Day 2 – Saturday
Did you miss Ironman Cozumel Race Review Day 1 (Fri)?
– Click here to read Day 1 (Fri)
As I woke up the day before my second Ironman event, I almost couldn’t believe that it was happening already. You put so much time and effort into these events, that when it’s actually near the time to compete, it’s almost surreal. On this pre-race day of Ironman Cozumel, I would be checking my bike into transition 1 (or T1) and moving to a hotel on the island of Cozumel.
We were still staying at the Rosewood resort in Playa del Carmen, which meant that we’d have to make the boat trip back to Cozumel, this time with our bikes in tow. Although we’d done this ferry ride many times, this felt a little different because we were hearing rumors of past IronMan events where bikes being transported on the ferry were sliding off and into the water during the trip…
With a little trepidation about the ferry ride, I was ready to head out after putting the last few touches on my bike . We rode from our rooms to the entrance of the resort to grab a large SUV taxi. With a little finesse the bikes were placed into the SUV and we were off to the ferry.
At the ferry there were many other Ironman Cozumel competitors who were heading over to the island to check in their bikes. Because we had the bikes, we were able to cut the line and be the first to get on the ferry. Rather than having a ferry worker place our bikes in a secure place on the ferry, they just pointed us to the very front of the ferry (which was completely open to the elements). If you’ve read about my previous Cozumel ferry rides then you know that this can be a pretty bumpy ride, and I was placing my bike outside on the deck! One of the ferry crew tried to get me to simply lean my bike against the front railing of the ferry. Looking down into the clear green water (just on the other side of the rail), I tried to secure my bike against the railing. Feeling uncomfortable about this, I decided to wait for the ferry worker to help someone else and then promptly moved my bike further back against the slope of the passenger area (see picture below). This seemed much safer than against the front railing, but I was still a little worried. Uncertain of my bike’s fate, I headed to the passenger area and took a seat in the front row of the interior seating area so I’d be the first to get back out to my bike when we arrived at Cozumel.
During the ferry ride, things seemed pretty calm-until about half way to Cozumel. Suddenly the front of the ferry started catching air off the waves and slamming down into the water! I kept thinking, “Please let my bike not fly over the edge of the ferry. It would be fine for the ride back, but not on the ride over.”
We got to Cozumel and rushed back out to the front of the ferry to find that none of the bikes had ended up in the drink–thank goodness! As an interesting note: those doing the Ironman were allowed to skip the security bag search when getting off the ferry. This was a full bag inspection that was completely ignored if you had a bike, or anything else that distinguished you as an Ironman competitor. #Craziness!
Because it was a little harder to get a taxi large enough for our bikes on Cozumel, and the bike check-in was only about a 10 minute drive from the ferry dock, we mounted up and rode to the bike check-in (Chankanaab). This was a great idea because we got to feel what the course was going to be like–and it felt FAST!
The check-in was chaos! Bikes and people scrambling every which way. We double and triple checked that everything on the bikes and transition bags was ready for the race before heading into the check-in area. After finally feeling good about our set ups, we crossed the line into the ‘Competitors Only’ area. Right after crossing the line, we were marked with black sharpies. The race volunteer wrote our race numbers on our arms. From there we checked in our bikes. This consisted of putting them on the racks aligned with our race numbers, so we would be able to find and grab them quickly after completing the 2.4 mile swim on race day. I hung my bike on the tack by the saddle and went looking for the swim area, where they were writing our numbers on our legs. Why this wasn’t done when our arms were marked up, I don’t know… Everything was now ready to go, and the only thing left to do was feed!
We left the bike check-in area and grabbed a taxi to our new hotel, which was only a few minutes down the road from the race start/bike check-in. My room was freaking amazing, with a hammock and ocean view! Oh, and an outdoor shower! I chilled out in the hammock for a few minutes before dinner. After we ate I drank my first Ensure to get extra calories. Can you say, “YUCK”?! Strawberry Ensure is not a tasty treat. While choking down the Ensure, I prepped my bike water bottles with Hammer Perpetuem and Nuun for the next day: Six water bottles in total with 300-600 calories per bottle. After getting my bottles ready I decided to experience the outdoor shower and to rinse off before taking my leg shaving bath. The outdoor show was pretty sweet, and although it took a long time, the leg shaving went very smoothly–No cuts! I’m getting good!
It was now time to chill out and then get some sleep. I usually don’t sleep well the night before my big events, but for Ironman Canada, and this race, I fell right to sleep. I had set my alarm for 1am and 4am. The 1am alarm was to get up and drink another Ensure. This time the chocolate Ensure went down a little easier.
Only 3 hours of sleep left until race day…. Stay tuned! If you enjoyed this post please click the LIKE button below. Thanks!
