Test, test...

7 days out from Ironman Western Australia and I can't help contain the excitement (with a bit of anxiety). And I'm sure I'm not the only one!

For Thursday's swim session, I did the warmup with my Ironman Instinct wetsuit. Swimming with it didn't require much getting used to. It was putting it on and taking it off which was the problem. Would probably try it again next week for another swim session and practise taking it off. Otherwise whatever time savings from the wetsuit swim will be wasted in a slow transition.

Saturday's bike ride was meant to be a short 80km distance. But as I had to cut short last week's ride due to bee sting, I decided to do another 120km ride. Probably shouldn't have done such a long distance, but I reckon I have enough time to recover before the race. I tried out the Spiuk Krono helmet again, this time with a haircut, it didn't feel as hot as the last time.

Also, I had my 80mm clinchers. And the winds were pretty fierce this morning, blowing at 25kph, which was a good test to see whether I would be able to handle the front wheel with such winds (could be stronger) in Busselton. It took me a while to get used to them. The last time I rode with them was four months ago at Port Dickson triathlon. I was hesitant to go down on my aerobars, especially in narrow paths. But soon got the hang of it, and I'm now confident I would be able to use them at Busselton.

I was overly cautious around the corners and the downslopes. The last thing I wanted was to have a crash just a week before the race. My average speed for the 120km distance was 28.5kph. Not great, but given the strong winds and I'm not meant to kill my legs, pretty happy with the result.

Throughout the ride, I met many on triathlon bikes, most likely doing their last few miles before the big race. We exchanged nods of acknowledgement, which gave me some sort of cosy feeling of togetherness. After the ride, I practised mounting the bike with the shoes clipped on, with rubber bands to keep the shoes in place. I should have done this long ago! Made it so much easier!

Li-Ann is away in India for a conference followed by a workshop. My poor darling have been down with fever and purging since Friday (she only arrived on Thursday). And somehow, I'm unable to get through to her mobile, and she's unable to get online. Text messages are our only way of communication for the moment. She has seen a doctor though and was given antibiotics. She did say she was feeling better. So I'm slightly more relieved.