pre IMCOZ 2014 - in which the norte does not defeat us

such a boring title but it was a very laid back race this year with only Jamie on course (extended family back in the US and kids not interested to come to Cozumel this year) and honestly I didn't even enter the event until 2 weeks out.  i am not planning to skip over the past few months and hope to catch up on that but already it has been a week since the event and if i'm going to learn anything from it i need to get it out before i forget all of it.  this, being my 4th IM distance and entering it only 2 weeks before the event, maybe i took it too lightly.  i know i was much better prepared than last year (1 month post typhoid) and the year before that (norovirus) but this year I had planned a No Excuses race.  i had been faster in all 3 events all year and really thought I had 13 hours in the bag.  or under.  under would have been GREAT.

but it turns out you actually need to TRAIN for an IM.  who knew?

i went into the HIM in September lightly trained - i've been doing very well on the bike all year and had that mentally checked off all year long.  even after having to take July off, even after missing out September (the month of quinceañeas) i felt i had the bike in the bag.  and as it turns out, i did.  the swim was a question but not that much of a concern since they changed the route to a float and the run...well that was a question.  i have been targeting an IM at the end of January as my IM and had only 3 runs of 15km or more BUT i had taken a full minute off my average time per kilometer.  and i thought that just might get me through.  basically i was looking at IMCOZ to be a teaching moment an experiment in nutrition and pretty much a PR in the bag.  No excuses this year.  i was healthy and pretty well trained.

so race week ended up being during a norte.  not such a cold one as we've had recently but i was worried that it would burn off and we'd be back to normal weather after weeks of nortes and i'd be completely not acclimated to the newly warm weather.  but that didn't happen.  so yay going into race day.  jamie and i stayed at a hotel this time and remembered why we don't stay in hotels.  :)  we've gotten used to always being in a house, me having a room to go to in order to work and having a whole kitchen at our disposal.  while the hotel was lovely and romantic, we both decided it is back to houses for us.  i can't remember the last time we were in a hotel - has to be the last time we were in the USA, so at least 5 years ago or more.  maybe we're just getting old and crotchety.

however, for a hotel, it was quite nice.  we were at the top of the hotel on teh 3rd floor the first few nights and then for the last night moved to the top floor.   we had amazing views and lots of wind to keep us cool at night (since jamie rivals a heater regardless of temperature in bed).  we had balconies on both sides but honestly never used them.  we did enjoy a TV though (since we don't have one at home) but really missed the noise of an AC as it seems we've become adjusted to white noise all night and the dogs and roosters made the first few nights of sleep, well, sorely lacking in that department.  i'm not sure i can remember a worse night of sleep.

but, we had free breakfast (eggs, empanadas, pan dulce, fruit, horrifically awful coffee, etc.)  Jamie MaGuyver'd a coffee filter from a plastic water bottle, we got filters from our car (which had been left on Cozumel in September) and with hottish water from the water dispenser we were back in coffee heaven, and at our disposal.  and life was good.  life was sweet.  life IS coffee.  but i'm getting ahead of myself.


since we had left the car (van) in Cozumel in September (even before the HIM, I KNOW!!! CRAZEEE!!!) we both took the passenger ferry over.  i headed over after the girls got out of school and Jamie came over after their horse lessons.

i'm not sure we'll ever take the passenger ferry again.  the seas were rough enough that he experienced marineros (no clue why they didn't take their own boat) spewing all over the cargo hold they were sardined into (by then the ferries must have been PACKED) and my seat mates were on their phones (to their loved ones in the event they didn't make it?) telling them about the "ferry de terror" (which i think translates in any language).  once i got off the ferry i made it about a meter away from the dancing gangplank, laid down on the ground and waited.  and i wasn't alone.  Jamie had a similar adventure but by darkness we were both enjoying our room in the hotel and the luxury of Tee Vee.