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Yesterday we finally left Connecticut for Challenge Atlantic City.  Atlantic City will be my seventh 140.6 triathlon and at this point I feel as if I have the pre-race preparation down cold.  My routine is to lay everything out on the bed to make sure I have everything.  I’ve gotten better at not over packing and have some to realize that I don’t really need *that* much for a 140.6.

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Here’s the list:  2 Coeur Sports tri kits (I have twice forgotten to bring  kit to races, once I borrowed a bathing suit from Mary Eggers and the other time I purchased and wore the ugly Galveston 70.3 race kit), 4 t shirts, 4 pairs of running/lounging shorts, 1 hoodie sweatshirt,  4 sports bras, 5 pairs of socks, 2 bathing suits. a Roka full sleeve wetsuit, a sleeveless wetsuit, googles, swim cap, bike helmet, bike shoes, bike (not pictured), running shoes, visor, hat, sunnies, 5 water bottles, Osmo, Picky Bars, Garmin 910, 500 and heart rate strap, race day nutrition (Power Gels and Honey Stinger chews), race belt (complete with number from Ironman Florida still attached), Moji massager, 3 pairs of pilcro shorts and jammies.

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After getting in a swim yesterday morning Shaun, Eric and I drove down to Atlantic City.  Shaun’s driving tends to make me car sick (he’s a bit aggressive in his turbo WRX) so I drove down with Eric (Eric’s bike in the white Specialized above and our awesome new Sonic Endurance flag).  Shaun rented us a very sweet house in Brigantine, one island up from Atlantic City.  We can see the Borgata hotel from the house but it has a much more laid back beach feel than staying in AC.  Once we got in I was absolutely exhausted but I dragged myself off the couch to do a short bike and run with Eric.

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The terrain here is flat, flat, flat.  And then some more flat.  There is wind.  Lots o wind and near the coast it tends to be variable.  You’ll think you have a steady 15 mph headwind, ok, no problem, and then it will start gusting and swirling.  In the course of a 60 minute ride the wind changed 3 or 4 times.  Then there is the heat and humidity.  Yesterday afternoon it was 90 degrees and humid.  With the super long winter and the fact that I generally train early morning or late night, I’m not used to this weather.  Big reminder that I need to drink, drink, drink all day on Sunday and do my absolute best to keep cool.

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Rather than head into Atlantic City for dinner we stayed on the island and went to a little seafood place.  Hooray for lobster bakes and then headed back to house to get some sleep.  While Eric and Shaun passed out, I had fairly miserable night.  Both my right shoulder and right IT band were super sore and I just felt like crap.  Not a good night.  Waking up this morning just feel crappy, not in any particular sort of way, just crappy.  Goal today is to rest as much as possible, stay cool and drink.  We’re going to get breakfast, check in and check out the expo (I have a $6,000 check that I need to deliver to the Blazeman Foundation from the 1/4 Marathon), drive the bike course, massage and pedicure at the Borgata and then the athlete dinner — ok maybe I have more planned that I should.  Here’s to hoping everything going well and that I wake up tomorrow morning feeling fantastic.

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Kelly Burns Gallagher

mccarter english employment litigator / oiselle team runner / coeur sports triathlete / sonic endurance coach & race director / witsup.com writer / dartmouth '02 / emorylaw '05

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