Rianman and I went to Madison this past weekend so Rianman could partake in WIBA...a weekend of training on the Ironman Wisconsin routes. This post is recap of the weekend. I'm hoping Rianman will be a guest author and give his own recap. You can also check out other recaps at tri.robbyb.com, Ironwil and Steve in a Speedo?! (funny to read and there are some group photos).
Friday
We left KC Friday morning at 4 am (!) so Rianman could get in a 56-mile bike ride before the 5pm registration. Well work got in the way and instead of riding, he worked from the hotel. At 4:45pm we walked from the Hilton to Gino's for the registration and so I could drop off the cowbell keychains as part of the swag for WIBA participants. We met RobbyB and Ironwil (organizers); Rianman registered and I helped stuff the keychains into water bottles along with red and white WIBA 2008 rubber bracelets (think Live Strong). Unfortunately Rianman couldn't stay for dinner and the presentation because of last minute conference calls. I went to Fitchburg to meet my MIL and SIL who drove in from Illinois--girls night. Later Friday, Rianman and I met up and got all his gear ready for the morning. (Tip: fill the sink with ice and use it to keep water bottles cold till morning--works great.)
Saturday
The plan for Saturday was swim in the morning then ride the course and finish with a short run. Let me say that on Saturday morning when Rianman got up at 5 am...I was asleep. While he swam in Lake Mendota (venue change due to high bacteria levels in Lake Monona), I slept. Around 9 am Rianman came back to the hotel after the swim so he could get the bike. I needed the car Saturday so I had to drop him off at Olin Park to start the bike course with other WIBAers (is that a word?)
Here's a group picture before the ride...Rianman is in yellow jersey on the right.
While Rianman was out riding 112 miles...I was in Delafield (about an hour east of Madison) having a wonderful visit with friends. At about 2:45 pm terrible storms came through the region with high winds, hail, and rain. I was sure the WIBA crew were going to be hurtin'. I returned to Madison, but not before hitting the outlet mall in Johnson Creek (I have my priorities). I had planned to meet my MIL that afternoon, but she stayed in Illinois due to the storms.
I got back to Madison and Rianman soon returned to the hotel having done the entire 112 mile route. He said he had a great ride and rode with a great group of people including Kat, Kerrie, and Val. (Note: he rode the whole time with girls!) He said he was feeling pretty good and was really glad he did the whole route cause the 2nd loop was tougher giving him respect for the course but also confidence that he could do it. He did struggle with the food issue...just gels and liquids for that long is not working for him. He'll try to get some solid foods in during long rides to test it out.
Saturday night was a group dinner at The Great Dane. I wasn't planning on going but Rianman said the "bell lady" should be there. Apparently, I was being called the "bell lady". As long as I'm not called the "CRAZY Bell Lady", I'm okay. Anyway...we went to The Great Dane, but after awhile Rianman was just wanting something bland...like rice as his stomach was not doing well after the long day. So we didn't partake in the group dinner and I didn't get to meet the ladies Rianman rode with.
Sunday
On Sunday morning, the WIBA plan is to run at 7:30 am for 2 hours. Again, Rianman woke up at 5 am and I slept. Again, while Rianman was running, I was sleeping. You can sort of see how the weekend went for me. I spent the morning sitting at the Monona Terrace overlooking the lake and reading. It was perfect. A little respite before the long ride home. At 10:00 or so Rianman got back and we got ready to leave. We planned to go to the final WIBA event, a talk at Endurance House. It would also be an opportunity for me to meet some of the people he met. But the fates were not on our side. We left the hotel at 11 am and thought we were going to Endurance House, but we actually we were going the wrong way. By the time we got turned around it was 11:30 and we just decided to head out home. With an 8 hour drive ahead of us, we just needed to get moving.
So was it worth it???
"Heck yeah," says Rianman. Kudos to RobbyB, Ironwil, and Evotri for organizing a great weekend. Rianman needed to ride and run the route and get his bearings on the venue...where the transitions are, what to expect, etc. He did that, got great information, feels much more comfortable and confident (thanks to Rob, Sarah, and Ann). A big plus for him: he met some very nice people and he hopes to see them on September 7th.

It's the 70.3 that wasn't. Rianman found this modified logo (citation anyone?)






