Daddy's an IRONMAN!!!

Well we made it!! I'm now officially an IRONMAN!! First off I just wanted to say Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! To all of you for the Good luck wishes and for all the support and encouragement that you gave me for the big day. You have NO idea how much that stuff helps you get through at mile 22 of the Run leg of the race. Just knowing that there are people watching your splits and waiting for you to cross that line for the final time...make you persevere and overcome whatever the day throws at you. Without my HUGE support group...(that means YOU!) I could and probably would not have made it...

I'll include a little race report to follow, although it might be a little bland. When you have a very good race plan from a very good coach that is how the day is supposed to go. So here goes;

Pre race:
Wake up at 4:20 and start eating. With a 10 to 12 hour day ahead of you, you want to make sure the tank is topped off and ready to be drained time and time again. SO Bagel and powerbar and banana and Gatorade and peanut butter and then try to get back to sleep. Up again at 5:00, heading out at 5:30 to the transition area. Get body marked and check the pressure in your bike tires. Put on wetsuit and get in the water. 6:45 Pro's start and 15 minutes later the LARGEST MASS swim start in Ironman history. 2588 Swimmers!!

Swim:
Every wonder what it would be like to swim with 3 other people in a washing machine??? Well that is exactly what Ironman Canada swim was like this year...with 2588 of my best friends...in the 1:05:55 that it took me to complete the swim I must have had about 55 seconds of time where I wasn't hitting or being hit by someone!! Just plain Craziness!!! 367th position over all after the swim.

Bike:
So after the trashing in the water I was ready for a little bike ride of 112 miles through the mountains of the Okanagan Valley. The bike ride was much less physical than the swim. On the bike you just want to conserve as much energy and go as fast as you can, while eating as much food to fuel yourself for the little run at the end. I was right on pace for my Perfect day finishing time goal of 10:30 total race time. I just needed to finish the run with a 4 hour marathon. 5:27:47 total time on bike. 169th position overall after the bike. I passed 198 people on the bike. And averaged 20.5 mph for 112 miles!

Run:
Well all was good until the 8th mile aid station. The Race plan was to walk through all the aid stations to make sure to take in enough Gatorade and water to survive the run. For some reason a little knee ligament became inflamed just a week before the race. (Due to a shoe change just a month prior to the race day...dumb mistake on my part!!) Rookie Ironman mistake. At mile 8 the knee decided that it had done enough work for the day, I can't blame it! So from mile 8 to 20 it was a very frustrating and SLOW grind mile by mile. I actually think that I ran a 22 minute mile during this part of the race. At mile 20 I decided that I could no longer walk/stop/cry/whine/pussyfoot around or I'd go over the 12 hour mark. So at mile 21 the running began and I didn't stop for ANYTHING...and I mean ANYTHING...I won't get into the details on what all happened but I don't want to ever go there again. I ran the final 5.2 miles with a knee what did not want to work at all. I was passed by MANY MANY people some older than my father...and he is OLD!! Just shows you what is possible and that AGE has nothing to do with staying in Amazing shape.... (MOM, GO GET ON YOUR BIKE NOW!!!) 4:54:47 total run time...BLAH!! 628th Position overall after the run. 11:16 minute per mile average for the 26.2 miles...again BLAH!! I got passed by 459 people on the run...very very sad...So sad I'm signed up for next years race just to beat that run time.

So that is it...That is an Ironman race in a nutshell. This was by far the hardest event that I've ever done in my life...and I'm sure sometime next year in August on the 24th I'll be asking myself WHY I paid to do it all over again...I must be Crazy!!

On a final note, I just wanted to say a special Thanks to Mel and Grayson....without their support and encouragement and understanding and sacrifice. I wouldn't have even made it to the starting line. I couldn't be any luckier to have a wife that will not only go to Canada with you in April for a training weekend, but bring you food and drinks 1/2 way into the bike course. All while trying to stay alive because here retarded husband forgot to tighten the rear driver side wheel lug nuts.... (Another story, another time!!) Thank you Melly, I love you and owe you all the glory in this Journey!! Without you this would NOT have happened!!

Thanks for reading and see you next time!

Love to all!
Brad