Love River Tri Prep

I am SUPER excited for my first triathlon tomorrow morning. Lauren and I are taking the bus to Kaoshiung (高雄）around noon to meet up with Tommy Chen, with whom we will be staying. I always hear bad things about Love River (愛河). Wikipedia says that 4 months out of the year, one can find feces in the water. Can I bring a snorkel? The last thing I want in my mouth when I'm gasping for air is second-hand broccoli beef and rice. Sorry for the visual.

My throat is still hurting and I still have lots of presents come up when I cough. A little cough and sore throat won't stop me. My body has been itching to train but I had to take it easy to let myself recover. I still went on two little runs, a swim, and a few rides.

2/29 - A mile run for PE. Yes I still have PE at 24-years old @5:51.

3/1 - An easy 5k to keep my legs obedient @ 25:26.

3/2 - A short 500m swim to make sure one last time that my gear is working and comfy.

Everyday - 10km bike sprint to and from Feng Chia University. I set my record this week with 11 minutes (one direction with lights... kinda). 

I've always been a checklist kind of guy. I guess it's the OCD in me. Almost every tips/advice blog says that checklists are key for triathlon preparation. 

This is what they sent me in the mail. I can only read a little Chinese and there was a lot of new vocabulary in this. Luckily, I have my friend Pita to read to me. If she reads it out loud then I can understand. 

Here's my gear minus the bike and my numbers. Weather is unpredictable, so I'm bringing my long tripants and trishorts. 

Tripants/trishorts. Neoprene shirt if the water is a little nippy. Blue running/riding top. Two pairs of goggles. Swim cap. Shoes for run and bike. 2 bottles. Nike Sportband. Cough pills. Socks. Towel. Deoderant (why?). Helmet. Wrenches. Pump and hose. Extra tube. Camera (represented by the lens cap). iPhone. 

Not pictured is my bike, a change of clothes for the way home, and my beautiful wife.

The black Nike Free Run 2's were my first running shoe since... elementary school probably. I was so cool in Jr. High and High School that I ran in skater shoes or Converse. My wife bought them for me in August and now I have over 420 miles on them. These orange ones were on sale so I picked them up for next season. My blackies still have a lot of life in them though.