Sunday 17 May 2009

A joint effort....

 With just six days until this particular road to Kona takes a significant turn in one of two directions H and I find ourselves sitting in the reception area of Club La Santa in Lanzarote with one hour of rather slow internet at our disposal. We're not actually staying in this vastly over-priced Scandinavian Butlins but they do unfortunately have the only wifi within a short drive of our apartment in the beautifully peaceful Famara Bugalows which we booked through the brilliant ZOCO Travel.


With little time available to post we therefore thought we'd write something together, kind of.

Firstly, despite the absence of good quality internet we have found a way to get our race week comings and goings out there several times a day...

We've both started using the social networking sight called 'Twitter' and for the purposes of this week will be posting only through my account - www.twitter.com/tomstraining. We can do it through my phone and have been adding words and pictures three or four times a day. 

The easiest way to follow us is simply to follow the link to the web page...


The slightly more internet savvy amongst you can subscribe to our 'Tweets' via an RSS feed or even join up to Twitter yourselves and at the same time as following us you can get your message out into the world.

ON RACE DAY (23rd May) someone spectating will have my phone and be posting regular (not sure how regular during the bike section) updates in real time through the day, that will probably be the BEST WAY TO FOLLOW OUR PROGRESS. 

There should also be timing and position updates available through www.ironman.com but how accurate or fast these will be I'm not really sure. We'll stick our race numbers (once we have them) up on Twitter later in the week - registration is Wednesday and race briefing is Thursday.

To give you a rough idea of how the next few days will pan out, we've planned something like...

Mon
7.15 swim one lap of the course
1pm run one lap of the run course (5.5k)

Tue
90 minute ride with a few Ironman paced efforts

Wed 
Collect race numbers
7am swim one lap of the course
1pm run one lap of the course

Thur
Race briefing at La Santa
Easy hour on the bike
Easy 45 min run

Fri
Rack bikes
20 min swim

Sat 
Race

Sun 
Celebrate (whatever the result with a well earned beer)
Write next blog :)

Mon 
Get a tan
Fly home

Right, that's my bit so over to H...

Today reminded me just how windy Lanza gets!!  After a ridiculously easy flight, (no delays, no bikes lost or broken, no lost baggage - surely that's a miracle?!) we picked up our hire car and drove to our apartment which is just the most perfect place to be.  Quiet, remote and at the foot of the hills that we ride over on the day.  8hrs kip and an early start this morning to put the bikes together, hit the supermarket and then ride the Northern loop of the course which takes in the steepest climbs up to Haria and Mirador del Rio.  Boy oh boy it was a windy one today, actually when is it never wind?  We both feel so ready and well prepared, it was great to get out and actually do some exercise today. I've also got time to read, unknown for me since I entered this crazy world of trithlon, but I used to devour books and really miss them.  I'v read one already and can't wait to start the next...the joys of the taper :)

As for my photo's of the week I can only apologise, I WILL still be taking a pic each day but the cack internet round here means that I won't be able to upload them until we return on the 26th.  I haven't been able to bring my decent camera, two bikes and the whole host of tri kit has taken up every ounce of space my iphone and point and press will do though :)

Time is running out and we need to publish this before the clock ticks over.  Thanks to everyone who has been sending us good wishes, we'll be needing and using them on the 23rd.  

Follow us every day on Tom's twitter... www.twitter.com/tomstraining

EEEEkk next week when we post the truth will be out there!!!

Cheers .. H & T. x



8 comments:

Mr H said...

Best of luck to you both. I hope you crack it this time

Michelle Simmons said...

Good luck to both of you!!! I hope you impress yourselves out there on Saturday.

My one shot at Kona this year is in 2 weeks... so I'm familiar with the feelings. ;)

Andy said...

Hi guys,

Just wishing you all the best for a great race on Saturday and that hopefully you both make it to the 'big island'!!!

I have been reading your blog for sometime now and it has been pretty inspirational stuff..

A great way to start a working week ;-)

All the best.

Andy Smith

P.S. I had a look at your IMA 07 piccys and spotted my wife in one of them!! She was waiting for me to come out of the medical tent after sometime!!!

Darryl said...

Best of Luck Guys,

Been checking out your blog for a while now; always a good read on a Monday at work with a cuppa.

Hope you you swim/bike/run the perfect race and get a result worthy of your efforts.

I checked out the photos from twitter; Saw the hairpin bends and instantly thought 'I've got to do that'.

Happy Racing!

Darryl (Fellow LBTer)

keep on running said...

Hi Tom and H,

Hope you have the race that you have trained so hard for. I shall be keeping an eye on athlete tracker this weekend.

Best wishes and good luck

Abi

Megan said...

Another regular blog follower. Good luck to both of you.

Megan said...

Another regular blog follower here. Good luck to both of you :)

Tom said...

thanks for all the great comments guys, we're struggling for decent internet access so will have to keep this brief... but thanks :)

just over fourteen hours and the flag drops, looking forward to Sunday's blog entry ;)

T & H