And the Race Begins... Lying in bed on Friday night, I listened to the sound of raindrops hitting the roof of my homestay. After a week of tapering, I was rested and enjoying my last few hours of calm. Around midnight, I dozed off and woke up at 3AM to start my normal IM preps. My superhost, Sandy, gave me a drive down to the start area. By 5:30 I was numbered, prepped and my bike was ready to go. A light rain was falling, but the temperature wasn't too bad. The forecast had been jumping around a bit in the last 24 hours and I had made a decision to race in my tropical race kit. Sheltering under a tree from the rain, I was a little nervous about being able to make it through the bike without freezing. I decided to wear a synthetic undershirt for the swim and bike - it made all the difference. About the time they started playing Cat Stevens over the PA, I made a decision to head down to the waterfront. It's five-minute walk, 10 if you are nervous and take the wrong way! My heart was chugging and I felt ready to go. I ran into some buddies on the way down and talking to them relaxed me a little. Soon I was in the water warming up as the day slowly brightened. I was right at the front and noticed two packs of pros, one group off to the right and the other off to the left. I didn't have the confidence to place myself in the middle of the melee and opted to stay put. Boom! A blast from an army cannon started our day. Experience helps at an IM swim and I felt pretty good. I didn't think I was pushing too hard, but then I missed a breath and nearly swallowed my tongue! Panic, hyperventilation, fear - they all swept over me. About that time, the pace eased just enough for me to regain my composure and realize that we were flying up the course. I was behind a group that was five abreast. The draft was awesome, my tongue was back in my mouth, and I was feeling pretty comfortable. Just as I settled in, I realized that the group two body lengths in front of us was pulling away. Sitting behind my lead out men, all I could do was watch as the bunch eased away. Six more months and I might be able to catch that train!