Friday, 22 June 2012

Day 1: Mont Tremblant Half Ironman


Change of clothes. Check.

Swim goggles. Check.

Bike and helmet. Check.

Running shoes and socks. Check.

More nervous than my first University exam. Double Check.


  I left Ottawa just shortly after 7pm Thursday evening after a long day of preparation for an eventful weekend.  I believe that I may have checked my bags 20 times before I left just to make sure I was not missing anything.  Before leaving for my 2 hours venture to Mont Tremblant, I had to stop and pick up my first ever wetsuit.  Thanks to the guys at Fresh Air Experience located in the heart of Westboro, they hooked me up with a great wetsuit for an even better rental deal.

  If you have ever driven through Quebec, you will probably agree with me when I say that the landscape makes for a gorgeous drive.  The mountainous environments, rock face cliffs, and forests littering both sides of the highway truly make the drive an all-encompassing experience.  Personally, I would love to live in such a scenic location.  The winding roads with multiple rolling hills would make an training session a memorable one.

  As I neared the village of Tremblant, I became overwhelmed with a powerful emotion.  It was the greatest high I had ever felt. It was this sense of belonging, this sense of the past 170 days of waiting and training has now come down to 3.  In less than 72 hours, I would be joining thousands of people at the starting line to tackle 70.3 miles.  I can even pinpoint the exact time that this overwhelming feeling struck me
– It was when I passed a sign saying ‘June 24th – Half Ironman; Cyclists in training’.  It was nightfall when I started driving along the sole road into Mont Tremblant, but I could see all the reflective M dot logos.  They lined the street signs for what seemed to be forever.  And as I got nearer to my place of residence for the weekend, I saw the crews placing pylons along the side of the road in preparation to the event.
  
  This felt so surreal.  If anyone can recall, just over a year ago I had completed my first 5km race.  In less than 72 hours I would be attempting to complete over 22 times the distance with three different forms of locomotion.  As a friend kindly put it:

“You are going from weekend warrior to Ironman in record time…You are in the big leagues.”
              
  I finally packed it in at 11:30pm after settling in and unloading my van of all my supplies for the weekend.  Tomorrow I will be doing a bike ride along the suggested course and then check out the Ironman Village.

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