Countdown to the 24

This weekend is the 24 Hours in the Old Pueblo. This year, Zac and I are doing the race as a co-ed duo team. We've only been on 5 person teams before. This whole thing was his idea, and he asked me to do it the day after Ironman, which of course I said yes. Never make large decisions after an Ironman. You aren't thinking clearly. I would have married the pizza guy at the finish line if that meant getting hot pizza. I have no idea how or why people choose to propose marriage at such events.

So this week is all about preparing for the race. I have started packing my clothing by placing it in piles so that I don't wear it before the weekend. I have packed almost every pair of bike shorts I own, I have packed all warm clothes that I own, and have packed all rain gear that I own. Weather is not looking sunny for the weekend, so it's best to be prepared for everything.

Tonight I will pick up our packets and review them for any key info I may have missed. Then I'll load the RV with my clothes and start organizing race gear (shoes, helmet, gloves, etc). Later in the week I'll start organizing my nutrition. I'll be using my Ironman mix of Infinit on the bike (with water in the Camelbak) and Spiz for recovery right after. My stomach sometimes likes a bit of solid food to keep from grumbling, so I'll have pre-made PB & honey sandwiches ready. If things get bad, I'll have de-fizzed Coke and Snicker bars. I don't want to pull out those guns unless necessary, so those are in reserve. Of course, if I make it through, I'll eat the Snickers on the last lap because such things shouldn't go to waste. For after the race I have Pringles and pizza or burritos. I always like salt after long endurance events.

I have our laps planned out in a spreadsheet with anticipated times. I'm able to estimate times for Zac and I better than a 5 person team...much fewer variables. Our plan is to double up on laps at night to allow the other person to rest, and to charge batteries for lights. I won't go out fast on the first lap (a mistake teams make each year) and instead hope to remain consistent and solid all the way through. Bigger teams with riders that are only doing 2-3 laps can rip off fast laps right away. But a duo is a real endurance event, and we need to ride it like one. Going 10 minutes faster at the beginning could kill us by the end the next day.

My personal goal is to complete 7 laps. If I'm feeling good and something happens to Zac, I'll keep going to try to reach my goal and let him rest. Really it's like we're doing solo events except that our laps get added together. What happens to Zac doesn't really affect me as much. If he can't continue, no big deal. I'll keep going for as long as I can and rest when I can. And vice versa.