TRANSITION, THE BIKE AND YOU PUT WHAT WHERE?!?

Transition is pretty much what it sounds like.  It is where you transition from one sport to another.  My first trip to transition will be after the swim and before the bike.  After getting stripped of my wetsuit I will drape it over my arm and proceed to run about a quarter mile down the road to the transition area.  For Ironman Lake Placid that will be in a white tent in the middle of the Olympic Speed Skating oval.  Thankfully it is in a tent because there is quite a bit of nudity and other things going on that the general public just doesn't need to see.  I honestly don't know why anyone would volunteer in this area because you could quite possibly be scarred for life. Thankfully however people DO volunteer and one of them will hand me a bag that I dropped off prior holding whatever it is I need to get on my bike and ride.  That will be bike shorts, socks

My bike on its winter home...the trainer.  I LOVE my bike!!!!

helmet, sunglasses and bike shoes.  Now settle down there kids....I know I didn't mention a shirt.  I promise I will be wearing one.  It will be under my wetsuit so I will have it on already.  You see the goal is to get out of transition as fast as you can because the clock is ticking.  In other races I can manage to get out of this first transition in around 2:30 mins.  However that is because I was wearing tri shorts so I didn't have to try to pull a pair of bike shorts onto my wet legs. Tri shorts are like bike shorts but they have a lighter chamois in them.  A chamois is that thing in bike shorts that makes it bearable to sit a size 8 ass on a size 2 bike seat for any extended period of time.  Tri short chamois' don't absorb water so you aren't biking and running feeling like you have a diaper on.  But this is an Ironman people.  This is 112 miles on a bike.  My ass needs more padding than that so I choose to wear bike shorts which means I will be putting them on in the tent.  For us slow age group athletes long transition times are fairly common.  I mean really...what is 10 mins when you are going to be on the course for 14-17 hrs!!!!  I would rather be comfortable and have everything when I leave there.  Another thing I will be putting on in transition is this

A girl's best friend on the bike!!!

Yep you are correct.......I am a fan of products called Body Glide and Hoo Ha Ride Glide.  I mean really...how could you not be with names like these.  Body glide goes on the chamois and the other stuff on me.  All in attempt to prevent uncomfortable chafing.  In order to keep it PG I will leave it at that.  All dressed and ready to go I will run out of the tent and hop on my bike which will be a lot easier to find since most people will have already left while I was still splashing around in the lake.

Dude....where's my bike????

Next up...the nitty gritty of the bike.  Oh yeah...make sure you check out my Ironbuddy Kerry's blog too!!!  Link is above.