The Ironman Adventure: Day 1

Today marks the first of a 5 day quest to become an Ironman. Today was all about traveling from SoCal to the Idaho and organizing all of my stuff. The day began with a mad dash in the morning to hit stores for last minute items. Then I left Orange County around noon and arrived in Seattle around 2:45pm. I had a few hour layover to get something to eat and chill in the new terminal. That terminal is awesome! A huge wall of glass with the Olympic Mountains and Mt. Ranier as your backdrop. Not to mention how green everything looked.

Then came the flight from Seattle to Spokane, WA, the nearest airport to Coeur d'Alene, Idaho, which is where I would be racing on Sunday. Landing in Spokane was surreal, sort of a semi-flashback to a phenomenal snowboarding trip to Canada more than 1 year ago. Same prop airplane as last time, complete with free microbrew tastings! It was a local Portland brew and it was good.

Got the rental car and hit I-90 heading east to Coeur d'Alene. (I'm already tired of typing that out...from here on out, it's CDA.) Ok, so the first thing I notice is Spokane rush hour at 6pm, or lack thereof! I mean this was the first time in a while I was cool with chillin' at 60 mph on the freeway! No one was in a hurry and the views of the surrounding landscape was incredible. Next stop, Liberty Lake, Washington, which is where I will call home for 4 nights. (CDA was way too expensive and Liberty Lake is only a 10-15 min drive away.)

Hotel room and mock staging area for a few nights. Great room and lots of space for everything.

So I have to say, I was expecting Liberty Lake to be a small little town with not much more than a lake, a dock, a lodgy hotel (where I would be staying), and a liquor store. To my great surprise, Liberty Lake is a cool place! Two grocery stores nearby, a bar, Spokane River, a sky that won't quit, and some of the friendliest and most welcoming folk. My hotel, the Cedars Inn, was nothing short of perfect. It's always a chance to just make a reservation for some unknown hotel, but the Cedars Inn at Liberty Lake did not disappoint! While checking in, the following amenities were offered: free wi-fi, free in room coffee maker (outstanding for the future 3:30am race day wake up), jacuzzi, tons of room, and free continental breakfast! All for a 1/3 the price of CDA...I know, that's my Scottish side coming out.

My own little grocery store... Energy for the warm-ups and race day. Notice the Calvin-inspired Hostess Apple Pie and Cindy's Killer Cookies!

After a totally chill 20 min jog with Jeana and Jake (who arrived not long after me...by car), I cleaned the bike off and cruised around looking for some dinner. Randomly tried a place called Hay J's Bistro. If you're ever in the Spokane Valley area, check it out. The bartender and waitresses were very friendly and the food was phenomenal. This is sort of a sick vacation right? So I had a great glass of Columbia River Valley wine (Desert Wind Merlot) and an awesome dish of seared Ahi with garlic mashed potatoes, all soaking in an incredible peanut type sauce. Awesome.

After that, hit the grocery store for a cheap cooler and supplies and now back at the hotel to hit the sack. I can't believe it's almost 11pm already, the sun seemed to have gone down only an hour or so ago!

Yes, I'm getting antsy and anxious. Tomorrow will be a fun-filled day with my first visit to CDA and the venue, a quick swim in the likely frigid lake, a chill road ride, and a drive to check out the course. Athlete mandatory dinner to follow in the evening. My goal is to write a blog each day of this adventure, even when I get home from the race (I say that now). Thanks to all for the support and well wishes. Pictures will be coming on the next entries. Good night!