On October 30, I had oral surgery and was told I should take 3 or 4 days off from exercise. No problem, I'd start my training after that. After a solid week of pain so bad I could not stand any type of exercise, I promptly came down with a cold that kept me out of commission for another 2.5 weeks. I got in a few training sessions, which included 2 outdoor rides before we headed to New York for Thanksgiving, where I got no exercise at all.

Then there was December. Cold like I can not remember. I did not ride outdoors once during December, and could only stomach 3 windtrainer rides. I hate the windtrainer. It is now hidden in the attic. Maybe it will feel rejected and run away this summer and I will never have to see it again.

January was no better. We spent 12 days of January in Europe. I managed to get 3 runs in while there.

At the beginning of February I got sick again and could not train for 12 days. When I was ready to leave for New Zealand I had under my belt: one long ride of 47 miles and one long run of 16 miles, and a bunch of other short stuff, squeezed in between illnesses and travel. I spent more time complaining about the weather and having to train through the winter than I actually did training. Still, I was nearly certain I could finish.

We arrived in Auckland on Sunday, February 25. After 2 days in Auckland we headed to Taupo in our bright purple Subaru Legacy wagon. Arrived in Taupo Tuesday evening and set up in our rental house with Simon Haigh, Mike Bundy, Steve & Liza Wyle. I had found this place over the internet and it turned out to be really nice. We were right on the lake with a nice view of Mt. Ruapehu.

Spent the week doing the usual pre-race farting around - expo, meeting folks for swims, meeting folks for meals , buying junk I forgot to bring, short ride of the "hilly" part of the bike course, meetings, massages (at $18.50/hr, one cannot get too many massages), assembling bikes. My nice roommate Mike unpacked and assembled my bike for me.

My only real concern for the race was that it would be as hot as last year. I could survive the lack of training, but if intense heat was thrown in, I didn't know if I could finish.

Time flew by as always, and suddenly it was the day before race day. I realized I had not formulated a race nutrition plan. On Mike's advice I cut Power Bars into quarters and slit the wrappers for easy access. Got some peanut butter cheese crackers from Cathy Morgan and tossed into special needs bags, along with various other food I knew I would not eat.

This would be Cathy's third attempt at an Ironman distance. She did not finish Vineman or Ironman California. We were all excited about seeing her first Ironman finish the following day.

That night, as we were sitting around "relaxing" after dinner, it started to pour. Man, I did not want to race in a downpour. It rained almost all night. I know this because I did not sleep. Not one minute, not even one second. This is something I have feared and it finally happened. The minute my head hit the pillow my mind cranked into high gear and I started worrying about everything that has ever happened to me in my whole life and everything that could ever happen to me or anyone else in any way related to me. I could not stop thinking, worrying, calculating, planning, worrying about the rain (would my disc wheel fill with water?), worrying about being awake (would I pass out from lack of sleep?), wondering if anyone else in the house was getting any sleep (they all were).

Race Morning:

Since I hadn't fallen asleep anyway, I turned off my alarm and got out of bed around 3:50. I felt pretty groggy to say the least. The house was dark and quiet. I sat alone at the kitchen table and ate an energy bar, drank orange juice. Others came out, one by one.

Headed over to race site around 5:30. Still dark outside. At some point it started to drizzle.

Checked bike. No water in disc wheel. Found Cathy and headed down to lake to put on wetsuit . Still dark outside. Still groggy. At some point it stopped drizzling.