The bracelet

I got my Ironman bracelet today. The bracelet is one of those plastic hospital ID bands, the kind you can't remove without cutting. It's bright green and has my race number written on it with a Sharpie. It's my official race ID from now until after the awards ceremony. I'm sitting here staring at it. Part of me can't believe that I'm here, in Taupo, New Zealand, 6000 miles from home and less than forty hours away from the Ironman New Zealand starting gun. And the other part of me thinks, of course I'm here, it's only natural; I've been preparing for months and it's time to go.

So far everything has gone smoothly. My bike arrived safely, on time, intact (thanks for the box, Leishia!). But I'm still pretty nervous.

We've spent the week relaxing, doing short workouts, and enjoying Taupo's bizarre weather -- from monsoon rains to sunny and hot. The town is very laid-back even when it's swarming with triathletes. It's a cool place to be. But being on vacation gives me a lot of time to think about being nervous. I'm not worried about being prepared to finish the race; I'm more concerned about something happening before 7am Saturday, like getting sick. I know it's irrational, but those of you who race marathons and other long distances are probably nodding your heads in understanding.

There are people running and biking up and down the streets and swimming in the lake all day long. (I even saw a couple of people out jogging at 10pm Tuesday night.) It's kind of cool to be part of it all. There's a lot for the competitors to do -- it's not like a regular triathlon where you just show up and pick up your number. We have to get our bikes and helmets inspected, register, weigh in (they also weigh us after the race to determine our hydration levels), turn in our bikes, and pack our transition bags and turn them in. Then there's the pasta party, the women's breakfast, the pre-race briefing, the "Parade of Nations" and several seminars. Incidentally, there are only 267 women out of 1343 total competitors -- not quite 20 percent.

Today we took a Huka Jet ride. Someone in NZ invented this boat that can go 50mph in four inches of water. We zoomed around the bright turquoise Waikato River, howling as the boat barely missed hitting canyon walls and trees. We were going so fast it was more like flying over the water. And we got very wet. It was great fun, and it took my mind off the race. A good scream was just what I needed to let off some tension.

-Ariel