Welcome to Coeur d'Alene

I'm here and I'm checked in, wearing my blue wristband. Everyone in Coeur d'Alene knows what that wristband means. Being a bit self-conscious (a bit?), I wonder if I'm one of those of whom people say, "He's an Ironman racer?" I know I've said that about a guy or gal or two I've seen today. They come in all sizes and shapes. Well, not really. In fact, mostly they come in amazing shape. The woman in front of me at check-in was slim and fit and had thighs that reminded me of the trunk of the 100-year-old oak we had in our backyard in Napa.

The picture above: That's the row where my bike will reside from Saturday until I grab it after the swim on Sunday. Still plenty of time for changes, but the forecasters seem more confident than ever that if it isn't a damp transition area at the start of the bike it will be by the time I roll back in six hours or so later. The current forecast:

Sunday: A chance of showers, then showers likely and possibly a thunderstorm after 11am. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 66. Chance of precipitation is 70%.

Given how much I dislike riding in the rain, I'm surprised that I'm not freaking out at the prospect of a cool, wet day. Honestly, I find myself barely caring. It's not like the Ironman bike is some kind of joy ride to begin with. It's satisfying, sure, but satisfying in that you're pushing yourself hard for six hours and fighting through all kinds of stuff. It's hardly comfortable. And it's not like my daredevil descending and cornering will be curtailed; I'm a total wus already. Anyway, eventually we'll move onto the run and running in a cool summer rain sounds just fine to me.