Pre-Race Weekend Update

Since I only have a few minute before I have to head to bed, this will be mostly a pictorial.  First swim wave is at 6:00AM – YIKES!.  Which means I’m up at something like 4AM.  Ugh!

Friday:

Went down to registration/expo and got checked in.  Good thing I went Friday, cause Saturday it looked like a multi-hour nightmare if you had to pickup your packet.

Before though we went over to the Historic Italian district and got some incredible food.  Woot!

Afterwards, we headed back to the house (I’m staying with family up here) and played whiffleball in the backyard.  It’s serious business up here on this side of the family.  Following that it was time to get the bike out and go for a quick 30 minute journey.  Rhode Islands a great place – always water nearby.

Given all the ‘activity’, I worked up an appetite.  The only solution: A BIG ASS PIZZA!

(A local pizza places’ 28” pizza.  My cute cousins Julia and Alex, and my dad)

While the pizza was great – the dessert was even better.  You see, my Aunt (and Uncle) are both incredible cooks.  But she even writes about her cooking.  She made a pie out of fresh berries.  Unreal – incredible.  You can read about the pie here (from her blog).  She has tons of great food posted daily (and yes, I got to eat it daily).

(Her photos are much prettier than mine.  These were just quick treats – but incredible.)

Saturday:

This morning I woke up at 5:30AM to get a triple-brick done (Swim, Bike, Run) at the local beach.  A short 15 minute session in each sport.  The local beach is actually part of a local park, which has a 3mile running loop as well as roads for cycling.  As a kid my grandma had a house up against the back of the park.  Awesome summer playground!

(Here’s the small little inlet I small across – at 6AM, over to the side and back.  Everything so peaceful then.)

Then it was down to do some clam digging and harvest some mussels for this evenings dinner.

(Looking for the clams I am)

(Julia was my courier of clams – from me to the clam bucket a few dozen yards away.  She’s my new best pal!)

(Picking mussels from the waters edge…and trying not to fall in)

After that I had to drop off my bike at the beach (T1), and then drop off my running shoes in Providence (56 miles away - T2).  The details of that I’m saving for tomorrow…

(Looking down to the beach, from about 1/3rd of the way up T1 – it’s a long run)

(The bike, sitting all alone in transition)

(The run course ends downtown – right at the State House in Providence)

After all that, it was back to the house for a massive amount of cooking.  I honestly have no idea how many dishes were made.  Maybe 10, 12, who knows.  TONS OF FOOD.  All incredible stuff.

(Mussels I made (and harvested), in a Coriander broth)

(An amazing Paella that my uncle made – Lobster, Clams, Mussels, Rice, Shrimp, good stuff!  The shell fish we dug this morning)

With that – I’m off to bed.  I’m number 1598 – and trackable on the Ironman.com site (from about 7AM till about 12PM EST).

See ya!