Last minute triathlon advice

Yesterday, I asked the members of TRI-DRS for their last-minute advice before the Big Race Day. Here is just a small sampling of the many gems they offered, based on years of hard-won experience. What a priceless bunch!

• Wear sunscreen.
• Don't leave your timing chip in the car, especially when its 10 miles from the start of the race.
• Don't forget the timing chip (happened to me on a marathon, and then I set a new PR by 8 minutes...)
• Don't leave your drink bottles in the fridge.
• Do not allow your dog to bite you on the hand the day before the race.
• The wetsuit zipper should be at your back.
• Or your helmet. Don't put it on backwards, I mean!
• Check for open gel packs in the helmet PRIOR to putting it on. Helps keep the vision clear during the race.
• She who has the most fun, wins!
• Just keep moving. And check out all the hottie boys during.
• If you can't smile, you're pushing too hard.
• The first tune you hear in the morning will be in your head all day. Choose it wisely.
• You are not as fat as you imagine.
• Drowning? In a wetsuit, things must go very, very wrong for that to happen. I'd say it is more likely that you'll be hit by a lightning.
• There is no reason to be nervous. A race is not a test, it is a reward for the endless hours of training you've done.
• Be Flexible: as in adapt to whatever the day delivers. Nothing is as bad as it seems and everything is better than you realize!!
• At some point in the race, things will get hard. That's not a bad thing; in fact, deep down, most people are looking for that point. Approach it slowly & back off, or push right through it ... but just remember, it's supposed to be hard, so accept it when it comes and then deal with it how you choose ... ease back, ignore, accept & push more. It's your choice.

Thank you so much, people, I do appreciate all your kind words and support! Special thanks go out to Rick Smith, who took the time to send me a very reassuring item-by-item analysis of my whole list of worries, and to pro triathlete Tara Norton, who sent me a kind "good luck" email while still recovering from the injuries that keep her out of Eagleman. Any other last-minute words of wisdom for me?