This is not funny, kids

The good news is that my armrest pads arrived today. My elbows will be smiling on the Eagleman bike leg on Sunday. However, it's likely that everything else will be rather uncomfortable.

Here's a sample of the 37 forecasts that I've checked for Sunday:

Sunday, Jun 8
High: 93 °F RealFeel®: 101 °F
Hot and humid with sunshine; extreme heat can be dangerous for outdoor activities

The hour-by-hour forecast says the heat index will be 101*F at 11:00 am, about the time I hope to begin the run leg. Plus full sun, 8 mph winds, no shade, plenty of windbreaks to stop even that much wind, and broiling hot asphalt to run on.

Oh wonderful.

So everyone will be racing in the same conditions. Let's make the best of it!! If it were easy, everyone would do it, right? This will be a heat management test. Let's work towards earning an "A".

As much as I'd like to break 7 hours in a half Ironman, I'm tossing that goal totally out the window for Sunday. Nope, not pushing it to meet a time goal if it's deadly hot outside. Not happening. I'm not being that foolish. If it happens, great, but not my goal this time around. I'll do my best to race carefully, strong, and sensibly.

Sadly, I'll be leaving my new aero helmet at home for what should have been its inaugural race. I'm going to be dumping water on my head at every water stop and the aero helmet isn't vented as well. I don't want cooked scrambled brains by the end of the day. And I haven't had a chance to put on or test my aero wheel cover so that's staying at home too. Maybe next race.

I'll go for this tiered set of goals:

1. Top ten in my age group (although I have absolutely no control over who else shows up and who else completes the race, this will be a good incentive for me to keep going to the finish line - you can't win if you don't finish).
2. Run instead of walk the majority of the run leg (which for me means a time something under 3:00 - a 14 min/mile pace).
3. Finish upright and ambulatory and maybe even smiling after about ten minutes recovery
4. Stay out of the ambulance and don't race like a d!psh!t
and oh yeah. . . .
5. Have the most fun of anybody on the course