Did my last ride around home yesterday... Booties, long pants, base layer top, jacket, full gloves & helmet cover. This time tmrw I'll be in flip-flops, board shorts & a very light T shirt!

Can. Not. Wait!

Brian

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Swim. Bike. Run. Repeat as necessary.
Welcome to the Church of Briantriology!

I'm not going to make it, really bummed. This race/venue is so awesome. Please post updates, pics and race reports. I hope everyone gets their bike from the airlines (I have some interesting stories from my 4x in STX) Have fun and good luck!! I'll be listening to isle 95 for race coverage and checking ironman.com.

I was shocked that with my sub 1 hour connection in Miami, American airlines got me my bike...the $150 bike fee hurts though. One of the guys who arrived yesterday hauled me out to take him on a tour of parts of the bike course. I took some pictures which I will post here later. I was told that the swim practice in the harbour was cut to two loops of the sprint course on account of big waves today. This place truly feels like your local tri with a championship quality field. I am told Rinnie and TO were holding court at swim practice (in reference to tri royalty). Today felt really cool and less humid than my previous experience. So much for last minute heat training...as a bare minimum I went from bike commuting on Monday with jacket, winter tights, gloves and booties to hanging out in flip flops. That is one of the number 1 things that keeps winter motivation ticking along....lots of guys here with either pasty white skin or brutally sun burned already....those 11 am swim practices with sun directly overhead are killer for sun burns.

If anyone wants, I can lead a bit of a tour of the bike course tomorrow at 9 am. Start in front of the Buccaneer. Finish in time for 11am swim start. If there is interest we can head west side and do the Beast, if not, east side loop.

I think I am 1 for 4 with getting my bike on arrival. I see TBT is at the race which would be worth it for STX.

If you do the practice swim put on the sunscreen! I think I've been burned every time I've been down there even with sunscreen on. That swim is the best in triathlon.

Definitely sleep with the AC on. One year I thought it would be smart to get heat acclimated and went without AC for the four days prior to the race..no AC in the car, the room, nothing..as a result I didn't sleep well and really p'od the wife. Race went ok but still pretty dumb.

That's a good description -- local tri with a world class field. I remember one year lining up to jump in for the practice swim, looking over and seeing Cowie fixing his goggles right next to me.

Is there really no practice swim Saturday? I was hoping to get something in before the race. Never swam in the ocean w/o a wetsuit before. Anyone staying at the Divi that has swam there before?

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"Sweep the leg...Do you have a problem with that?" - John Kreese

Yes, no swim practice before the race. If you know someone staying at the Buc, you can swim there. I am staying at the Tamarind Reef and see it has a beach and will test it out to see if you can safely get to open water here without being smashed into rocks in which case glad to have you guys over.

Bigred, I agree about the A/c. I tend to sleep with it at 76F just to take a touch off the humidity.

So, anyone want to do a Beast climb today....no point sitting around the island tapering doing nothing as we have our offices at home to do no exercise in when we get back!

Divi is fine to swim, done it many times, I would just stay somewhat close to the shoreline.

Cane Bay is a great swim on north shore, it's just before the beast. Nice spot for a salad or burger after your swim at Eat. Tamarind is a good swim too. The Buccaneer will charge a few dollars access fee to use the beach if you aren't staying there. If you are after a calm ocean swim, any beach in Fredriksted is good. Sandy shore, wide open and usually flat calm.
Dont forget to pick up your packet on Friday. There is a coupon for free food at Jump Up. Anyone with younger kids should head down to Jump Up early. There is a kids fun run starting at 6Pm, registration at 5. It is from Times Square to the Fort. If you don't have kids come out and cheer them on, it's a really cool tradition with pro's leading the kids.

Have fun climbing the Beast! I'll be sitting in my office cube all day. 40s and rain here in Chicago.

As an FYI, I went for a swim from the beach at Tamarind and it is pretty good. One of the people working at the bar said that I could swim across to the nearby island which looks like a fun adventure. I did not get around to doing the Beast climb today and tomorrow might be cutting it close, but if anyone is interested, then I'm game (what the heck you only live one)...if we take it easy it should be 2.5 hour round trip from the Buc entrance. If we leave at 8 am, we can be back for the practice swim.

Bigred, for the first time I did the practice swim today in a speedsuit...big bonus was no sunburn on my back!!!

Here are some pictures from around the island:



Thank you American Airlines for empyting my wallet of $150...but you got my bike here:



This bank has less glitzy corporate HQ than the ones in Manhattan



Backyard view at Tamarind resort has less snow than back home



Almost time for sunset overlooking Christiansted Harbour



The pool at the Tamarind is almost as nice as the rec center back home but has a much better view



The "lobster boy" at Rum Runner's restaurant on the boardwalk



Is this possibly the best swim start location in triathlon?



The Eganski approved tape worm eating program might be required to lighten up before the Beast....even this hill in the Buccaneer felt hard.



Even if you don't stay at the Buc, come here for the best all you can eat buffet on the island, especially if you are in Eganski's age group so that you fatten up while he eats tapeworms to lighten up for the Beast. Apparently Rob Gray who KQ'd at IM South Africa ate there once this week and now he figures he has enough food to get him through the next 3 days and over the top of the Beast after which he might break his fast.

Well your week in Chicago is nearly over but here are a few updates.

Terra-man (Larkin Carter) made a celebrity appearance at registration in his Hokas. I swear the guy has been on the Eganski approved tapeworm diet for a least a month. If he turns sideways he may just disappear. Not sure if he is still working with Jonnyo, but if he is, he has been under strict coach orders

Waves at swim practice were less wavey. I told myself I will take it easy and not "time" the loop...next thing you know you are swimming easy and latch onto a pack or have one catch you and everyone is swimming race pace like in a washing machine. More hard bodies than you can cram into dig me beach in Kona. This is like a local race with a world championship set of hard bodies.

Tim O'Donnell and Mirinda Carfrae were at practice swim. Mirinda muttered something about staying off her feet and tapering and respecting the course. And here I thought I should cram in some last moment training to lose the final 40 lbs to get up the Beast at only 100% FTP. My bubble is burst...how the hell can I get down to Rinny's weight?

Rob Gray is so lean that can't even keep up with me on downhills? How is that possible? The guy has quads like he should be playing rugby for the Springboks in the Emerald and Gold uniform. He also made a major ST faux pas and showed up to ride the East Loop in an Mdot finisher jersey. Slowman/Herbert might have to suspend his ST account or as a bare minimum revoke his man card until he rides 4:4x in Kona this fall. Then you are allowed to have Mdot stuff all over and no one can judge you even if you show up in Faris racing attire with an Mdot logo on your rear end.





Some views from the Tamarind above



Rob and I rode east side loop and Lowry Hill loop. Over 600m of climbing in 40K...no wonder the back half of the bike course feels so hard. This is the top of the 15% grade by that guy's house that you want on a good day, but maybe not during a Hurricane!

Some pictures that Larkin Carter (Terraman) just posted:

Dev, thanks for posting, you are killing me!! Very nice pics! I love the one with the Capt. Morgan and the one with the view from the Tamarind with the crystal blue water in the background.

Did you climb the Beast! You really ought to do it before the race, it's only a 20 min climbing effort tops, good to work out the pre-race jitters. I've done it the day before the race every year. Taper? You are only down there for a limited time, might as well ride it before the race. Like you said, I'm sitting in my cubicle right now with Caribbean dreams, you should be outside S-B-R.

Regarding the speedsuit for the practice swims..you really should be rocking the Speedo, ala Mike Pigg style!

Congrats on the finish Dev. I think it was you lapping me as I was starting loop 2. That lady really wanted you to go out for a third loop! How'd you end up at the roll down? I slept through the entire thing!

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"Sweep the leg...Do you have a problem with that?" - John Kreese