It's Showtime

Take a theatre company, or an orchestra. They practice a piece of music everyday. They ensure that each note is played to perfection, ensuring the audience is presented with a flawless performance. Their environment is consistent. No variables, but the humans that belt out the notes, crescendoing at the conclusion with a triumphant finale.

The issue with triathlons is that our sheet music ever changes. Our environment is anything but consistent. The bodies of water we swim in are dynamic. The roads we ride on sometimes rough and unsure. However, the weather we practice in is always different. We try to find the right type to mimic what we would receive on race day. Coeur D'Alene is renowned for it's choppy cold waters and brisk weather. Not this year! That sheet music has been emblazoned a few octaves higher and forecasts suggest we could be playing in the 105 degree area. We have trained in all types of environments this year. Wind, rain, cold and lack of directional sense. However, nothing we could have done would ready us for this weeks forecast. And quite frankly nothing we still can do, but prepare and be dynamic. Adaptable and cautious. As one of my friends has stated. Forget being quick. Forget performing well. Embrace that you're attending a hot party and manage the day as best you can.

The good news is that the pressure is off. No one expects anyone to finish in temperatures such as these. It will be another climb on the way to this elusive prize. The key in this environment is to let the others fuck it up. Pace yourself, take on fluids like it's a new fashion trend and survive, not race. Let the others fall away as you benefit from your slow pacing and gentle running. I would be surprised if they shorten a portion of the race. High 90's is one thing, but north of 100 could even push their limits of tolerance.

We shall see. It's out of our hands now. All we can do is show up and do our best with what we have been given. No doubt there will be an interesting race report to follow.

Good luck to us all!