“We both know that you are on the edge of age group greatness … but this is not the race to test your limits. This is the race to test everything out for IronMan. Next year, we’ll plan some races with race plans that are all about getting to that edge. Oliver is not about boundaries, it’s about pulling out a good performance knowing that you’ve gone half the distance of IronMan.” – Coach Drew

This advice is awesome. It takes the pressure off for Oliver. I know that I’ve got a huge break through performance just waiting to happen. I’m really excited about my new level of fitness and I know that nobody has really seen what I’m capable of yet. Even I don’t know where those boundaries are. I’m confident and I do really feel like I’m “on the edge of greatness.” That said, this weekend is all about preparing for IronMan. So Oliver is not going to be the race to reveal my A-game, but I’m confident that it’s going to be a good day.

The race plan for Oliver is as follows. Treat the day as a practice day for IronMan. Go balls out in the swim, try to get in the thick of the start to see what the IronMan swim start will feel like. Observe your heart race for the swim. For the bike, don’t get caught up in racing. Aim for low 160s HR (10bpm lower then race HR in BareBones), adjust hydration plan (learning from Barebones – I need to be drinking every 10min or more often), watch salt intake, think about biking the IronMan course – it’s all about pacing. For the run, keep cool, really pay attention to the heat. If necessary, slow down and watch the heat.

My goal is to better my half iron time from last year in Victoria (a slighty shorter race course). I was looking at last year’s results from Oliver and if I break 5:30, I could place in my age category. 5:30 and smiling the whole way – that’s my goal.