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Packing all the stuff for my trip to IMC has slowly been refined and confined from five rooms in my house to two, soon it should all be contained in my foyer and living room and then I have to delicately and strategically load it in my car.  In an effort to help the environment, reduce the chance of a search of my car (not that I have anything to hide), and force me to not pack everything and anything I might possible need I'm going to drive my Mini (clubman that is) up north.

The decision of what to drive (I know a luxury most people don't have and one that I probably shouldn't) is not taken lightly nor is it an easy decision.  It's like every single decision that goes into packing for the Ironman from the smallest of things to the big things. 

Things to consider when considering what car to drive up north.  Bike inside the car saved from wind, rain and the smash of bugs or strapped to the roof exposed to the elements.  Passing efficiency let's be clear it's a 7 hour drive and if I can shave 15 minutes off that I'm going to, god forbid I get stuck behind an Okanagan farmer (nice people but slow drivers) on one of those north eastern Washington roads that passes for a highway, Mini wins (heck 70 to 100 in 2 seconds). 

I'll digress for a minute for non Ironman racers we've been waiting months for this event patiently training away and so we're anxious to get there and want to get there as quickly as possilbe, hell I'm showing great restraint in having not left for Canada on Wednesday.  The funny part is everything leading up to an Ironman race cannon is one big slow line. Wait in line to register, in line to eat at the reception dinner, in line to check in at my hotel, in line to cross the border, in line to purchase race logo clothing we really don't need, in line to get my tires pumped on race morning, in line to pee on race morning and finally in line to get into the water so we can finally get going.

Where was I?  Oh yeah, I need to decide which tools to take in my bike tool box since I only know what half of them do so I took those that I don't know anything about out of the box, it didn't make more space in the car but I was able to get more other stuff in the box thus reducing the clutter in the car.  I have to decide which camera(s) to bring and how many the fact is I'll probably only use one of them so I'll bring 4.  I need to decide which clothes to bring, both for looking fancy around town and looking fancy and keeping cool or warm on race day (down to two relatively small bags.  How many helments,  how many spare tires, how much nutrition (for training, pre-race, during the race), how many pairs of run shoes, how many pairs of bike shoes, swim googles, mirrored, clear, tinted, which race wheels disc or 1080 or 606... this is the mind of an Ironman in the week before race day it would make most people dizzy but for an Ironman athlete it keeps your mind busy in the week leading up to the race and keeps your demons and doubts at bay. 

Things not too think (and fret) about, the weather, your race number (#976 has a nice ring to it), the training you didn't do, the nagging aches and pains, what other people are doing.

So what's the point Ironman athleletes are generally a nuerotic, compulsive, list obsessed bunch but really I'm just trying to keep my mind off the race until it's time to race.....12 hours until the strategic packing of the car begins.