I am ready and I am going to absolutely smash this race. In my prior 17 Ironman’s, I don’t recall ever being this fit, fast, or confident. But when you commit to something for more than 10 years, one would expect that eventually, you’d figure it out and have it all ready to click. With 2 days till the event, I sit here believing that I’m going to have a truly special day. I’m not nervous, I am just ready to race!

Friday, one week to go, I worked got home and did a 90min bike ride with 3x Jungle Loop ~17min on ZWIFT at IM Goal Paces: 270, 280, and 290 watts watching HR on 126, 130, and 136 Tempo. I then went to the pool for a 2.2KM swim with 4×500 easy. Saturday was a lower volume ride in Sahuarita up to Mission road, Green Valley, and Frontage road back. Just over 2hrs and 42miles. I did a 15min piece up Helmet Peak at 293 watts and 133HR, quite similar to the prior day and keeping wifey Fiona nearby. I also went for a PR on ShootOut Hill and held 1min Power of 515 watts which is my 3rd best all-time. I held 501watts for the 1:27 climb at 6.3% avg grade and am now ranked 563/4,411. I did a 6mile run later at an easy 8:57/mile. I cooked some sirloin steaks over the backyard fire pit, baked potato, and veg over the flames as well. I had most of the Trivento Malbec, yummy.

Sunday I did a 10mile long run at 8:57/mile and 90minutes to make it a 30mile week; a 25% reduction from the 40mile week prior. After a little break I did a 1hour easy bike listening to the TTL (That Triathlon Life) podcast and heard Pro Triathlete Paula Findlay talk about hearing someone say to her “Fast Like Flynn” during the 70.3 Ironman World Championship… haha, that was me.. I was laughing but also KNEW she would remember that! #Winning. Soon our friends Jo and Pete Coombe arrived from Noosa, Australia. Fiona was first friends with them through the Melbourne Triathlon Club in Australia. We all became even better friends and they came to our wedding at Seppelt Winery back in 2014. In 2017 we raced IM New Zealand together when Jo got her 3rd Kona spot. We saw each other again at 70.3 St George in 2018. Now, Pete has his legacy spot for Kona this year and both Jo and Pete are once again racing together. We calculated something like 52 Ironmans between the 4 of us, not including this IMAZ race! Pete is also the owner of WHEELSCIENCE where I currently have my disc wheel from and where I’ll be getting a new one for my anticipated Argon 18 E119TRI+ Disc Purchase in Q1’23. Look em up or comment below.

We let them settle in and went to the pool for a 3KM swim. The pace was absolutely ON. All with pull buoy, final 2 with paddles, pace per 100/yard for each set: 1:27, 1:24, 1:24, 1:24, 1:25, 1:24. Compared with the same set I did before 70.3WC swimming next to Kristian Blummenfeldt in a 25Yard pool vs our 25Meter pool: 1:26, 1:25, 1:26, 1:24, 1:20, 1:21. The last 2 were trying to follow KB’s pace. But the speed is definitely there and I went 29:13 that day.

Monday I went to work and was totally off from training. Tuesday I worked and did a 1hour recovery bike.

Wednesday was a great day. We took Jo and Pete for some breakfast burritos, doughnut shop, coffee shop, and drove to the top of Mt Lemmon. We went to the General Store, went to the CookieCabin, and saw some snow. Then, we headed to the Oro Valley and got lanes for my final quality swim. Same as above, 6x500yard all with pull buoy and final 2 with paddles on paces of: 1:25, 1:25, 1:24, 1:24, 1:23, 1:23; about 1 second faster in the 25yard vs 25meter pool. We also picked up our bikes that Tom of tomsbicyclerepair.com who took care of for us with his new shop on the west side of Tucson. Tom hooked Fiona up with a new set of tires and a total bike cleaning and check up. Thanks again Tom for all your continued support!!!

Thursday of race week I then did a 4mile run at the easy 8:57/mile pace watching Jo Skippers YouTube as he prepares for Sundays race. After, I loaded up the car and drove up to Tempe. Fiona was working that day and decided to stay at home and come up the next day so we weren’t rushed. This allowed me to check-in early and go over to Moxie Sport to hear from Pro Triathlete Pedro Gomes and Jason Lentzke talk about Powerbar nutrition. It was definitely one of the best talks on nutrition I’ve heard. I had some frozen dinner and a bottle of Pinot Noir. Normatecs and Epson Salt baths.

Friday, I took the bike and drove over to the Beeline Highway Parking 5miles from the turnaround. I went easy and then incorporated 4x2min at Going-Out Race Pace Goal of 315 watts: 320, 321, 321, and on the descent held 293watts at 36.7mph and 94 cadence. From there I headed to the East Side of the run course where the only hill of the course is: 500meters and less than 60′ of climb. I did a 3.9mile run in 30min. A bit quick at 7:43/mile what I held for the 70.3 IM World Championship 3 weeks ago in Utah but wanted to just feel the race pace and I felt good on Ironman HR of 133.

I went back to the Expo and hung out in the Normatec’s waiting for Fionas arrival. We headed back to the hotel and then a little later met Jo and Pete at the welcome ceremony which was pretty amazing especially with this race being Mike Reilley’s last US Ironman before he retires after IM New Zealand next year. Mike is a legend and has called me over the line through multiple races. I also remember hanging out with him in the natural hot springs in Taupo, New Zealand after the race in 2017. He will be missed. 33 years calling half a million names over the line!

Tomorrow will be a practice swim in the cold 60-61F water just to get used to the water. Then Bike Checkin and the rest of the day will be done.

Follow us Kevin and Fiona Coyle and Jo and Pete Coombe on the Ironman Tracker and Facebook Now this Sunday 11/20/22. Good luck family, you all got this!

The Goal: PB since my 9:22 in Western Australia 2015 and hope its enough for the podium.