Port Elizabeth South Africa - #5 of 30

Port Elizabeth South Africa (also known as the windy city ;)

Welcome to South Africa!!

These international races are tough on me, but I LOVE the challenge.  A full week or more of being away from family, friends and work.  I sure do miss my blonde crew when I am gone.  Good thing we have Skype to keep in touch with loved ones.  I flew out late Tuesday night and flew all night...and day.... arriving in Port Elizabeth on Thursday afternoon.  One of my gym clients Quinton (who is originally from South Africa) graciously set up a place for me to stay while visiting and racing.  I was greeted at the airport by Neil, who is the son of the family hosting me.  Mom and Dad were Gayle and Kevin.  Kevin reminded me a lot of my dad, a big jokester and Gayle reminded me of my mom, she took care of everything.  They were incredibly nice to me the whole week and took care of all my needs.  It is amazing that people from around the world will open their homes to me and treat me like family - simply amazing and what a blessing.  They fixed me lunch and then I headed straight for a nap.  They woke me for dinner then I went back to bed for 13 hours.  it is going to take a lot of food and sleeping to get me through this year.  The name of my game is recovery!!!

The Pier in Port Elizabeth - Mandela Bay

Friday, April 20, 2012

The weather was very nice, so I headed out the door to find the race site and do some exploring.  I found everything without a problem and got all checked in for the race.  I ran into a friend from Russia who happens to be a pro and doing the race.  He informed me of a meeting they had where they were told a weather system was on it's way and would arrive late Saturday, just in time for the Sunday race.  The system called for high winds and rain.  The race directors came up with a plan to cancel the swim for the age groupers and have the pro field do one lap of the two lap swim.  I was in shock with the news as the weather was perfect!  I couldn't believe that I was about to relive New Zealand all over again... ARE YOU KIDDING ME!!!  I went home and the boys were headed on a campout with the church.  Passing on that opportunity, I went out to dinner with Gayle and her mom.  We gossiped like a bunch of school girls and had a great time!

ALL SET!!

 Saturday, April 21, 2012

This is the coast line we biked and ran along

I woke up today and could see the weather turning.... It turns out the weather was the real deal and it wasn't just a cruel joke on me.  I packed all my bags and just prayed that the swim wasn't going to be cancelled tomorrow.  I put on all my bags, jumped on my bike and headed down to the pre race meeting and gear check-in.  As I sat and listened to the meeting it sounded like things were a go for race day.  We were going to SWIM, bike AND run.  At the very end of the meeting they called up the race director for a special announcement.... 'OH NO!, here it comes' I thought.  He proceeded to go over 'plan B' in case of weather problems. Apparently there is a 'good' wind direction and a 'bad' wind direction for water conditions.  The winds had shifted and so far were going to be favorable for the morning swim and SO FAR we were going to be able to do the full 140.6 miles of racing (or doing in my case;).  I headed to transition for the mandatory helmet check, bike and gear check-in.  To my surprise, my helmet had the smallest of cracks in the foam, which got me turned away and denied entry 'till I had a 'safe' helmet.  I was instructed that I needed to find another helmet to race in.  My only option at this point was to buy an over priced helmet from the expo.  I have more than enough helmets at home and I could certainly get one for cheaper back in the states.  Disappointed, broke and with no choice, I bought a new helmet so that I could race the next day.  EVERYTHING HAPPENS FOR A REASON!!!  It turned out that at the same time I was buying my helmet and explaining to the guy what I was doing this year, there was a magazine owner there who overheard and wants to do a piece on me.  Ha, how about that!!  I was all bummed about having to buy a new helmet.  Then it turned out that this purchase put me in a place where I landed a good media piece for the charity!!  I headed home for final prep, dinner and off to bed.

Sunday, April 22, 2012.  Port Elizabeth South Africa Ironman #5

Beach Swim Start

I kept getting woken up at night by the gusts of wind and KNEW they were going to cancel our swim.  I had my breakfast and then was taken down to the race site by Kevin - thank you as this is an early favor to ask someone to do on their weekend.  It was raining and nasty, but the water looked good enough to swim in.  At 6 am they made the final announcement - "Athletes, we will be swimming today and you will compete in the full Ironman in Port Elizabeth!'  I was overjoyed and then realized that I now had to race in these conditions.  It was going to be a rough day but I was so happy to just be racing after the possibility of a cancelled swim.  The rain let up right before the gun went off for our beach start.  It was a cool experience to hear a national anthem I had never heard before and have traditional African dancers kicking off our big day!  The gun sounded and 1800 of us poured into the ocean.  The first lap of the swim was pretty hectic with big congestion at the turn buoys.... it was a fight to get around them.... SO FUN!  I love this sport!  At the first turn, I got kicked hard in the face tossing my goggles off my head.  I stopped to locate them and was kicked in the gut and then a shot to the groin.  I managed to gather myself and get my goggles back on so I could continue swimming.  My right lens wouldn't seal and I was pissed trying to swim with salt water in one eye.  Half way through the first lap, fighting my way around each turn, I noticed a guy who suffered the same goggle fate as me but wasn't so lucky to get his back.  He was swimming without goggles... all of a sudden my one leaky lens wasn't so bad.  No matter how bad we have it, there is always some chap that has it worse.

This was a two lap swim, where we got out of the water and ran up the beach around a marker before getting back in the water for our second lap.  I flipped my goggles over hoping this would fix my seal problem.  Turn out that was a good move and did the trick.  The weather on the swim continued to get worse as the waves got bigger and bigger.  By this point the swells were big enough that it made it hard to sight to the next marker and when I would go to take a breath, I could hear the wind swirling around me.  It turns out, the swim was a tough one for everyone, with the pro field going 10 minutes slower than normal.

In normal conditions this bike course would be daily routine and simple, relatively speaking.  But with this wind, it was going to be a big challenge.  Only one week ago I thought I had done a tough bike ride in the hills of Napa.... that thing was easy compared to what I was about to experience.  Basically, the course was a big rectangle with head/side winds on the way UP, NASTY cross winds along the top and bottom and tail/cross winds headed back along the coast.  I did the first lap and got a good feel for how tough this was going to be.  We passed transition after each lap and after my first lap, I glanced over and was shocked at the amount of bikes still in transition, meaning these people didn't make the swim cut off.  I found out later that around 30 people didn't make the swim cut off.  My arms were starting to get sore from holding on so tight trying to keep my bike upright.  I had deep dish wheels on which acted like sails in the wind.  I headed out for another lap around the city and coast line.  When the wind gusted, it would kick up sand and violently throw in in our faces like a sand blaster.  This hurt like hell and also filled my mouth with sand - neither were very much fun.  Looking around, the field of cyclists looked beaten down and broken.  Most people were up and out of the aero position, concentrating on keepimg their bikes going forward without falling over in the gusts.  I finished the second lap thinking "OH MY HELL, I HAVE TO DO THAT ONE MORE TIME!!"  I passed transition for the final time and headed out for one more beating. The crowds were incredible, as they cheered us all onward and upward around this course.  I forget to say that on the second lap, I saw two guys crash as the wind blew their bikes out from underneath them.  They were both on downhill sections, where I was braking down the hill in order to not have this same crashing fate.  I felt beaten, but not down as I finished up the third leg of the bike.  We found out later in the awards banquet that the race officials almost pulled us off the bike course and reduced the bike to only 2 laps... now that would have pissed me off!!

Sasquatch On the Lose

Thrilled to be off the bike without harm, I quickly transitioned and headed out onto the three loop run course.  With almost no chance of winning my time bet with my friend, without putting too much stress on my body, I wisely settled into a comfortable pace for the marathon.  I felt good after averaging only 136 HR on the 112 mile bike in hell.  The winds didn't let up on the run and it was the first time I actually drafted on the run (which is legal).  The cross winds would push you off line and when running into the wind you could tuck behind one or two runners and get some relief from the continued beatings.  I proudly picked up my mandatory glow stick and headed out for the third lap of my run.  I felt pretty good until the rain picked up it's intensity and combined with the winds beat us further.  I remained in good spirits   interacting with the loyal spectators braving the same elements we were.... but with no glory.  Thank you to all the spectators and incredible volunteers in South Africa.  Now wet, cold and tired, I forged through the last 3 miles of my marathon finishing just over 4 hours and a Ironman time of 12:39:58, and I'm damn proud of that time!!!  Having raced last weekend, this was a good test to see how my body would feel racing week after week.

I headed to the post race massage and food tent.  I looked up and thought I recognized the guy sitting across the room from me.  I walked over to him and asked him his name.  Just as I had suspected it, was the current world record holder for the most Ironman races done in a year, the same record I am trying to beat!  I shook his hand, introduced myself and told him what I was up to.... he didn't seem threatened or nervous.  Well he should be CAUSE I'M THE IRON COWBOY!!!  Or maybe he didn't understand what I was saying because he didn't speak English very well.  It was cool for me to see him there and have the chance to walk up to him and shake his hand.... it was like the passing of the torch ;)

My travel home was ridiculous as I spent the next 39 hours on planes and airports.  For those of you who have read this far should get a good laugh here.  My last few long flights home have left me exhausted, not being able to sleep much.  These international flights have on demand movies for us to watch.  So I watch these movies....but I'm so hammered and tired that I find myself crying in a pillow like a girl at the sentimental parts of these 'chick flicks'.  So for a good laugh, picture me mid flight, middle of the nigh,t crying watching these movies.... the two most recent were New Years Eve and Crazy, Stupid, Love.  Laugh it up - Enjoy!!!  See you in Marble Falls Texas Next week then St George to cap off this series of 4 in a row.  For now that was #5 in the books.

 

This larger than life Mandela statue is all made out of little BEADS!

Space Shuttle!!  The pilot said we will never see this again - So I took a picture!

Napa California Hits Race - #4 of 30 ( or more ;)

Napa Race Report

We are a Specialized family - Thanks Timp!

All set to head to Cali.

My kids travel really well!!

Thursday

We loaded up all the bikes, all the gear, all 5 kids and headed to Northern California for IM race  #4 on the year.  I am now over the loss of New Zealand and will move on.  My kids travel really well and I think it comes from years of experience driving back and forth to Grandma and Grandpa’s house in Canada.  A freak snow storm rolled through Donners pass in the Tahoe area on the day we were traveling.  They were stopping all cars and checking for chains for your tires.  Apparently, people in the area aren’t capable of driving without these chains..... this cost event cost me $76 unanticipated bucks.... On the upside, I now have a set of chains for future freak snow storm driving or an unexplained inability to drive in snow conditions.... Funny how I have been driving in snow all my life and have made it this far without chains... 

My friend and Iron Cowboy supporter Heath Haacke was super kind and booked my family and me a condo for us to stay in.  Thanks heaps bro!  It is generosity like this that will get me through this year... I can’t do this alone.... So HUGE HUGE THANKS SIR HEATH H.  The condo is perfect!  We checked out the arcade, the pool and the park - all very important!

Friday - Today was a day or relaxation.  The race site was in a very remote location so there really wasn’t anywhere close to stay.  The town and the surrounding towns where we were staying didn’t have much of anything in them but a local corner store, trailer parks and our nice condo.  I needed to take my new bike (a modified Specialized Venge) to test position, gears and brakes.  I only needed to make a few adjustments to it after my quick ride.  I think I am going to be very happy with the switch, especially on this Napa course.  After swimming with the kids, I needed to go for an easy 20 minute run.  I took Lucy and Lily with me, so they could get in some last minute practice for their kids race tomorrow.  The HITS series race series puts on a FREE novice/kids race after the morning Sprint and Olympic races on the Saturday before the Sunday Half and Full distance races.  After their ride and my run I sent them out around the park for a few hundred meter run.  The girls did great and they were SOOO excited to do race prep like dad.  I guess kids really are a product of their environments.... be oh so careful what you say and do around your kids... they are watching and listening very closely.

Saturday - With the kids race being at noon the whole family slept in, thanks kids!  We loaded up again and headed to the race site.  Like I mentioned before, it was fairly remote and we had a 90 minute drive on these windy narrow back roads.  I feared these were going to be the race roads..... We pulled up to the race site and got all the girls ready for their race.  They picked up their packets, checked in their bikes and set up their transition areas.  We had a little picnic before the kids pre-race meeting and then IT WAS ON!  With the water temp being in the very low 50’s we were concerned with the girls swim abilities and the shock factor of the cold water.  I threw on my wetsuit and was going to swim the 100 meter race with my youngest racing daughter Daisy, and I managed to recruited two people who were willing to swim with Lucy and Lily.  Susan and Dillon turned out to be the idea of the day as none of them would have made it through the swim without this help.  Daisy took three steps in the water and jumped on my back for the rest of the swim.  This suddenly became a tough 100 meters!!  Lucy and Lily also had a hard time adjusting to their first open water swim and needed help - it’s ok girls, it happens to the best of us.  And a side note, these 3 tiny bodies weren’t in wetsuits, just the raw 54 degree water! 

Look Mom, I get a number.

Ready for a fun day of Tri!  Thanks to our swim helper.... made all the difference.

Lily, Daisy and Lucy all  dominated!!  I'm a proud papa!

Daisy and I killing the 3 mile bike ride!

"Dad, it's race....can't you go any faster??!!

After the swim all three girls transitioned and headed out on the bike and run.  I helped Daisy transition... ok she waited for me.  Lucy was ready first and immediately went over to help Lily finish up her transition, what awesome girls!!  We all took off on the bikes and the big girls took off and dominated the rest of the bike and run.  I stayed with Daisy for the rest of the race.  The kids bike course had a long climb out and up to the turn around.  Daisy dug in on her Barbie bike, legs a spinning!  As we reached the top she told me her legs hurt and her back was sore.  We stopped at the turn around, rubber her back and gave her some liquid.  She coasted back down the hill and got her legs back for the run - so cute.  She shot out of transition not knowing how to pace.  The rest of the run was this sprint/walk effort.  She tripped on some uneven pavement and scuffed her hands and knees.  She cried for a minute then took off running for the last quarter mile to the finish.  What a CHAMP!  All the girls finished and got their well deserved shirts and finisher medals.  Way to go Lawrence girls, mom and dad are super proud of you all!

Race Day

Napa Hits Series Ironman 

We made a family decision to leave the family at home and have me head to the race site solo.  This turned out to be a good decision as there really wasn’t anything to do there and the water wasn’t warm enough for casual swimming.  I headed out the door at 4:30 am and arrived at the race site with enough time to get all set up and ready.  I have swam in cold water conditions before, but only for half the distance. All my previous full distance races have been in much nicer water.  The horn blows and I jump in the water. The cold water took my breath away and I instantly became a popsicle.  It took about 200 meters for my head to adjust to the cold temperatures.  My body was fine... it was my hands and feet that became cause for concern.  During this swim, I could feel my arms shutting down...my pace became so slow it felt like the buoys were drifting away from me even though they were not.  It seemed like an eternity in the freezing water as my arms and my mind shut down.  I came out of the water and stumbled into transition.  I sat down and tried to put on my socks, shoes and gloves.  No dice.  I had zero dexterity.  The race volunteers came to my aid putting on my bike gear including my socks and gloves.  I wasn’t even able to clip the strap on my helmet.  Had they not helped me I would have had to sit in transition for 15 minutes longer to warm up.  Thanks crew!

I headed out on the bike and knew it was a challenging course with 6300 feet of climbing.  I settled into a good rhythm but felt awful, as I was still am ice cube on a bike headed down the road searching for any ray of sunshine.  It took most of the first lap to start to feel better.  28 miles into the first loop started the first of the real climbing (this isn’t to say there wasn’t plenty of climbing before this point).  This started an 8 mile climb over a mountain pass.  It was lowest gear slow, slow biking.  I live in the mountains and felt very comfortable on this course.  I really excelled on these big climbs and started to make my way through the small field.  The backside of this climb was steep and full of switchbacks.  I’m not a huge fan of this kind of descending and unfortunately no amount of this kind of downhill biking can make up for the lost time going up.  

I called my friend at around mile 60 to find out exactly what our time bet was for the year.  As a quick recap, the bet is that I need to beat his time in every one of my races. His first, and only Ironman to date, was a 12:27:14.  With the difficulty of this course, I quickly did the math and knew it was going to be close!  I stayed in control and by mile 70 could feel both my feet and felt much much better!  I climbed the mountain pass again and with about 20 miles to go, I had moved into second place.  Something magical happens once I reach 100 miles in an Ironman.  I feel light, powerful and strong!  This day was no different, it felt like I was floating over the last twelve miles of the course.  I hit the transition with 4:06:00 to spare.....This is gonna be a tight!!!

I zipped through T2 and headed out on the course.  The run course was also no joke with only climbing or descending as a road choice.  It was a double out and back course.  I divided it into 4 sections, out, back, out and back to the finish.  I needed to run these 6.5 mile sections on an hour each to keep the bet going.  The weather was hot, good thing I had my cowboy had to keep me shaded!  I kept a solid pace just above my instructed heart rate and completed the first section in :59 minutes.  I turned and ran back in over an hour. I had lost a minute with the hardest part of an Ironman to go.  I held back on the third section trying to conserve energy for the push that I knew was coming on the fourth and final section.  I reached the furthest part of the run course miles ahead of third, and first place was out of reach.  It was now me one on one against the clock! I hit the 20 mile marker and needed to run sub 10 min miles to get in on time. This seems simple enough, but keep in mind this hilly course and also the fact this is an IRONMAN.  I was now breaking my goal into single miles, knowing I needed to reach the next mile marker before my digital watched showed 7 in the minute column.  If I could get to each marker banking time, I would make it!  I knew by the time I was 3 miles out that I was safe.  My legs felt good (for the task) and I had already banked enough time.  I knew, at the worst, I could have run an 8 min mile or faster over the last mile had it come down to it.  It didn’t, and I finished with a 3:59:52 marathon!  This made my overall time 12:22:33!!!  I crossed the finish line and just took a moment and laid down on the grass.  I crossed in second place overall and could’t be more pleased with my day.  I don't have any pics of the race but if you look close there is a homeless man doing the run with a cowboy hat in this HITS video....

This was my slowest Ironman ever, done on the toughest course I’ve ever seen!  I am prouder of this race then when I did a low 10 hour Ironman in Cozumel!  Sometimes it is not about the time but about the battles that are won!  Thanks to the coolest wife ever who let me race on her birthday.  She is the bomb, but you all know that!  See you in South Africa this weekend!

Chilling at the condo pool!!!

Best Cheerleader ever!!  Thanks Dolly!!

Feeding the ducks.  Quinn chased them all day long.

Putting on the chains for the climb - DUMB!!!

Driving through the SNOW to get to the tri!!!

Well I had a busy busy week.  I was about to wrap up my blog post from Australia with pics and vids when POOF.  It disappeared and now gone.  I had a few friends try to retrieve it with no luck... so as I sit here in California for my next Ironman I don’t have an Australia experience posted..... so here it comes. It will be more of a cliffs note post.....

Australia went well!  Now onto the California report- just kidding!  I didn’t get to do anything touristy as I was pretty tired.  On the day of check in my host family was busy so I needed figure out how to get around without a car.  We looked up all the directions on how to get to race check in using the subway and trolley systems.  I figured  this would be fun and some good practice for when I go to Europe and try to get around, at least here they spoke english.  Before I headed to check in I checked out the swim start.... SUPER WINDY.  I saw the swim area and thought for sure the swim was going to be cancelled.  I would be devastated if I came all the way to Australia only to have it cancelled... or wait that happened a few weeks ago in New Zealand - still annoyed! Check out this video!

I found my way through the city to the expo which was HUGE!  The energy was awesome.  I went through the expo a few times and met lots of cool people.  I met a guy named Al with one arm who lived right by where I needed to go later that night.  He told me all about his career racing Ironman races and figured he would do one last one since it was in his own town.  An Ironman swim is hard enough.... now go do it with one arm... what is your excuse?  We went to the athlete dinner and then headed over to the welcome party/show.  It was an over the top show with musical performances, comedians, a motivational speaker (World Champion Greg Welch) and the pro panel questions.  With the huge expo, big dinner and pre race party it was the first time I felt my entry fee was really worth it.  I made it back to the house and went straight to bed.

Saturday was very chill.  Went to a fresh food market and really just rested.  I dropped of the gear bags, did a bike run through.  I should have done a quick bike and run but still felt tired... so I didn’t, sorry coach.

Race Day -

Woke up nice and early and Pat (my host) was kind enough to give me a quick lift to the race.  The weather had improved slightly with not as much wind but it still wasn’t great...overcast and chilly.  I made a mistake here and didn’t pack any warm clothes... I’m in Australia people!  

This swim leg is brought to you by Blue Seventy :)

The swim start was one of my best moves so far this year.  All the athletes were suppose to head out to these two big white buoys located in the deep water for race start.  I slowly made my way to the start and planned on waiting to the last minute to jump between the buoys and into the mix.... I waited too long OR the race started early.... the gun went off and I was still 50 meters short of getting out to the start line between the buoys.  The swim was along the shoreline to markers so far away I couldn’t see them - which makes this the worst marked swim course ever.  When the gun went off so I just started swimming towards the rising sun.   I avoided the swim insanity associated with a mass start and slowly merged with the mass group of swimmers.  I made it about 800 meters without touching a single other swimmer.  Anyone who has ever done an Ironman mass start knows this is a pretty big feat!  I swam nice and easy and tried to protect my hurt arm as much as I could.  I even did a small portion of the swim doing a single arm drill to take extra caution giving it rest. - stupid injuries!  I couldn’t help but think of Al swimming along with his one arm.  When I was putting this project together I never thought it would be my arms I would be struggling with, dumb!  I saw the dock and thought I had arrived at the last marker.  I made a sharp left and rounded with no contact, I must be getting good at creating space I thought.  I looked up to sight and realized I was suppose to go straight...DRAT, more swimming to do!  I swam hard the last few hundred meters of the swim just to help me feel alive and like I was in a race.  

The Bike portion is brought to you by Timpanogas Cyclery and Cyclops Power!

The bike was a two loop out and back course on a PERFECT road, and I mean perfect.  They shut down the entire freeway and gave us free reign of it.  At the far end of the ‘out’ section there was a huge tunnel we got to bike through.  This was the highlight of the ride and race the for that matter.  The elevation in the tunnel was like a valley, super fast in and climbing to get out.  It was fast, really fast.   It was really cool in the dimly lit tunnel as you could only hear the buzzing of disk or deep dish wheels and the whizzing of rear cassettes.  Boom baby, so fun.  I biked consistent and finished the bike in decent time.  I was however a little uncomfortable on my very aggressive Specialized Shiv.... something still needed adjusting... but I just can’t put my finger on it.  At every race there seems to be these groups of Korean who are all decked out in super high end expensive gear.  It also appears they don’t train vey much for these IRONMAN events.  I am just assuming since many don’t complete the swim and upon my completion of the bike section a group of them were just heading out for their second loop.... a long day ahead of them for sure if they make the cut off.  I need to find a way to crack into this coaching market, any ideas?

Welcome to the Bike

Home sweet home

Must be the start of the bike...I'm still smiling ;)

In the tunnel 

No longer smiling 

The Run portion is  brought to you by Altra Running Shoes and CEP compression!

Focus my friends...

I only look a little crazy.... 

I stepped out of transition and knew immediately I was in trouble and that my run wasn’t going to go as planned.  I put on a happy face for the camera and went to work but  within the first few steps I got an over powering side stitch.  I rarely if ever get side stitches and if I do they go away in about a mile or less.  I really couldn’t remember the last one.... Well 18 miles later this one finally went away.  The marathon portion of an Ironman is where you man up or crumble.  Before I started this quest of 30+ Ironman races I didn’t want to just “complete” the races, I wanted to challenge myself and have a time goal I thought would be challenging and realistic (realistic in my mind as I have no idea what is really in store for me).  Late last year I had a good friend do his first Ironman and finished in a time of 12:27:14.  This quickly became the benchmark for the year.  The bet is dinner at the fanciest steak house we know called Ruth Chis and I hear it is to die for.  When this side stitch settled in I knew this marathon would be a battle.  Despite the rather routine looking splits online this run was a fight.....no not a fight a war!  It wasn’t so much muscle fatigue or cardiovascular problems but that darn side stitch.  I had to find a comfortable pace where my breathing wasn’t at all labored as it elevated the pain to breath too deep.  When I stopped running the pain would buckle me over.  I had no idea what was going on within my body.  Anytime my kids tell me they have a tummy ache I simply tell them to ‘fart’.  I tried a porto potty stop but that didn’t work and I just annoyed other racers who actually needed to use the facility - ha ha sorry guys I was trying to solve a major problem.  

I used self talk and my mental abilities (which is my strength and will ultimately get me through the year) to get me through this run.  I could have just ‘walked it in’ and crossed the finish line but I had set a goal.  I wasn’t risking injury or putting the next race start at risk by pushing, so I pushed and fought.  I will fight for a sub 12:27 finish unless it is risking injury or severely compromising the overall big picture.  I kept telling myself I was in Australia, running by the ocean.  I tried engage with the crowd to take my mind off of the struggle.  I thought of my family and friends at home and just put one foot in front of the other.  Success!!!!!!  I crossed the finish line in 11:36:31 and was glad to be done with this one.  One of the things that made this run hard was the fact that I wasn’t fully adjusted to Australia time.  I try to stay on ‘home’ time so I can adjust quickly back to work and family.  The marathon portion of this Australis Ironman was run between 10 pm - 2 am, according to my body that is.  After more thought I think my stomach issues may have had something to do with the Fish and Chips I ate the night before.  It was good but maybe not the best choice the night before.  The fish was actually Shark meat - BOOM, a new food crossed of my ‘to eat life list’.

After the race I headed toward the massage tent.  The therapist selection is like a lottery  where you could get some good beneficial work done or a complete waste of time where they just rub you down with oil doing your body no good at all.  I waited in line and when my turn came I was shattered.  When I most needed a good rub down I drew a woman who looked to be in her early 90’s.  I almost thanked her and passed on the massage but hoped up on the table anyways.  THIS WOMAN WAS SENT FROM HEAVEN.  How many times am I going to learn not to judge a book by it’s cover.  She was incredible and just what I needed.  Thank you to my very old mysterious angle!

A huge thanks to my host family who took me in like I was their own.  The Bear family is a special family who will be apart of my quest forever.  Thank you Pat and gang!  

Which Bike is Mine???  Can you disaster....

Tired little Cowboy!

Ironman Australia in the books!