all marked up and ready to roll

well, this will be the proof in the pudding.  Tomorrow will be my first repeat triathlon.  Last year this was my very first triathlon and I hope I've learned some things in the last year.  For example, remember my goggles (forgot them last year), put a full water bottle on the bike (last year I totally blanked the concept of providing myself water and came off the bike rather dehydrated) and have fun.  Fun part is easy.  I really love this one even though it is a sprint and each leg is just about what it takes for me to warm up, I LOVE the swim upriver.  We start on a beach, swim out to sea and the UPCURRENT to the end of swim.  It is total madness in the river and casualties everywhere as it is somewhat difficult at the end of the swim to swim against a solid current.  Which I guess, is what makes it so fun.  Swim is longer than most sprints at 750 m, so I'll get almost warmed up.

Entrega de paquetes was "interesting" today.  Jamie accompanied me and it is a good thing he's not racing tomorrow as he was so stressed out.  First, FMI has yet to assign me a number or put me in their database but I brought my comprobante from the deposit and the FMTRI guys admitted that I was definitely enrolled and they'd just deal with the computer issues on their end.  Then at package pickup they could NOT find my name, apparently because (lacking a 2nd last name) the folks who put my name into the event database decided I must be loco not using my 2nd last name (which I do not have unlike a proper Mexican) so they just gave me one (unbeknownst to me) and changed my name a bit to boot.  So instead of Kathleen Smith, they gave me Lea Smita Kata and I have to say that is the Most Unique bastardization of my name I've EVER seen.  Jamie had smoke coming out his ears by then.



So then I get my paquete, my shirt and look for my bike number (as we turn bikes in today) and nope, no bike number.  Jamie is about ready to blow but I'm nonplussed.  The volunteer apologizes profusely and says not to worry, I'm one of 3 without bike numbers (how spayshull!) and they'll have something for me tomorrow.  Okeydokey.  I go to get marked and ingress my bike and Jamie is having a coronary that my bike has no number.  I just hold up my run number for the picture (here you always have yourself and your bike photographed before dropping at T1) and told him to wait in the shade.

So now I just have to decide what to wear.  I really like to be able to change but that ain't gonna happen in a sprint, so I'm actually thinking of my swimsuit under my tri shorts.  Should work, right?  And I'm also 4/4 in something new on race day with a new saddle (only 2 rides on it so far) but I love to thumb my nose at tradition.  Nothing new on race day, I say HA!  Should be a fun race.  I expect to win my AG and would like to get into the 1:15 time group (take off 11 min) but I'm not sure that will be possible in such a short race, so I suppose I should just be happy with any time off.  This poor lady to the left had 2 kids.  Husband had one sleeping kid and his bike and she had the other one.