Taper Week for the Olympic Triathlon.

Sunday I go out for 51.5 kilometers of triathlony goodness. The bike course is hillier than I’d like. The swim has 250 m into the current (out of 1500 total). The run will be at about 85 degrees. It might be humid. I will do the best I can with what I’ve got. My fitness is so-so. My anxiety is middling. My bike is in good shape. I own running shoes. I can do an Australian crawl for hours at a time. I’m as ready as I’m gonna be.

I figure the swim for 40-45 minutes. 5-7 for transition 1. 95 minutes for the bike. 5-7 more for transition 2. And then 65-70 minutes for the run. So, I’m figuring 210 minutes total. Three and a half hours. I have to be done in 4.5, or I am not allowed to finish. There are intermediate cutoffs for the bike, etc., but I don’t think I’m at risk of transgressing those.

So I’m nervous but excited. It will be a solid opportunity to test myself, accomplish something new, and bring home a cool finisher’s medal.