Wednesday In Placid

The Bruneaus are here and the boys are all in heaven. There is fishing to be done and woods to play in, not to mention their cool toys that they are orienting Luc to. He's in his own version of heaven.

Placid on Wednesday is wonderful. A handful of triathletes were in Mirror Lake this morning where I swam sans wetsuit..... I wish all triathlons were no wetsuit swims! The water is perfect. I took the time to stop in the middle of the Lake and just feel. You are surrounded by trees and mountains.

I like to feel my way through Ironman Lake Placid, not think. The more I can stay out of the space between my ears the better. When I learned how to surf I was actually taught blindfolded. The instructor taught me to learn to feel the waves. He said you don't learn to surf by looking, analyzing and then standing on the board. You feel the water begin to rise, you begin to paddle with the water and you feel the moment when you stand on the board.

This course is the same way. Get stuck in your head and risk blowing it all. Stay in tune with yourself, your plan, feel the hills rise and fall and feel yourself gliding. Feel the energy of the amazing people here..... I have been coming here for so long I know just about everyone by name.

This afternoon we watched the skiers at the Olympic Training Center. These young folks learn how to ski jump and complete Aral maneuvers by skiing down a jump and somersaulting into a pool. I noticed how their coach coached them. Jump from your heart.... he would say..... stay within yourself.

I took that lesson with me. I have worked hard to make my Ironman as brainless as possible. From my outfit to my nutrition to my beeping watch every 15 minutes to wattage goals and running pace. Simple simple simple. Designed to keep me from thinking, calculating, etc. Staying within myself to clear the way to the finish line.

I picked up my bike at High Peaks Cyclery this morning and eyed my shiny new 11-26 cassette. I glued my tires on and made a mess, but they're on and the valves are tight. A quick spin today confirmed that this wheel issue is now over. Tomorrow I will ride the out and back of the bike course which hold plenty of hills to check gearing, brakes, cornering, tires and most importantly shifting.

As the other triathletes begin to arrive our time in town grows less and less. Right now the boys are sword fighting in the backyard. The sound of wind blowing through the trees is complimented by a lawnmower in the distance. We are close to town but far away enough to be secluded.

As my mind turns back to those ski jumpers who fearlessly flew through the air today.... I shall aim for the same thing on Sunday. Moving from within myself, fearlessly, out of the space between my ears, nothin but net.