While it's always good to adjust to the time zone as soon we arrive, it's actually easier for us to get to bed a bit earlier so that we can wake-up a bit earlier - similar to our schedule at home on the east coast. With a super early race start on Sunday (6am), I am trying to get to bed around 7:30/8pm so that I can get a restful night of sleep and still wake-up feeling rested. This morning I woke-up around 4:45am after a solid night of sleep. The temperature has been very comfortable during the day and drops slightly in the evening.
After a pre-workout snack (waffles + PB and Canadian Maple Syrup for me and oatmeal for Karel), we drove a few miles down the road to Rainbow Park to swim at Alta Lake (swim venue). Today was a packed day of training - which was good since we needed yesterday to fully recharge, unpack and settle after a long day of travel on Tuesday.
Workout:
10 min warm-up
4 x 30 strokes fast/30 easy
5 min smooth
4 x 60 strokes fast/30 easy
5 min smooth
4 x 30 strokes fast/30 easy
5 min smooth
The water was fresh and clear and the views were incredible. Although a little nippy to get in, the water turned out to be the perfect temperature - not too cold and certainly not too warm. It was around 67 degrees when we swam around 7am. There were small buoys set-up in a line parallel to the shore and each buoy was labeled by 100 meters. I swam to the 1200 meter buoy and then turned around.
After the swim, we drove back to our place, had a quick bite to eat, changed and grabbed our bikes to load in the car. We drove on the bike course (Sea to Sky Hwy) and parked at Brandywine falls park. Our athletes Erick and Gin met us there and we all biked together.
We biked to the Callaghan road climb and did the entire climb to scope out this section of the course. Although a significant part of the course, there is 8000+ feet of elevation gain over 112 miles - with no flat section - so I'd consider every mile significantly important :)
The climb was absolutely beautiful. We rode easy/conversational pace for the 8 miles (1000 feet) to the top. There were a few declines to shake out the legs but overall, it was a nice steady climb - something we are use to living in Greenville (although the roads are much smoother here!).
It took us about 36 minutes to get to the top and a speedy 18 minutes to get to the bottom. The total ride was about 75 minutes with about 1660 feet of elevation gain. Again - we are use to this type of riding living in Greenville but in an Ironman, everything becomes more difficult as you get more fatigued.
I didn't find any of the segments too difficult on the climb. There were a few windy segments on the way down but nothing technical or scary. I think this is going to be my favorite part of the bike course.
After the drive home, we got our run stuff on for a quick jog on the trails. There are so many running paths here, along with mountain biking trails. My run wasn't the best as I was struggling with some tugging in my hip/inside knee from my hip. I tried not to get discourage so I just walked it out and finished with a jog when it eased up. Although I was making some great progress with my pelvis getting back into alignment before we left, I think all of the travel caused me to get back out of whack.
I'm still trying to stay positive but if anything, I'm going to make the most of the swim and bike - in the case that I can't start or finish the run.
As for the rest of the day, we attended the athlete briefing at the expo - which is situated right behind our condo at the Marketplace Lodge. We then checked in to get our packet. Even for my 15th Ironman, I still enjoy the entire process of getting my wrist band and all the "stuff" needed to officially be an Ironman participant. We have been seeing more Trimarnis around the venue which makes me super happy to see so many familiar faces.
After the check-in process, Karel and I walked around the village and checked out some of the local shops. The town is super cute with so much to see and to do. Did I mention how much I love it here?
I am fighting with myself as I want to go to bed right now but I'll try to make it to 7:30pm before I call it a day. Excited to experience another beautiful day in Whistler tomorrow!