One of the things I like about race weekend is that I get a day off. I realize I could choose NOT to race and then I could have as many days off as I want. But race weekend provides me with one guilt-free day off, and that's nice. Since my race is on Sunday, I am taking Saturday off. And also today, since I still need to clean up a bit around the house before my guest arrives later tonight.

My legs are still a bit sore from the strength training on Tuesday. Yesterday I rode aerobically with a high cadence and didn't push it too hard. I also practiced riding at 30 mph in my aero position.

I'm trying out an old Terry Butterfly saddle loaned to me by a bike shop manager. It's a great seat and I could tell almost immediately that it is the right seat for my booty.

I'm excited about hosting a pro triathlete and I hope I can pick her brain about nutrition and race strategy.

I feel very confident that I am going to race well on Sunday. I feel very strong for early season. My only concern at this point is my pre-race jitters. When I get nervous, my digestive system gets rather overexcited. I've never been able to eat much before a race because of that. I usually eat half a banana and some soy milk and maybe some Hammer Gel. I haven't actually puked at the finish line (yet), but I have doubled over and gagged. I recently read an article about that. People kept telling me I was getting sick to my stomach because of dehydration, but I knew I had been taking in enough fluids during the race. What happens is that when the body is at an oxygen deficit, it diverts oxygen flow to the less important parts of the body, such as the digestive system. The reduction in oxygen inflow causes the stomach to want to expel its contents. Thus, I think the solution to the nausea problem is to increase VO2Max level through interval training. However, it may just be a symptom of biology, and thus unavoidable if I'm pushing my body to the limit.

My target times for this race:

22:30 - 2.8 mile run (8:00 pace)
1:30 - Transition 1
60:00 - 27.5 km ride (17 mph pace)
1:30 - Transition 2
22:30 - 2.8 mile run (8:00 pace)

Total: 1 hr 48 min

This time will put me in good standing for a top 3 AG placement.

I'm being a bit conservative with my times. I can run a 7:45 pace and probably 18-19 mph on the bike. My fastest race pace last summer was 20.3 mph. It just depends on how I'm feeling and if I use my energy reserve judiciously. Ideally I hope to run the second portion faster than the first, but it's more difficult to run after the bike.