Exit Plan A, Enter Plan B

Tip #6:  Always have a plan B (and C, and D), and criteria to switch between them.  While this normally applies to nutrition and or pacing.  Realize also, that moving from Plan A to Plan B (whatever form they may take) should also have criteria to possibly enable you to get back to plan A.  That really can happen.

In my case, this has nothing to do with nutrition or pacing.

Ironman will not allow me to take my iPhone with me on the race course.  Use of the GoPro camera that my father brought out for me to put on my bike is also dubious, but I'll find out more today.  Sadly, this means I will be unable to provide a photo gallery of my race.  I can understand the need to deny racers earphones (riding with earphones on suggests the pursuit of a Darwin Award, if you ask me), but a camera?

Well, further consideration this morning brought me the understanding that having "participants" stop to take pictures along the way would potentially cause issues for actual racers.  I remind myself that I hope to be in the mix with the some of the top female and the older male age groupers.  And beyond that, many (if not most) of those who don't find themselves in the top of their age group will be racing themselves.  

Ultimately, that waits for us all - participant and racer alike.  2.4miles of swimming, 112 very difficult miles of cycling (the hardest of the world-wide Ironman circuit), and 26.2 miles of oceanside
running - all in the sun and the wind - will do that to a person.  It would not only be irresponsible, but reprehensible of me to interfere in their race - regardless of my own "ambitions" for the day.

So.  Enter Plan B:  I am now looking to win my division.  No, not the M40-44 age group, but the LV-LI division ("Low Volume - Low Intensity").  Yes, I just made that up.  I suspect the competition will be anything but fierce - if for no other reason than "competing" will blow anyone in the division up before the end of the day. 

I am inspired once again.  Go Team Turtle!

Hope to see you on the other side.

Here is a look at the bike profile after the ocean swim.  Metric, so elevation in meteres (top line = 600m, or about 1850ft); distance in km (180km = 112 miles)

But it is beautiful (near the summit of Mirador del Rio):

Finally, youtube link to the descent (from someone else):

http://youtu.be/q8Dpn_z1uhU