Tempe town lake Dam burst - literally

Hello All,

It is back to training this week and is still a light week. The only explanation that I have is that all of my training thus far this year was to build a solid base and then to peak for Racine. Now that Racine is over, I rest, recover, and start building all over again for the IM in November.

So this week is mostly tests. I had an easy bike ride for an hour on Tuesday with a swim test on Wednesday. This test was warmup, swim 750 yards (30 lengths in a regular pool) as fast as I can. The good news is my time was nearly exacltly what it was the last time I did this test. The bad news is that I didn't get any faster. Oh well, my IM isn't about speed, it is about being able to keep going for up to 17 hours. So tonight I have another bike ride and 30 minutes of strength training after vacation bible school.

Now, a possible problem with IMAZ. The man made lake venue for the swim is Tempe Town Lake. Imaging a dry river (it is the desert) with a section of it dammed using an inflatable rubber bladder system. Well, one of the bladder literally blew up last Thursday draining the 1 billion gallons of water in the lake. No one was hurt, the empty river was able to accomodate all of the water. However, there is no water and and Ironman is not a wade, bike, run. All indications are that they will have it repaired by November 1st and refilled by then giving 21 days before the event. Many people have asked if I am worried but it is silly to worry about what I can not control. My training continues just as if the lake is still intact. They seem to be well aware of the contract with Ironman and working hard to get it done in time for the event. Now, I just work hard, watch, and let the chips fall where they may.

More to come.

Tracy