SEBA #1

Wil has deemed yesterday's training session SEBA #1 (Steelhead Epic Brick Adventure #1.) SEBA #1 because there will undoubtedly be SEBA #2, #3, etc. before August 6th. It was a blast - a 5-hour blast, but a blast nevertheless. It's been so much fun to meet Wil and now Shelley - once tri-blogger colleagues and now two awesome training partners.

I'm suffering from an embarrassment of training partner riches: an Intrepid Training Partner (ITP) and TWO Awesome Training Partners (ATPs). Yessirree, I live a full, rich life! Speaking of full, rich lives, ITP has graciously volunteered to help out at Steelhead, either at the pre-race expo or on race day, wherever help is needed. Race organizers called today and offered a body-marking job. You just have to know ITP to know how truly, hilariously funny that is.

"Hey! We're gonna get wet!" was the best line of the day, offered as it started to rain just as we waded into the surf. Wil has thoroughly chronicled the swim, but I will admit that the waves were bigger "out there" than they looked from shore (Sorry Wil!) I found that burying my head a little deeper than normal allowed me to submarine under the bigger rollers without much more than a mild jostling. I also swam out further from shore to avoid the shallower waters over sandbars, where the waves build up and start to break. A radio report heard on the way home pegged the water temp at 60 degrees. Brrr.

The 56-mile bike took us about 3:30 of riding time, and 30 minutes longer if you count Gatorade stops and me getting us sorta lost on an "under-contruction" road. Who knew tri-bikes could do double duty as gravel-pounders? I'm starting to get comfortable on the Steelhead bike. There are a few hills in the first 25 miles, but the further you go the flatter and faster the course becomes. The last 20 miles are going to be a race-day test for me.

Let's just say that most of the time in "T2" (while loading bikes into cars and comparing sunburns) was devoted to a spirited "shall we or shan't we??" debate about running, ultimately decided in favor of "shall." So we did. I'll be elated if my legs feel HALF as good on race day as they did yesterday. We chose a different route from last Tuesday's to avoid a certain rather large hill. We avoided THAT hill only to blunder onto another one almost as big. So much for my route-finding skills.

Steelhead training has paid enormous dividends for me and, I think, for Awesome Training Partners. Naming what you fear, putting a face on it and getting some experience overcoming it are all positive steps in our quest to have a successful, healthy and fun race day. We've tackled the swim in all sorts of conditions. The bike is now "fun" instead of long and/or painful. The run is still going to be long and painful, but I figure if we can do 3.5 we can damn sure do 13.1.

I have a few pics that I'll post when I get home later today.