Hmm, well it has been going well for me here in Subic. I feel like I am getting stronger, and faster, and enjoying the training. So perfect time to leave, with good memories of my first training camp with team TBB. It has been a while since my last blog, and even longer since I arrived here in February. And now it is almost time to leave.
But of course first a few thoughts about the past little while. My original roomies Abi and Lucie both left to race ironman and kick butt. Both had super races, so it gives me lots of positive encouragement heading into my own Ironman next week. I was not originally going to do IM China, but after a late night track session a few weeks ago the Boss decided that I had been training well enough, and suddenly I was on the China start list. Of course that meant heaving to get a Visa to travel there, and sort out some flights. Getting the Visa entailed going into town for some passport photos. I biked into town, showed up in a jersey, sweaty, my hair plastered to my head, probably with bike grease all over since I don’t clean my bike as often as I should. Usually for passport photos there are all sort of rules and guidelines, colour of background, no smiling, your ears must be visible… very strict, it is an official document. So when I got my photo’s 20 minutes later I had to laugh since I barely recognized the person in the photo. It kind of looked like me, but wearing a red blouse with a pointy collar, and black blazer from the 80’s, and the hair was definitely smoothed out. My first digitally retouched photo, I wonder if magazine models even have to get dressed in the morning, or if everything is added after the fact.
The second part of getting the China Visa involved going into Manila, about a 3 hour drive each way, for an interview. So Zack, Keegan, Scott and I spent the entire day sitting in a van, to have a 3 minute interview. The highlight was when Zack tried to find out if we were going to the area in China were the women beach volleyball players train. Yet they still approved our Visa’s and we are allowed to enter the country.
Scott and a sleepy Zack, staying patient outside the Chinese Embassy in Manilla.
Now back to some stories about Donna and LC, my new roomates. I have some photos of Donna that I will probably be assassinated for posting but I just might take that risk…. in the next installment of the blog…. tomorrow.
