IMNZ: Practice Swims & Checking out the Bike Route
March 18th, 2011 § Leave a Comment
The Swim
The weather was fine in Lake Taupo. To prepare for the race, we made two practice swims at 7am in the morning over two days. The ambient temperature hovered around 12 degrees in the morning, and ironically, the water felt warmer than the ambient air temperature.
Like my first Ironman in IMWA, I experienced dizziness during my first swim. Not used to the cold temperature, I was breathless and had difficulty finding a good rhythm. When the cold water went into my ear, it stung and hurt my head. Remembering what I went through at IMWA, I calmed down, treaded water and swum one practice loop slowly. I felt better during the second practice swim the next day and was fine on the day of the race.
I loved the fact that Bonita (race sponsor for bananas) had a banana stand at the practice swim site. Volunteers with big smiles handed out free bananas to all swimmers, and it was a welcome snack after a cold swim. Horleys (the sponsored isotonic drink) also had a stand next to Bonita. Swimmers congregated around these stands. Words of encouragement and warm hugs from the Kiwis made participants feel welcome. If only the local races in Singapore had such great support from the sponsors too (Singaporeans would know what I’m referring to here.)
The Bike
We changed into our riding gear after the swim. We were blessed with sunny weather on our check out ride. In fact, it was the only day where we saw the sun. The skies were blue and we were met with endless roads and rolling hills. I enjoyed the ride thoroughly. The skies became cloudy over the subsequent days, and there was intermittent drizzle. In fact, the weather report was that it would rain heavily on race day. 
Regrettably, the beautiful weather didn’t last and it poured on race day, and we had to brave the elements. Isn’t that what an Ironman is all about?
This slideshow requires JavaScript.
