Another year and what a beautiful day. It's almost November and it's almsot 70 degrees out there! Morning was recycling then a hike with Heidi and Liesl.
Now... cleaning and laundry... ohhh the life.
Then 1:00 and it's off to Southsides for a fund-raiser... but be home by 6:00 I am told.
Amanda, Mike and Aliciai brought over a B-Day cake... ice cream cake and Guitar Hero... deadly combination.
All in all a great way to bring in a new year.
Sunday, October 26, 2008
Thursday, October 23, 2008
Ironman 2008
2008 Ironman World Championship
The Swim:
This year there were 1,652 age group racers starting the race and it seemed like half of them wanted to start on the front line. I got in the water and swam to the front line, hey I am a good swimmer, and ‘fought’ a little bit to keep my position. The swim start line is controlled by about 15 men and women paddling on surf boards to keep us all from creeping forward. These people are nuts because when the cannon goes off all they do is sit there and we swim around them. They have 1500+ endorphin crazed lunatics surging towards them… crazy! Anyways I hold my place in line and the canon goes off and we all surge forward. The first minute or two of the swim is my head down and swimming a strong pace to get clear. I got a new skin suit a few weeks before the race and wow is this thing slick. Totally makes me feel like I am cutting through the water. I can’t wait to get my new XTerra wetsuit for next year with how their skin suit felt. (At Hawaii the water temperature is warm enough that wetsuits are not allowed, plus salt water is denser that freshwater so you float better. Hence people use skin suits like my XTerra Velocity; it has a lower drag coefficient than our skin and race suit, so I go faster. I like going faster! J ) After a few minutes I pick my head up out of the water to sight where I am in the race and where the buoys are. The age group men are all wearing green caps and I see two ahead of me. I put my head down and angle towards them and try to pick it up. After a couple more minutes I look again and they are still out in front. I am surrounded by 5 or 6 others and we have a little gap on the main field. I put my head down again and pick it up. The third time I pick my head up I don’t see the two other caps in front of me anymore and a guy on a surf board with a paddle hops in front of me to guide me around. So I think that maybe those two green caps dropped back and I was maybe leading the age group race? After leading the group of 5 or 6, I started thinking maybe I don’t want to be leading and dropped back to get on someone else’s feet. My goal is a fast race, not just a fast swim. We had a good gap on the main field and this will save my strength. But I noticed we slowed down once I moved back. A few minutes of swimming back in the group, and I looked back and saw the main field closer. ‘This isn’t good; I don’t want to be towing everyone’. So I swing out from the feet I was on and move to the lead. The other 5 quickly get on my feet as I lead us to the boats we have to swim around to start our journey back to the pier. As we rounded the boats I was feeling good and decided to pick it up a little bit, maybe catch the person on my feet napping and get a gap. So I picked it up a bit and swam strong for a couple minutes. I look back and see I did open up a gap. ‘Ok, keep it rolling,’ and I swam the rest of the way back in opening up a little more of a gap. Coming by the pier and closing in on the exit to the water I started thinking about the transition to the bike. I swim until my hand hits sands and I pop up out of the water. Swim Time: 52:04 one of the easiest feeling swims I have had. I was the 3rd Age Grouper, finding out later those two green caps hammered out 47 minute swim, they too were wearing the XTerra skin suits.
T1
I run up the ramp out of the water and down the rows of bags. A volunteer is holding mine waiting for me and I run into the men’s tent and dump my bag. I had peeled of the suit as I ran, I just had to step out of it, throw the goggles and cap on the bag, grab my race belt with my number attached and go. I run down the pier and through the bike rack to mine. I pull it out of the holder and run with it to the exit of the transition area. T1 Time: 2:08
The Bike
I hop on the bike and get my feet into my shoes as I start pedaling up Palani. A quick left turn on Kuakini and I get settled in. A short little couple block loop and I am flying down Palani in the other direction and take the left hand turn onto Kuakini going the other way. As I am biking up the hill, Tim Hola passes me and offers encouragement. We climb to the few miles to the turn around (these little loops and out and backs are so that we get the 112 miles in with where the turn around is), and it’s time for some down hill. I pass Tim, as well I am bigger than he is not that I am faster, on the down hill and we are quickly back to Palani for the climb out of town and the real start of the race… The Queen K highway. Tim passes me again on the climb and I realize I won’t see him again till the turn around, but unlike in past races, he isn’t pulling away like he has before. All the bike work with Carmichael Training Systems (CTS) is paying off, I have my watts that I am suppose to ride and a plan (I have a power meter on my bike that tells me, in watts, how much force I am generating on my pedals. This is a more efficient way of looking at work than a heart rate monitor. My coach and I have a number that I am suppose to ride at that will have me work the bike, but leave me ready for the run). Currently the course is lonely, a advantage and disadvantage of being a faster swimmer, so I have Tim’s orange jersey slowly puling away in front of me and a female pro behind me. This grouping is broken up the first 10 miles by us overtaking another pro female or one of the slower swimmers passing on the bike. We bike past the airport and I start thinking, ‘This isn’t bad at all out here,’ then I look over at the brush growing in the lava fields and I see them bent over the way I am going… ‘Ok… headwind coming home.’ But at this point the wind isn’t too strong. The next 20 miles goes by quick, I am being passed occasionally but no one is hammering by. I see a couple instances of drafting but an official caught one and as I pass the first penalty tent there are two riders standing there waiting their penalty time. The wind has picked up around mile 35 as we are more exposed, but I am feeling good riding the rollers as we parallel the coast. But in the distance I see the little bay that is near Kawaihae, which signals the start of the climb up to Hawi… and the turnaround. I always forget how long the climb to Hawi is, there are a few steeper pitches, but I always think it’s only 5 or 6 miles… nope! I think it’s around 12, and the last 5 miles or so are more exposed. I feel the wind pushing me a round a bit and think those lighter than me are going to have a tough time. As I am climbing I get to see the front of the race and where the pros are… I recognize the lead two as the uber bikers. Those guys who can’t run with some of the speedier pro’s so they need a big lead coming off the bike. Then there are a couple others, then the lead group of pro’s comes flying down the hill with Craig Alexander (the guy I was hoping would win the race) leading it. That group goes by then a minute later I see Chris McCormick (last years winner) go by, a bad sign he isn’t with the lead group. Sadly I have more climbing to do, but I keep rolling and finally I get to the little town of Hawi and the turn around. Some friends have driven to the turn around so I get a nice cheer. ‘Ok, now the fun part,’ I think as I get to enjoy a nice, mostly down hill, easy ride… or so I thought. Flying down the hill I would get hit by this gust of wind that would knock you around. Coupled with that is I wasn’t feeling to hot at the moment. In a long race like this you go through good moments and bad moments. You just keep eating and drinking and things get better. I knew if I kept the calories coming in I would be ok. I finally get down from Hawi, and as another triathlete passes me he says “We are going to have a headwind all the way home.” I nod and add “Yeah, it’s going to be brutal.” We climb up to Kawaihae then back onto the Queen K, right into a headwind. Just after Kawaihae there is an aid station and I see a friend one the side of the road. Two flats have taken him out of the race but being the great guy he is, Kevin is helping out at the aid station until he can get a ride back to town. I was still feeling “off” and my aero helmet was getting really warm. They are designed to be faster than regular helmets, but to achieve the aerodynamics they have to… reduce the number of vents…hmmmm… next time I wear my regular helmet. Finally about 5 or 6 miles later I start to come around. The watts pick up a bit and I start passing people. The next hour is me riding my pace and just settling into a rhythm, I am feeling stronger and stronger and looking forward to the run. But I know to focus on know and keep eating and drinking. The last 10 miles of the bike were great, I knew we were close, I felt good and I could get off that damn saddle! We turn off the Queen K onto Makala St. and then onto Kuakini. We turn onto Palani for a 1 block decent to the bike to run transition. As I am biking down I see Tim Hola running up the hill. Bike Time: 5:10:31… almost a 5 minute Personal Best on a windy and tough day!!!
T2
I love Ironman races because you are treated so well. I come flying down the hill, slip my feet out of my bike shoes and lift my right legs behind the seat so I am standing on just my left foot on the shoe. As I get to the transition are I have slowed enough that I hop off the bike and hand it to a volunteer. They take care of my bike for me. I run down the side of the transition area to the racks that have out bike to run transition bags and run into the changing tent. I plop down in a seat and I have three guys around me asking questions. Man #1: “Sunscreen” Me: “Yes please” Man #2: “Cold Towel” Me: “Sure!” Man #3… he didn’t say anything he was grabbing my helmet and helping me sort through what I needed for the run. I pull on the socks, slip on the shoes, grab the visor and start running out. Then I decide to use the port-o-potties that are there… then I run out and start the marathon. T2 Time: 3:45
The Run
I look at my watch and see the total elapsed time… 6:08… I knew on the bike sub 9 was out of the question with that wind. But here I was…3:11 marathon and I have a new PR. My marathon time last time I was here was a 3:07 and that was with me fading at the end. I start running up Palani thinking two things ‘I’m going to PR today… and start slow’. Looking now I realized that thought #1 would totally cancel thought #2… first mile of the run 6:28… way too fast. I dial it back to just over 7 min/mile pace and everything seems good. The course starts with a 5 mile out and back section in town, then out to the Queen K to Energy Lab (more on that later) and then run back home. The miles are clicking by and I am running strong a few people pass me but I know people blow up out on the course and I didn’t want to be one of them. I also get to see the pro’s again and see how the second half of the bike and first part of the run has shaped the race. The new race leader is Norman, a two time winner here, but known for his biking not his running. A little bit back is some more pro’s including Craig… who is looking smooth. I continue running then see another Colorado Springs athlete, pro triathlete Andy Potts. Andy is looking strong so I yell some encouragement. Heading to the turn around I see Tim coming back, another Colorado triathlete Jeff is running strong. I get to the turn around and start running back into town. Still running just over 7:00 min/mile pace I see Mike Hagen, friend and CTS coach running out, then Dave, then Todd. ‘Ok everyone seems to be racing well,’ I think. It was warm but not brutal. I click through mile seven and I feel a little stab in my right ankle. I run and kind of flick my ankle around thinking it was just a random little thing. A few steps later and the pain is a little more, sharper with the impact. ‘Run through it, it will be ok,’ I tell myself. By another mile I could feel my tibialis anterior and muscle around my ankle start to tighten up. This is the same feeling I had with my stress fractures and all I could think was ‘You got to be kidding me!’. I keep running and I could tell my form was off as I was trying to not run as hard on that foot. My 7:15 turned in 7:30… then 7:45… then 7:57. ‘Ok… walk… stretch… massage... run again… 9:10 (that included running up Palani)… walk… run… walk… 8:08… painful but keep running… 8:42…9:08… walk… Another great thing about Ironman, as people passed me I had them telling me it will get better, asking if I wanted to run with them, nothing but support. But I knew my race was over… the muscles were all tightened, each step on my right foot was jarring. I tried to run with sliding my foot on the ground for no impact, that didn’t work. I tried dumping cold water on my ankle and put ice down my sock (Note: Small running socks hold zero ice). I was walking and here is the icing on the cake. As I am walking out of the corner of my eye I see a car pull up. A big NBC logo on it and the guy starts pulling out the video camera. ‘Ohhh hell no,’ I think to myself and I start running. More of a lopsided shuffle, but no way was I going to be filmed walking… yes I have issues. After a minute and a half, they pull away realizing they weren’t getting their shot. As soon as the car is far enough away I stop, curse them and start walking again. The run is on the Queen K Hwy until you get to a place called Energy Lab. It’s about a 4 mile section of the race, but it is brutal. You run a slight down hill for a mile then the road turns to the right and you run on a flat section to the turn around. So the way back is flat then a slight uphill for a mile. Lava rock surrounds the road, it’s in the afternoon and this place can be an oven! Historically I have run pretty well in energy lab, I try to hobble on the down hill part, walk to the turn around and start heading out. The uphill slog out of energy lab and I am looking at my watch seeing the 9 hour mark approaching. ‘What would it be like to be finishing now?’ I think to myself. ‘Next year…’. Coming out of Energy Lab you have about 10k to go. Normally that would be 44-45 minutes at race pace? More like 1 hour and 45 minutes walking. All my friends tried to encourage me as they passed me by as well as strangers. The aid station workers are awesome… they yelled for me as I am sure they yelled for Craig (By the way on the way out Craig ran by heading back into town in first place! Good job Nick!). The 7:00 min/miles turned into 17:00 min/miles, finally I get back into town. The climb up to Palani, the down hill to Kuakini, finally the downhill to Alii. The crowd is cheering and I am walking. As I get to the finish I just want to get this over with and I hobble across the line. Run Time: 4:36
Total Race Time: 10:44
Post Race:
When I think back on the race I think about a good swim, the enjoyment I had out in the water. Having an open ocean in front of me and swimming by myself. I think about the bike and how strong I felt at points, about how I have never biked faster. Luckily I haven’t dwelled too much on the run. X-rays didn’t show a stress fracture, injuries heal and I’m an Ironman. Life is good.
The Swim:
This year there were 1,652 age group racers starting the race and it seemed like half of them wanted to start on the front line. I got in the water and swam to the front line, hey I am a good swimmer, and ‘fought’ a little bit to keep my position. The swim start line is controlled by about 15 men and women paddling on surf boards to keep us all from creeping forward. These people are nuts because when the cannon goes off all they do is sit there and we swim around them. They have 1500+ endorphin crazed lunatics surging towards them… crazy! Anyways I hold my place in line and the canon goes off and we all surge forward. The first minute or two of the swim is my head down and swimming a strong pace to get clear. I got a new skin suit a few weeks before the race and wow is this thing slick. Totally makes me feel like I am cutting through the water. I can’t wait to get my new XTerra wetsuit for next year with how their skin suit felt. (At Hawaii the water temperature is warm enough that wetsuits are not allowed, plus salt water is denser that freshwater so you float better. Hence people use skin suits like my XTerra Velocity; it has a lower drag coefficient than our skin and race suit, so I go faster. I like going faster! J ) After a few minutes I pick my head up out of the water to sight where I am in the race and where the buoys are. The age group men are all wearing green caps and I see two ahead of me. I put my head down and angle towards them and try to pick it up. After a couple more minutes I look again and they are still out in front. I am surrounded by 5 or 6 others and we have a little gap on the main field. I put my head down again and pick it up. The third time I pick my head up I don’t see the two other caps in front of me anymore and a guy on a surf board with a paddle hops in front of me to guide me around. So I think that maybe those two green caps dropped back and I was maybe leading the age group race? After leading the group of 5 or 6, I started thinking maybe I don’t want to be leading and dropped back to get on someone else’s feet. My goal is a fast race, not just a fast swim. We had a good gap on the main field and this will save my strength. But I noticed we slowed down once I moved back. A few minutes of swimming back in the group, and I looked back and saw the main field closer. ‘This isn’t good; I don’t want to be towing everyone’. So I swing out from the feet I was on and move to the lead. The other 5 quickly get on my feet as I lead us to the boats we have to swim around to start our journey back to the pier. As we rounded the boats I was feeling good and decided to pick it up a little bit, maybe catch the person on my feet napping and get a gap. So I picked it up a bit and swam strong for a couple minutes. I look back and see I did open up a gap. ‘Ok, keep it rolling,’ and I swam the rest of the way back in opening up a little more of a gap. Coming by the pier and closing in on the exit to the water I started thinking about the transition to the bike. I swim until my hand hits sands and I pop up out of the water. Swim Time: 52:04 one of the easiest feeling swims I have had. I was the 3rd Age Grouper, finding out later those two green caps hammered out 47 minute swim, they too were wearing the XTerra skin suits.
T1
I run up the ramp out of the water and down the rows of bags. A volunteer is holding mine waiting for me and I run into the men’s tent and dump my bag. I had peeled of the suit as I ran, I just had to step out of it, throw the goggles and cap on the bag, grab my race belt with my number attached and go. I run down the pier and through the bike rack to mine. I pull it out of the holder and run with it to the exit of the transition area. T1 Time: 2:08
The Bike
I hop on the bike and get my feet into my shoes as I start pedaling up Palani. A quick left turn on Kuakini and I get settled in. A short little couple block loop and I am flying down Palani in the other direction and take the left hand turn onto Kuakini going the other way. As I am biking up the hill, Tim Hola passes me and offers encouragement. We climb to the few miles to the turn around (these little loops and out and backs are so that we get the 112 miles in with where the turn around is), and it’s time for some down hill. I pass Tim, as well I am bigger than he is not that I am faster, on the down hill and we are quickly back to Palani for the climb out of town and the real start of the race… The Queen K highway. Tim passes me again on the climb and I realize I won’t see him again till the turn around, but unlike in past races, he isn’t pulling away like he has before. All the bike work with Carmichael Training Systems (CTS) is paying off, I have my watts that I am suppose to ride and a plan (I have a power meter on my bike that tells me, in watts, how much force I am generating on my pedals. This is a more efficient way of looking at work than a heart rate monitor. My coach and I have a number that I am suppose to ride at that will have me work the bike, but leave me ready for the run). Currently the course is lonely, a advantage and disadvantage of being a faster swimmer, so I have Tim’s orange jersey slowly puling away in front of me and a female pro behind me. This grouping is broken up the first 10 miles by us overtaking another pro female or one of the slower swimmers passing on the bike. We bike past the airport and I start thinking, ‘This isn’t bad at all out here,’ then I look over at the brush growing in the lava fields and I see them bent over the way I am going… ‘Ok… headwind coming home.’ But at this point the wind isn’t too strong. The next 20 miles goes by quick, I am being passed occasionally but no one is hammering by. I see a couple instances of drafting but an official caught one and as I pass the first penalty tent there are two riders standing there waiting their penalty time. The wind has picked up around mile 35 as we are more exposed, but I am feeling good riding the rollers as we parallel the coast. But in the distance I see the little bay that is near Kawaihae, which signals the start of the climb up to Hawi… and the turnaround. I always forget how long the climb to Hawi is, there are a few steeper pitches, but I always think it’s only 5 or 6 miles… nope! I think it’s around 12, and the last 5 miles or so are more exposed. I feel the wind pushing me a round a bit and think those lighter than me are going to have a tough time. As I am climbing I get to see the front of the race and where the pros are… I recognize the lead two as the uber bikers. Those guys who can’t run with some of the speedier pro’s so they need a big lead coming off the bike. Then there are a couple others, then the lead group of pro’s comes flying down the hill with Craig Alexander (the guy I was hoping would win the race) leading it. That group goes by then a minute later I see Chris McCormick (last years winner) go by, a bad sign he isn’t with the lead group. Sadly I have more climbing to do, but I keep rolling and finally I get to the little town of Hawi and the turn around. Some friends have driven to the turn around so I get a nice cheer. ‘Ok, now the fun part,’ I think as I get to enjoy a nice, mostly down hill, easy ride… or so I thought. Flying down the hill I would get hit by this gust of wind that would knock you around. Coupled with that is I wasn’t feeling to hot at the moment. In a long race like this you go through good moments and bad moments. You just keep eating and drinking and things get better. I knew if I kept the calories coming in I would be ok. I finally get down from Hawi, and as another triathlete passes me he says “We are going to have a headwind all the way home.” I nod and add “Yeah, it’s going to be brutal.” We climb up to Kawaihae then back onto the Queen K, right into a headwind. Just after Kawaihae there is an aid station and I see a friend one the side of the road. Two flats have taken him out of the race but being the great guy he is, Kevin is helping out at the aid station until he can get a ride back to town. I was still feeling “off” and my aero helmet was getting really warm. They are designed to be faster than regular helmets, but to achieve the aerodynamics they have to… reduce the number of vents…hmmmm… next time I wear my regular helmet. Finally about 5 or 6 miles later I start to come around. The watts pick up a bit and I start passing people. The next hour is me riding my pace and just settling into a rhythm, I am feeling stronger and stronger and looking forward to the run. But I know to focus on know and keep eating and drinking. The last 10 miles of the bike were great, I knew we were close, I felt good and I could get off that damn saddle! We turn off the Queen K onto Makala St. and then onto Kuakini. We turn onto Palani for a 1 block decent to the bike to run transition. As I am biking down I see Tim Hola running up the hill. Bike Time: 5:10:31… almost a 5 minute Personal Best on a windy and tough day!!!
T2
I love Ironman races because you are treated so well. I come flying down the hill, slip my feet out of my bike shoes and lift my right legs behind the seat so I am standing on just my left foot on the shoe. As I get to the transition are I have slowed enough that I hop off the bike and hand it to a volunteer. They take care of my bike for me. I run down the side of the transition area to the racks that have out bike to run transition bags and run into the changing tent. I plop down in a seat and I have three guys around me asking questions. Man #1: “Sunscreen” Me: “Yes please” Man #2: “Cold Towel” Me: “Sure!” Man #3… he didn’t say anything he was grabbing my helmet and helping me sort through what I needed for the run. I pull on the socks, slip on the shoes, grab the visor and start running out. Then I decide to use the port-o-potties that are there… then I run out and start the marathon. T2 Time: 3:45
The Run
I look at my watch and see the total elapsed time… 6:08… I knew on the bike sub 9 was out of the question with that wind. But here I was…3:11 marathon and I have a new PR. My marathon time last time I was here was a 3:07 and that was with me fading at the end. I start running up Palani thinking two things ‘I’m going to PR today… and start slow’. Looking now I realized that thought #1 would totally cancel thought #2… first mile of the run 6:28… way too fast. I dial it back to just over 7 min/mile pace and everything seems good. The course starts with a 5 mile out and back section in town, then out to the Queen K to Energy Lab (more on that later) and then run back home. The miles are clicking by and I am running strong a few people pass me but I know people blow up out on the course and I didn’t want to be one of them. I also get to see the pro’s again and see how the second half of the bike and first part of the run has shaped the race. The new race leader is Norman, a two time winner here, but known for his biking not his running. A little bit back is some more pro’s including Craig… who is looking smooth. I continue running then see another Colorado Springs athlete, pro triathlete Andy Potts. Andy is looking strong so I yell some encouragement. Heading to the turn around I see Tim coming back, another Colorado triathlete Jeff is running strong. I get to the turn around and start running back into town. Still running just over 7:00 min/mile pace I see Mike Hagen, friend and CTS coach running out, then Dave, then Todd. ‘Ok everyone seems to be racing well,’ I think. It was warm but not brutal. I click through mile seven and I feel a little stab in my right ankle. I run and kind of flick my ankle around thinking it was just a random little thing. A few steps later and the pain is a little more, sharper with the impact. ‘Run through it, it will be ok,’ I tell myself. By another mile I could feel my tibialis anterior and muscle around my ankle start to tighten up. This is the same feeling I had with my stress fractures and all I could think was ‘You got to be kidding me!’. I keep running and I could tell my form was off as I was trying to not run as hard on that foot. My 7:15 turned in 7:30… then 7:45… then 7:57. ‘Ok… walk… stretch… massage... run again… 9:10 (that included running up Palani)… walk… run… walk… 8:08… painful but keep running… 8:42…9:08… walk… Another great thing about Ironman, as people passed me I had them telling me it will get better, asking if I wanted to run with them, nothing but support. But I knew my race was over… the muscles were all tightened, each step on my right foot was jarring. I tried to run with sliding my foot on the ground for no impact, that didn’t work. I tried dumping cold water on my ankle and put ice down my sock (Note: Small running socks hold zero ice). I was walking and here is the icing on the cake. As I am walking out of the corner of my eye I see a car pull up. A big NBC logo on it and the guy starts pulling out the video camera. ‘Ohhh hell no,’ I think to myself and I start running. More of a lopsided shuffle, but no way was I going to be filmed walking… yes I have issues. After a minute and a half, they pull away realizing they weren’t getting their shot. As soon as the car is far enough away I stop, curse them and start walking again. The run is on the Queen K Hwy until you get to a place called Energy Lab. It’s about a 4 mile section of the race, but it is brutal. You run a slight down hill for a mile then the road turns to the right and you run on a flat section to the turn around. So the way back is flat then a slight uphill for a mile. Lava rock surrounds the road, it’s in the afternoon and this place can be an oven! Historically I have run pretty well in energy lab, I try to hobble on the down hill part, walk to the turn around and start heading out. The uphill slog out of energy lab and I am looking at my watch seeing the 9 hour mark approaching. ‘What would it be like to be finishing now?’ I think to myself. ‘Next year…’. Coming out of Energy Lab you have about 10k to go. Normally that would be 44-45 minutes at race pace? More like 1 hour and 45 minutes walking. All my friends tried to encourage me as they passed me by as well as strangers. The aid station workers are awesome… they yelled for me as I am sure they yelled for Craig (By the way on the way out Craig ran by heading back into town in first place! Good job Nick!). The 7:00 min/miles turned into 17:00 min/miles, finally I get back into town. The climb up to Palani, the down hill to Kuakini, finally the downhill to Alii. The crowd is cheering and I am walking. As I get to the finish I just want to get this over with and I hobble across the line. Run Time: 4:36
Total Race Time: 10:44
Post Race:
When I think back on the race I think about a good swim, the enjoyment I had out in the water. Having an open ocean in front of me and swimming by myself. I think about the bike and how strong I felt at points, about how I have never biked faster. Luckily I haven’t dwelled too much on the run. X-rays didn’t show a stress fracture, injuries heal and I’m an Ironman. Life is good.
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