bike bottles and other bulky items on a plane trip. From my time traveling for Ironman 70.3 Boulder, I've felt the pain of packing a bike, flying with a bike and flying with all of that triathlon gear. Lets just say I've had my fair share of looks as I jam a big ole transition bag into the overhead bin or under my feet.

I won't know what to do with myself from the lack of stress of lugging a bike bag around an airport, reassembling said bike, racing, disassembling the bike and lugging it back home. Pack gear, take off peddles, drop bike off, pick bike up at race site with pedals put on by TBT and gear bag, race, drop off bike without pedals and gear bag and relax. Sounds good to me.

Now, all I have to do is pack for all 4 seasons...

Weather in Tahoe is a little unpredictable at this time of year. Could be 90, could be snowing. That's what you get with altitude, I suppose.

I feel good in the fact I shopped for cheap (very cheap) gear for layers to ditch on the bike. The run shouldn't be an issue, but the start of the bike could be 40 degrees and T2 could be in the 70's. Talk about a wild temperature swing to be ready for over 112 miles. Lets just say ebay is a beautiful thing for quality, cheap used bike wear.

Not sure what the hype is with tapering...

A lot of people make a big deal about scaling back for an Ironman Triathlon. Heck, with 2 kids, work and house chores, it's rather easy to fill the time not training. ;)

Just like that the time has rolled up on me to get all the gear in order, pack and check in for my flight. Where does the time go when you're having fun?

I think for the most part, I'm ready training wise, mentally and prepared as it's going to get. Everything is taken care of, for the most part. Just need to let work know I'm missing a few days. ;)

I'm actually looking forward to the break of recovery after the race. I'm eying the Kansas City Marathon in mid-October to keep me up on my running and motivation. It's starting to look like fall here in Kansas City and nothing gets me thinking pumpkins and trick-or-treating like a nice 26.2 mile jaunt through Kansas City!

Thanks to Kokua Multisport for the guidance, TK Muscle Therapy for keeping me whole and Maximized Living in Olathe for keeping my spine right!