Year in Review!

I'm done with my Triathlon season for 2016.

2015 Medal Count

I suppose it's going to be a mini wrap around season (more on that later) but I finished racing triathlons in July. I finished up with the Twin Cities Marathon in early October. I have been resting since then.

I didn't do any race reports this year, I probably should have. It was my best season so far. Not because of my places - I placed in more races last year - but because of my overall fitness. I came into the season after my January vacation without doing any biking or swimming over the holidays. I did get a Garmin Forerunner 920XT, so that got me out running the day after Christmas, but I only ran a mile to make sure my watch worked properly and I had to go outside to set the time because it uses GPS for everything. I highly recommend this watch. I have to give my uncle Marvin some credit, he works for Garmin so we got the family discount.

Races completed
Cardiff Kook 5k - my local annual run, motivation to start running with a group - I joined the LetsgoRun group - great local group with some amazing runners and awesome Coach Cindy. Check out the instagram and facebook pages. @letsgorungroup

The Desert Triathlon - Olympic distance this was a super windy race, my time was horrific, like starting from scratch, but I know I can do better - I think this was my worst time ever at this competition, three years running.

Spring Sprint - San Diego race, always a fun time - this was my first race with my Tri Bike (it worked!) I had a great bike time this day on an updated course - lots of turns and not at Fiesta Island.

Girls on the GO half marathon - No crowd support whatsoever - not recommending this race. It's run in a non populated area of San Diego - they literally had to clear the homeless people off the course before we could start.

The OC triathlon - Olympic distance - this was a very challenging course, I have never walked in any triathlon until this day. The run is a BEAR! I was happy with my swim time and the bike course was beautiful. You learn something in every race. In this race I learned not to look around during the swim. I was forced to focus on myself because the race started in very dense fog - there was nothing to see except legs under the water.

The San Diego International Triathlon - I've done this course before, this year I was fully prepared. I lost 2 of 3 water bottles on the course this year, but I have always been told to take extras. I lose something on every course, but usually it's just gels, this was no exception. I was super happy with my results and ready for my 'A' race.

Jonkoping 70.3 - Half Ironman distance in Sweden! It was a great race. They had fantastic crowd support for the entire bike leg. No cars on the roads. I guess in other countries they can close traffic to several towns and since no one could leave their homes all they could do was cheer for us. I got extra cheering since I looked different from everyone else on the course. It was super motivating. This is a highly recommended race. I improved on my 70.3 time from last year by 24 minutes! My swim was slower, but I crushed the bike portion and the run time was really good. I learned that I can travel with a bike and it's not the end of the world. You have to work around the fees, but it all worked out for me. My advice is not to use a lock on the hard case. They never bothered to open mine. My friend used a lock, they opened hers both ways and actually lost a bolt on the way home (thank goodness it wasn't lost on the way to the race)

Twin Cities Marathon - Loved It! I don't think I'll be doing another marathon until I hit my next age milestone. It makes me think qualifying for Boston is possible. I finished in 4:02.51, I don't know that I want to do Boston, I may want to try for NYC. There's always the lottery. The marathon was really hard, but I stayed with it mentally, I just lost it a little bit on the physical side, not for lack of trying.

That's my year in review. I do plan on completing a sprint in Palm Springs in 3 weeks. This race will be with my hubby. He has been on a health kick for about 6 months now. He has stopped eating glutens and has lost about 25 pounds. His joints are much improved and he can run again. The nutrition talk is for another blog, but this will be more a fun run for me since I am not in any specific training for this race, plus our pool closes in a week for about 6 weeks. We'll be swimming in the ocean or at another outdoor pool where we have to pay.

I believe in taking a break after the season is over. I am usually mentally burnt out and I don't want to exercise every day. I have enjoyed my break this year and I have been swimming occasionally. I might need a massage because something in my leg hasn't been right since the marathon, but I'll get that sorted out soon.

Do you take a break after your 'A' race?
Do you plan on improving year over year, or does age factor in?
Why do you race? I have just recently learned that people race for different reasons. Not all of them positive.

I'd love to hear your thoughts!

One step forward, Two steps back

Spring Sprint 2014

My group and I participated in the Spring Sprint in Mission Bay, San Diego last weekend. I don't know how to describe my performance at this last competition, I am happy that I completed the race. I knew that my legs didn't have any spring in them at the running portion of the race, but I have been training for a few months now and I felt like I should have improved over the last time I competed on this course. Maybe they changed the course and it wasn't all about me.

At this race, the group arrived super early, the transition area wasn't even open when we parked. I opted to just stay in the car until the line of bikes dissipated. We got our transition areas situated. No fighting over spaces on the rack this time, thank goodness. The super competitive people must have been going to half IM and IM races. Then we hung out for an hour. I didn't get to drink my smoothie. The top wasn't secure and I spilled half of it right under the rack, it kind of ruined my appetite and then there was smoothie all over my hands and the ground. We covered it with a plastic bag so that others could place their things on top of it. I am not sure why it spilled there, because it wasn't really near my bike and I wasn't moving my stuff at that stage in the game. This could be the key to my poor performance, I didn't really have much breakfast.

I ate a banana right before they closed the transition area off to all competitors. The swim was pretty non-eventful, for once, until I got out of the water. I felt like I couldn't see well, but I ignored it this time trying to focus on swimming while I was in the water. I was actually with my group when we exited to transition. That was a first for me and it felt good. Unfortunately the whole way I was hitting another woman and when she moved to my other side, I still continued to hit her. We must have been swimming exactly the same pace, she couldn't pass me and I couldn't pass her. When I got out of the water, I realized that I couldn't see out of my right eye. I stayed calm. I got to transition and looked in my goggles. My contact was in there. This time I didn't fool around with my goggles at all, so there was a chance that it wasn't lost. I put my contact back in, ate a gel and went about my business. My transition time was terrible. One of the worst times in the race, but at least I could see.

I started the bike thinking that I had a flat tire. I was so angry. It turned out that I didn't have a flat, I just worried about it the whole way. The bike portion was only 10 miles, so I just kept hoping that I would make it through. I took one quick drink during the bike and someone passed me that shouldn't have, so I didn't take any more drinks. That could have been another mistake. I'm not sure.

I made it back to T2 and quickly changed into my shoes. That transition was much better. One of the best ones in my wave. I started running and my legs felt tired. I only took a quick sip of my drink this time. I didn't take a gel like I should have, probably another mistake. I tried to run as fast as I could, but I knew it wasn't fast but I focussed on passing people the whole way, as usual. I had no idea how fast I was going since I don't wear a watch. That's something else I need to change. I will get a watch for my birthday, even if I have to get it for myself.

Courtesy of Limugirl

At the end of the run, I sprinted the last 100 meters. It felt good and I had a lot of support that day, including all of the Herev people. It was my first time wearing the Tri kit and it felt good. The firefighter was there along with his sister, her husband and a close friend of mine came to cheer me on. We went to brunch, I took a long nap and we had a great afternoon.

Post Race Smiles

Overall, I can't be overly happy with my time. There were plenty of people with slower bikes and runs that beat me because of the long first transition. I am pledging to go to masters swim twice a week to work on my swimming and I need to do a little more running practice. I am in decent shape on the bike. My next goal is to be in the top half of my age group. I missed it by 2 spots this time. So close...
The next race on the schedule is the San Diego International on June 29. I have 8 weeks to train for that. More running and swimming for me.

Lessons learned: Nutrition is important before and during the race, don't mess with the goggles too much, and get a watch.

Desert Triathlon - was it a success?

I completed the Desert Triathlon in Palm Springs, CA a few weekends ago. It was my first International distance triathlon and it was a good weekend, the weather was beautiful, my husband was there and I met a lot of cool people. Successful? I don't know, it all depends on your definition of success. Did I complete the competition? Yes. Did I meet my time goal? Almost. Compared to last year when I had my first DNF, this was obviously better. I am in much better condition than I was at this point last year and I learned a lot from the weekend. As you can see, my training group has dwindled, but we are spirited! We'll get to lessons learned later on.

Let's review the race. This International distance race had a 3/4 mile swim, a 24 mile bike, and a 10k run. The open water swim was in a shallow, man-made lake, there were no waves except from the other competitors. My wave was pretty large, the entire field of women 40-49 started in the same wave. I have no desire to get to the front of any swimming wave, so I let the real competitors take it out at the start. I was slow and steady, I started to feel good after about 500m. My sighting was excellent, I stayed right on line with all of the buoys, so I didn't swim any extra distance. The only issue with swimming close to the buoys is that when the men's waves caught up to me, they just swam over me, especially when they were trying to get back to the correct side of the buoys. I just sat up for a split second and let them pass. This was my first swim where I didn't have to stop to take a breath to look around and gather myself, I felt pretty confident. The other tricky spot was the end of the swim where everyone sees the finish and starts to swim faster. I just maintained my pace, so it was a little unnerving trying to get to T1. The first transition was difficult for me. I was able to get everything off while I was running to my bike, except for my wetsuit. I finally had to sit down to get the wetsuit off over my timing chip. I hate sitting down in a transition. Anyway, I finally got the suit off and everything else on for the bike and I had a gel and some water/gatorade. The bike started off smoothly, my right foot was asleep, but I am not sure if it was because the water was cold or if it just didn't want to cooperate - it didn't really affect me at that point. Apparently, I had my bike in the correct gear. The start was on a steep uphill and I saw a guy almost fall down. People didn't have shoes on and others couldn't use their pedals properly. This must have been a stroke of luck for me, I even passed a few people who promptly passed me once they got going. The bike route was very flat, it was two loops in a valley near the lake. I was able to drink water without slowing down too much and I ate about half of my shot blocks. I was also comfortable enough to get down in my aero bars for about 1/3 of the distance. I didn't think that would be possible because I knew that there could be cars on the route and I am not super steady in my aero bars yet. I passed a few people, but I got passed by many more. There were a couple of large groups that went by me, there was no way for me to keep up with them. T2 was a lot easier, very routine. I drank some gatorade, had another gel and I was on my way. My right foot was still asleep, but I was just moving forward at that point. My plan was to pace myself for the first half of the run and then just run as fast as I could the second loop. The plan worked, my regained the feeling in my foot and I was passing runners the entire way.  I got passed by one person in the last quarter mile, but that wasn't so bad in the big scheme. I felt good the entire race and I finished with a smile.

What did I learn? I used the information that I learned from so many mentors in the last year. Get your good night's sleep the night before the night before the race. I stayed up watching a movie the night before. It didn't matter since I didn't sleep anyway. Make sure your nutrition is on point. We ate lots of carbs the 2 days before the race. Learn how to hydrate, this was important since this race was in the desert. We hydrated too much, thus being unable to sleep the night before - constantly getting up to urinate was not cool. I was up going to the bathroom 4-5 times. Consume calories during the race - either eat them or drink them. I was able to consume the gels and a cliff bar, so I did well. I know that I need to start breathing on both sides during the swim - my sighting was good, but my neck was sore from constantly looking in the same direction. The other thing I learned was that if you hydrate and consume calories during the race it is a lot easier to recover. It was taking me 2-3 days to recover from the sprints that I competed in previously - this one, I was fine the next day. Also it seemed like the international distance was less of an impact on my body since it was longer. I definitely paced myself. I found that in the sprints I am going all out the entire race. I wasn't all that sore after this race. Lastly, relax and have fun!

The end results weren't exactly what I wanted, but I know what I need to do in terms of training. My goal was 3 hours. I finished in 3:00:15. I want to get to where I can finish in the top half of my age group. Apparently, as I increase in race distance, the competition gets even harder. I need to work at it. The next few weeks I'll be deciding what to focus on for the next several months. It might get serious about master swim, or I might concentrate on training for a half marathon, there are lots of races in Southern California so I won't be hurting for opportunities. We'll see.

What do you consider a success when it comes to competitions?

The Dreaded Brick Workout!

     I am trying to take my triathlon results to the next level, with a goal of not being at the back of the pack in my age group.  Part of that is challenging myself in workouts.  I have gotten very comfortable working out by myself and I need to push myself more.  I have been taking some spin classes, but they aren't always challenging and I prefer to exercise outdoors.  Every once in a while I will go running with the Firefighter, which is always fun when he wants to run the same distance - we really push each other for the last couple hundred meters, the rivalry has become an obvious one so that other people on the beach start cheering at us.  I have been reluctant to join one of the local running groups, I am not sure why - surely there is someone running my pace that I can also talk to during the run.  My training has been going well this year and I need to step it up if I don't want to be last in my age group.  This past weekend I completed a 'Brick' workout.  This is a triathlon training exercise where you perform two of the  three disciplines consecutively.  I did the bike/run portion.  This is the worst!  I have dreaded it so much that I have never done a brick workout - ever.  When you complete your first triathlon and you haven't done this for practice you will know what I am describing.

     When you get off of your bike, you feel good because you are off of the bike, but once you start to run, your legs feel like jelly or something, the feeling is actually very hard to describe.  This is totally disconcerting if the run is your strength.  Hello!  You can't move and it's not that you are out of breath, your legs just don't work right, but you keep moving because if you don't you will never finish the race (and you are half delirious at this point anyway). I think at this point in the race you are running on pure adrenalin anyway.

     After being laid up with a cold or the flu or something that has lasted for about 10 days, I could finally breathe freely so I decided to once and for all to do the brick workout.  The weather was fine - as it always is here in San Diego - and I have a morning where I am not doing anything else.  I made myself some bacon for breakfast and got ready.  I packed my Camelbak, prepared my bike, and set out my running shoes.  My goal was to find out how it felt after riding the 12 miles of the sprint triathlon.  I rode 12 miles down and back on Coast Highway and changed my shoes, drank some water and took a Gu all in 3 minutes. That's a pretty good transition speed, especially with running up and down the stairs to the house and looking at the dogs for a quick second.

     Once I started the run, I felt awful, just like in a race, but I knew that I needed to do this.  I decided to do a short run of about 2 miles.  I ran down to Moonlight beach and back and an extra time around the block.  It felt super slow, but I know that mentally it will help me in the long run.  Maybe I will do this another time, to augment my training.

     The next challenge is the Master's swim class.  I know it will be another adventure, it was the first time!  More to come on that in the near future.

What kinds of workouts do you find the most challenging?

What do I do now?

Once you have pushed yourself to the limit and enjoyed it, you have to decide what to do next.  Do you continue to push yourself or is it time for a break?  Typically, I only work out for the first six months of the year, but this year, I have decided to continue to train.  I have had a set back for the last 2 weeks with some unscheduled travel, but I am ready to get back to it.  I need to put some miles on the new bike.  Some considerations for selecting the next race include: Race distance, proximity to home, and the race date.

Race distance is critical.  In a triathlon, you don't just look at the total distance, you have to look at the distance for each discipline.  You must train to make sure that you can cover the race distance.  If you are a weak swimmer, like me, you might want to focus on shorter swim distances or even races that are conducted in a pool.  My first triathlons were competed in a pool.  One of my nightmares has always been drowning behind the pack of swimmers and no one noticing me going under.  The Ironman distance is a huge time commitment and is for someone who has several hours a day, every day to train.  This distances are a 2.4 mile swim, 112 mile bike, and it closes with a marathon distance run of 26.2 miles.  The officials give up to 17 hours to complete the entire race.  The next common distance is the Olympic distance race of a 1500m swim, 40k bike and 10k run.  These first two distances are standard.  There are also half Ironman races, you can do the math.  The sprint and super sprint distances vary.  Typical sprint triathlons have a 1/4 mile to 1/2 mile swim, a 9-14 mile bike and a 3-5 mile run.  You can select which race you want to perform based on your favorite or best discipline.  There are also races that are performed 'backwards' starting with the run, followed by the bike and lastly the swim.  Make sure you take a look at the race map, river and lake/pond swims are different than pool swims, which are different than open water ocean swims.  Make sure you are prepared for whichever swim your race is.  For ocean swims, I highly recommend attending a clinic if you aren't familiar with ocean swimming techniques.  You will also want to find out if it is an open swim or a wave start.

Where is the race going to occur?  I loved the Encinitas Triathlon because I could walk there.  I didn't need to get up a 5:00 am, I didn't need to stress about parking or traffic or hotel arrangements, and I was totally familiar with the race course.  I had done all three activities on the actual race course during my training.  I can assure you that this next race won't be as comfortable.  How far are you willing to travel to a race?  Do you want to combine it with a long weekend trip, or an actual vacation?

When do you want to do your next race?  The answer is different for everyone.  Some people bounce back right away, others need more time to recover.  There is a triathlon season and it is during the summer, so holidays and vacations may disrupt training and eliminate some races from the potential pool.  I did find a December race in Palm Springs, so maybe that's a possibility.  That's too far away for me to think about now.  It took me about 2 weeks to recover from the sprint triathlon, of course, if I was in better shape, that time would be reduced greatly.  Currently, I am looking at late July and August races.  My travel for work and family is up in the air right now, so we'll see.  I use these websites to look for races, trifind and beginner triathlete.

What else would you consider to help choose your next race?

What did I learn?

Hello, I made a few minor changes to the page.  Notice some of my favorite blogs and my friends' blogs to the right, along with the snazzy artwork at the top.  Enjoy.

I am happy that I completed the triathlon, but what did I learn?  Should I continue to work out?  Should I sign up for another race?  I can look back on this experience with some pride, the last time I participated in a triathlon was 6 years and 2 age brackets ago!  I was also participating in a beginning triathlon series, the Riverwood Golf and Athletic club triathlon.  Such a different atmosphere - I forgot that I live in the triathlon epicenter of the United States.  These people in San Diego are serious!  The clothes, the bikes, the attitudes.  Even the parents participating with their own children were totally competitive.  And, I forgot to mention that one of the women that I met the morning of the race pretty much only befriended me so that she would know that she was going to beat someone.

Anyhow, a few days have passed and I can now reflect on everything that happened with some clarity of mind and a satisfied stomach.  I have been starving the past 4 days and have eaten everything that I have come across, I finally feel like I have my normal appetite back.  It helps that I have now seen the results, look if you dare, they are not that exciting.  Scroll all the way down and then keep going!  Upon first glance, I was really happy with my swim, it was exactly the same time that I get in the pool and a lot faster than my first real ocean swim from a few weeks ago.  I was expecting to take about 40 minutes, since I completed it in less than 24 minutes, I was very pleased.  To my amazement (not really), I had the transition area to myself.  I was second to last out of the water, I spent a ton of time changing out of my wetsuit, more than 5 minutes.  The pros spent less than a minute, maybe they didn't wear a wetsuit, I can't remember all I know is that the transition time included running up the monster hill taking off my wetsuit, drinking a lot of water and putting on my socks, shoes, glasses and helmet.

My bike ride was super slow.  58 minutes on a basically flat course for 12 miles is terrible.  I didn't like the two loops, but it allows for maximum family and fan participation.  They get to see you twice.  In most races, the spectators only get to see the athletes during transition and at the finish line.  My second transition was much faster, I still had to put on my number, but I could do that and move at the same time.  My transition time was less that 2 minutes, phew...

My run was ok.  I wish it was faster, but I guess after 1 1/2 hours of activity, I guess I couldn't expect to run 8 minute miles.  Again, I didn't like the 2 loops, it made the 3 miles feel more like 10 miles, but it did allow for maximum community participation.  Running Skirts handed out electrolyte drinks, that were so good that  I slowed down for a sip both times past their store.  I'll do better next time.

Lessons learned include:
1. Meet people before the race.  I never realized how solitary this sport is until I tried it.  No one is the same pace as you  in all 3 events, so you are constantly passing people and getting passed.  It is nice to run into new friends on the course, especially if you don't have friends present for support.
2. Swim like you mean it.  Not too much talking and hugging.  Also, it helps if you get your goggles set before the race.
3. Get your numbers together before the race.  I probably should have one of those triathlon straps or I should have attached my running number to my suit before the swim.  I don't think it would have hurt to have it on under my wet suit.
4. Know where to exit for each stage.  I got lost between the bike and the run.  I could have saved a few seconds there.
5. Get a road bike.  I have a mountain bike now.  I think it will cut minutes off of my time easily.
6. Be happy and thankful that I was able to complete a goal.

Completed the Encinitas Sprint Triathlon!

Hello!
I finished the race!  I'll consider it a success because I am alive.
After publishing the pre-race regimen, which did include a valiant attempt at brushing all 3 dogs (they were not happy, but Loki looks good), I realized that I forgot all about putting socks in the bag.


So, the rest of the preparations for the race included:
1. Hoping I could fall asleep, there was some kind of party down the street, I wasn't sure if the noise would end at 11:00pm or 3:00am. Didn't they know that I needed to wake up at 5:10?  Somehow I fell asleep.
2. Obsessing over every little injury and pain.  I had a flossing incident last night.  Not a good excuse for poor performance, but it is something that can be focused on in times of distress.
3. Packing socks (very important)
4. Preparing a pre-race smoothie that included oranges, peaches, blueberries, strawberries, Emergen-C, and, of course, oatmeal
5. Walking to the race site.  I got a little nervous, so I rode part of the way.  

When I got to the transition area so many people looked totally competitive with their super fantastic looking bikes and shiny triathlon suits (even the rest of my age group).  My suit is at least 7 years old.  At my age I am wondering why the tops are not long enough to cover one's stomach.  At least I have a nice wet suit.  I met a couple of people while waiting for the start, drinking my smoothie.  Unfortunately, I forgot to throw away a peach pit and it ended up in the blender, so I was trying to discretely spit bits out until I decided to just throw it away.


When it was 3 minutes to the starting time, 7:20 for my wave, I immediately found a swim buddy.  Matthew from Down Under or somewhere.  It may amaze you, but I was unable to have a full conversation with him in 2 minutes.  I just told him that I was not afraid of the waves and that his job was to steer me in the right direction and to stay where I could see him.  He said to run to the right and then start swimming.  I told him that I can run. :)  Then a friend of his, who was also a swim buddy, said that she just got out of the water after the ungodly time of 20 minutes!  I chuckled and told him that we would be lucky to get out in 35-40 minutes.  I am sure that made his day.  Anyway, I only had to duck 2 waves and it was pretty smooth sailing, I ignored the lifeguards warily watching me and staying within a few feet of me.  When the next wave of competitors caught up to me, my buddy steered them around me.  No one even touched me!  I was mentally prepared to get kicked and hit at least once.  Actually, I hit Matthew in the face at some point in the race.  I apologized profusely.  How embarrassing!  At the end, he told me when I could touch the bottom and stand up.  Once my feet touched the sand, I gave him a hug, thanked him and started walking/jogging up the monster hill to the transition area while removing my swim cap, goggles and wet suit.  Part 1 over.


I got to the transition area and I had a very pleasant surprise.  All of the other bikes were gone, so I had all the space to myself.  No one was stepping on or around me or complaining that there is not enough space.  I drank some water, fully removed my wet suit, put my socks, shoes, sunglasses and helmet on and proceeded to the mounting area.  I have a mountain bike, so I know I am slow, but geez.  When people are whizzing past you with the velodrome bikes and Olympic speed track helmets, it's pretty intimidating. 
 I got passed by tons of people with nice bikes, no one with a mountain bike or beach cruiser (yes, there were a few participants with these) passed me, thank goodness.  I don't think any kids passed me, but I am sure they were right there.  2 loops later I finished.  Part 2 over.


Once I got back to the transition area, I still had to put on my bib number.  Amazingly, my hands were working, so it only took a couple of seconds.  I couldn't find the place to exit for the run -  Note for next time...I had to ask someone who was finished where it was.  I was able to run, usually your legs are like jelly after the bike, but this time I didn't feel weird, just slow.  I started running and it was ok, but the sun decided to come out and I could feel myself sweating.  I passed a few people (men and women) in this leg, but there were women in the 45+ age group in front of me at this stage. A couple of kids passed me, but I just assumed they were in the super sprint.  People were cheering and handing out water, which I took full advantage of in this race.  2 loops later, after the longest 5k ever, I finished!  The announcer said my name and everything.  I got a participant's medal and some water and went to my bike and sat down.  My friend Cheryl was on the way and I went down to the beach to meet her.


I want to thank everyone for the awesome support. I finished in under 2 hours, that was my goal.  The official results have not been posted yet, but I think the swim was my best leg.

Moonlight Beach - with my participant medal

I have been really tired all day, but Cheryl and I went to a bottomless Mimosa brunch that helped to replenish my energy and we walked back from town.


Overall, it was a great experience.
Next time - what I learned from this triathlon and some details of my results.

Pre-race regimen

Hello,
This is my practice blog.  I am preparing to complete a sprint triathlon on Sunday, May 20.  My first in about 6 years!  The Encinitas Triathlon has a 750m ocean swim, a 20k bike and a 5k run.  My pre-race regimen consists of:
1.  Walking down the beach to the Encinitas sport expo, picking up my packet and avoiding the waves on the walk back.
2. Brushing my beautiful dogs (boy do they need it)!

 

3. Eating a good lunch and a good dinner.  (my nutrition habits are not the best)
4. Checking out my bike
5. Packing my bag for an early start tomorrow. Goggles, towels, helmet, extra clothes and flipflops
6. Praying for safety and health