8:06 p.m. and All's Well

Walking home from dinner tonight I looked at my watch and the time read 8:06 p.m. -- exactly 12 hours before the start of my heat tomorrow morning. A sign or just a coincidence? Either way, I am relaxed and ready to get some sleep.

My brother Jon, sister-in-law Betty and nephews Alex and Brandon joined us in Santa Rosa today. Having them here has been great. Something about having my big brother around has helped me relax. We all went to dinner together tonight at Syrah Bistro and I had a wonderful Montana Legend Ribeye steak, a little wine and lots of bread and beans (protein and carbs!).

Earlier today we went to Windsor High School to register and attend a pre-race meeting. It was all a little overwhelming as I observed hundreds of extremely fit triathletes walking around and listened to the race referees talk about giving penalties for drafting, blocking and illegal positioning! I've never participated in a triathlon of this magnitude before and it's a little intimidating!

After registration we drove to Guerneville to survey the race start at Johnson's Beach on the Russian River and drove part of the bike route to get a feel for the lay of the land. It's going to be an awesome ride. The river is a lot muddier than I expected. At least as muddy, if not more so, than the lakes we used to swim in around Kansas City. But the good news is that the current doesn't seem too swift.

After getting back to the hotel form Guerneville I finally got my bike reassembled. Thankfully I had all the parts and could figure out where they go. I waited way too late in the day to get that done. The one thing I can't do without is my bike! If anything had gone wrong I'd have had to scratch the race. But it's all good and now I'm off to bed. I'll be up at 5:00, leave the hotel by 6:00, arrive at the start no later than 7:00, get my bike ready, swim gear on, get in the water and be ready to rock at 8:06.

This is my final post until I cross the finish line. Until then...

Daren