Ironman arizona post race report

Front row: Brandy, me, my wife, my daughter, my triathlon Coach Pete who flew all the way from Co. to watch my first Iron. In the back there is one of the greatest people I've ever met: Couch Potatoe to Ironman.

My new Ironman tatoo

Nov 23rd 2008 I attempted Ironman Arizona in Tempe AZ. Ironman is not an easy
race to complete even in the most gifted & talented of triathletes. I do not have the genes for ultra endurance events. I trained for 5.5 years. & on November 23rd I finally accomplished one of my biggest all time goals. I am now an Ironman!

The 2.4 mile swim was in the Tempe town lake. The water was a little chilly @ 58 degrees. The lake was smooth with no waves or turbulence. I couldn't feel much of a current. I did well on the swim leg. I was expecting to finish between 1hr 30 min to 1 hr 40 minutes. I did it in 1hr 27 minutes. What I was surprised about was how good I felt getting out of the water. Virtually no fatigue at all. Shortly after I started my bike leg I saw my wife, Brandy, & my 2 children holding
signs they'd made, waving, & screaming my name. Most of the triathletes who saw thier family waved & continued peddling on their way. I couldn't help it. I got off my bike & gave hugs & kisses to all those who had come all that way to show their support & love for me in this big day. My daughter was holding a sign that said "#447 we love you stinky!" Stinky is the nick name my daughter & I have been calling eachother since she was an infant.

As I was peddling away & waving my 3 year old daughter yelled "Daddy you are my hero!" I must confess, when she said that I lost it. I cried for the first ten minutes of my 112 mile bike ride. The first of the 3 laps I was having a hard time controlling my heart rate. After that things went perfectly. I ended the bike in 6hrs 58 minutes. I was guestimating a bike time of 7-75 hrs. A little faster than planned again.

On the 26.2 mile run I started off feeling great! I was averaging 9.5 minute miles which is the pace I had found I could keep for that distance. At mile 4 I tried to eat a gel, but when I tried to swallow it I had issues doing just that. For the next mile or so I was fighting off the urge to puke. Apparently I should not have tried to force that last one down because from that point on I had
excruciating abdominal pain & cramping. I was reduced to a very slow jog or fast walk the remaining 21 miles & unable to keep any Gatorade gels or bars down. The marathon took me 5hrs 56 minutes. Couch potatoe to Ironman was there at the finish to scream & yell with me like a couple crazy guys. Perfect ending to a great race! By the way, next year it's your turn Couch potatoe to Ironman. You can bet I'll be there to sopport you just like you did for me this year.

I finished in a total time of 14 hrs & 39 minutes which was one hr earlier than what I guessed I'd accomplish, & half an hour better than what I had hoped for. All in all I'm very excited about the day. Finally after all this time, I am an Ironman. After the race I asked my wife why she tolerated & supported me training so much & spending so much money on training & equipment. She said "because your dreams are my dreams". That was the 2nd time that day I cried. I have the best wife any man could ever dream of.