Race Recap...

A brief summary of my Ironman race. The weather stayed perfect all day. We enjoyed swim start temperatures of about 60 and it did not get past 75 degrees during the day. I don't think it gets better for a race in Louisville in August.

My race had a tough start. The swim is a "dock" start. You are herded into a holding area and then 15-30 people go off the dock or so at once...keeping a steady flow of swimmers into the water. Not a bad way to start...unless someone with an IQ of 60 decides to jump on top of you once you get in the water. I hit the water, submerged and was immediately cannonballed by said 60 IQ person. He hit me square in the back, knocking the air out of me. Then, as we both scrambled to get air, we thrashed. In the fracas, I lost my wedding ring and had my velcro strapped chip band slide off (lucky it floats). I am sure my mom would not have been too proud of me for the flow of profanities that left my mouth when I surfaced and turned to see what kind of moron would do what he did. I lost some time looking for my band and getting my head back in the game.

My bike went great. I am a strong biker and the rolling hills of Kentucky treated me well. I had hopped out of the water in 2003rd place out of roughly 2,800 people. By the time I dismounted my bike, I had regained 1,200 positions and was sitting roughly in 800th place. I felt great. The hills were actually fun...the climbs were never too rough and then you could hit some great speeds on the downhills. Several times, I looked down and saw myself hitting 35-38 miles per hour.

The run also went well. I felt good and did not have any real issues with cramps or upset stomach. I had a 2:00 hour-ish front 13 miles and slowed to 2:20 or so on the back half. I ran the whole way..with the exception of rest stops to take liquid in. I gained a few spots and ended up 760th or so to end the day.

I was awed by two blind Ironman competitors. They used a tether for the swim and run and a tandem bike for the cycling stage. I am going to look into what it takes to volunteer to be a sighted guide for a blind Ironperson. I can think of fewer things cooler than to help someone complete a goal like that.

Back to the adventure of Mr. Wendell and Pepper in the next few days....only 8 days until we depart!

Race Morning

Louisville, home of Ali, feels great for a race this morning! I got up at 3:00 to begin the process of hydrating, eating and preparing for the day. I made it to the bike pen about 5:00, pumped my tires and set the final food stores for the day. The temperature is nice...about 60 or so I would say. Perfect to get the day started.

I was walking back from the bike pen when a majority of folks were headed in the opposite direction. There were a few people laughing, but most had serious looks on thier faces. I am sure I have had that look a few times myself. This is my 7th or 8th Ironman race so I have lost the worry. Cranking some Green Day loud on my headphones and a big smile on my face, I know I have gone the distance before. I am just happy to be here, healthy and able to compete. It is a privelege. There are many folks who would just love to be able to walk...let alone do an Ironman. I am lucky.

FYI...using an application on my iPhone, I calculated my calorie burn today at roughly 13,000 calories. To put that into perspective, that is 200 slices of white bread!

What else? I am starting the Dramamine in about 30 minutes. 1:20 minutes on the water makes me seasick. I have learned from races past that if Dramamine is not in the equation, the first 10 minutes out of the water make me stumble around like I drank a case of beer by myself...without the fun.

I am fired up. Ready. Relaxed.

Will let you know how the race went!

Louisville Day One....

Day One in Louisville has been an interesting day. It started last night on our arrival to the Louisville airport from Seattle. I checked my bike in at the Delta counter in Seattle with the honest hope that it would show up in Louisville the same time as our bodies did. The process is a little like playing the slots in Vegas...you put in the bike in one slot and hope that you at least break even with the bike popping out of the chute when the red light spins and the siren starts at the other end.

After a few pensive moments of watching everyone's luggage circle and few other bike cases pop out, I recognized my case coming out on the belt. I was standing with a few other racers at the time...my joy lasted about two seconds when I recognized that my bike looked like it had either been run over by the plane we flew on, dropped on the tarmac from a height of 100 feet or was in this commercial www.youtube.com/watch?v=gZ8QMaJEtvk . The other racers groaned in unison when they saw it and I am sure all of them were thinking..."Man, it sucks to be you. Christine said my face looked like this






I hauled the bike over to the baggage counter and asked the agent to open the remnants of my case with me as a witness. Inside the case was a TSA inspection slip (Inspector Number XXXXXX) and a spaghetti mix of stuff that I had meticulously bagged and packed. TSA Agent # XXXXXX apparently has boogers for brains and upon ensuring that my $8,000 bike was no peril to security threw all my stuff back in the case and then half-assedly closed it up. I am sure this is his family reunion photo with his brother or sister.




The good news is that my bike survived and I had a good bike test run this morning.

Both Christine and I have been fighting the flu the last three days. I am 95% today, but Christine was in bed all day sicker than a dog...(sorry Pep and Wendell). The flu did not stop me from swimming this morning for 30 minutes in the Ohio River. It was warm (84 Degrees in the water) and very calm. It has an odd oily smell to it, but the three eyed fish don't seem to mind...

Tomorrow will be a day of sleeping, drinking water and eating.

E

My crappy day...by Pepper

My mom decided that since we were going on a road trip through the west that she needed to check with the vet to see if my brother and I needed any shots or meds or anything. So, yesterday, my brother and I got carted off to the vet to get some tests and shots.

Can I whine about my crappy day for a minute? Just once?

I suppose traveling around the country could give us some kind of illness, but having us checked for worms before we go? Come on! If anyone needs checked for worms it is my dad. Here is a guy who has been eating 5,000 calories a day for the last 60 days and is as skinny as a meth addict a week after the unemployment check hit the p.o. box. He is the one the vet should have been checking for worms! My brother and I should be offended. It makes me so mad that I may just do the butt walk on my mom and dad's pillow!!!! Hanging out in dog hell, while someone in a white coat muzzles me and sticks needles in my backside is not anyway to live. There were dogs in cages there...and they were all crying. Thanks mom. Thanks dad.

As a result, we had to get a shot and some stuff that my mom needs to rub on my fur...on my back where I cannot lick it off. I am not happy. It makes me want to move in with my Aunt Nola. At least she is responsible and currently employed.

Now, I guess I can go eat at a Stuckey's restuarant and not worry about getting some disease that will make my hair fall out.

Rantingly,

Pepper

Two weeks to go...by Mr. Wendell

I can see that my blog has been taken over by amatuers: Pepper with her constant snivelling and my dad and his constant talk of Ironman. Both of them make me want to circle three times and plop down for a long nap.

My dad had to revise the trip plan a bit. The number of stops and miles on the initial plan would have left no time in many of the destinations to do anything but hang out for a few hours and move on to the next locale. I say, "If you have seen one tree, you have seen them all", so no fur off of my back.

So, the trip will now hit the following places:


Lake Cour D'Lene, Idaho


Deer Lodge, Montana


Mount Rushmore


Cheyenne, Wyoming


Colorado Springs/Pike's Peak


Sante Fe, New Mexico


Grand Canyon, AZ


Las Vegas, NV


Sequoia National Park, CA


San Francisco/Napa Valley Area, CA


and up Pacific Coast Highway for a few stops.


All of these stops have cool things to see and do...if you have two legs. My sister and I are probably going to wish it was over before we pull out of the driveway. Seeing my dad hang out at a camp site with one of these on his head will make me wish I had not been rescued...






Mr. Wendell

A 140.6 Mile Trip Before The Trip...

In a week, we will be making a detour to Louisville, Kentucky to participate in my 8th full Ironman. 140.6 miles...2.4M Swim, 112M Bike and a 26.2M Run. I am as ready as I have ever been for an Ironman. My bike leg is strong and I am running well. I feel good about the race.

You can track me on race day by going to http://www.ironman.com/ and plug my last name in. If you want to learn more about the actual race go to http://www.ironmanlouisville.com/. This race could be a bit tricky. The average temperature in Louisville on August 31st is 83 degrees. However, being the dog days of summer are here, it could reach into the 90s. Humidity is also a another potential competitor. Lucky for me, I seem to do pretty well in warmer weather and am actually hoping that it gets a little sticky...but not too sticky! An additional fun factor is that Louisville is not all that flat. There are lot of rolling hills. That will add some pain.

I have had a good nine months of training since my last race. The last 60 days in particular have been solid. Anything can happen on race day, but I feel good about my prep.

More on the trip in a few days!

23 Days and Counting, by Pepper and Wendell's Dad

23 days and counting until the big adventure!

I am surprised at how many people have told me that they have always wanted to take a trip like this. Every person I mention this trip to gives me a combination of looks that hint of both wistfulness and envy.

Then I tell them that our two dogs and the in-laws are coming as well. "The look" usually turns into one of "Are you absolutely nuts???!"

People have asked me how my mother and father in law were allowed into this adventure. The honest answer is my lovely wife asked me an impossible question for a husband to answer.
It went down something like this....

"Hey babe (faux cheerfully...), I was telling my parents about the trip. They were really interested and excited about it. You know, it would be cool...if they came along. I really don't want to drive, my dad would suuurrrre be helpful. Would you mind?"

Similar to the infamous guaranteed argument causing "Does this dress make me look fat?" question. There is simply no good answer to a question like that.

Unlike many married males who would have probably started consulting the pre-nuptial agreement before answering, I was able to cheerfully answer yes. I have very cool in-laws and would probably choose to travel with them as friends. They are good and fun people. They are not going to show up on this site http://www.mycrazyin-laws.com/ anytime soon. (Disclaimer: Yes, they do have access to this site....5,100 miles is a long time!)

We are booking hotel and campground nights this week. True to our desire to avoid as many Clark Griswald moments as possible, we are not staying here....

www.texasescapes.com/Preservation/Tee-Pee-Motel-Wharton-Texas.htm


That wraps it for me. Another post from someone in the next 4-5 days.

More about the trip, by Pepper

My brother is such a show boat. I had successfully convinced my parents that learning how to sit, roll over and stay on command is Mensa level genius for a dog. Now, my brother blows all of dogdom's cover by publishing his own blog. Show off. You cannot trust adopted siblings.

Let me give you my perspective on this "ride".

First, you may wonder about the motor home that my brother and I are going to be imprisoned in during my parents quest to acquire crappy gas station chotske's. If you click on the link below, you will see why I am crying in this picture as my parents broke the news to me.

www.cruiseamerica.com/rent/our_vehicles/large_rv.aspx

This is not the Four Seasons like accomodations that my parents normally ensure I stay in. In my opinion, this is one step above living on a sewer grate. If he puts this thing on blocks in a yard somewhere and grows a mullet hair-do, I am going to turn myself into the SPCA and take my chances on someone adopting me.

The trip is 5,100 miles long. 5,100 miles in a 28 foot long aluminum can on wheels with my brother, parents and grandparents. Along the way, we are going to stop www.nps.gov/grte/photosmultimedia/index.htm and here www.nps.gov/yose/index.htm and here www.allaboutshoes.ca/en/paths_across/diversity/index_3.php. I was hoping we would stop here www.hydrantpark.com/july.htm ...but my dad is only wanting to see boring, historic places...yawn. I can watch the Travel Channel from the comfort of my king sized bed and see that stuff...so boring it leads to snoring.

Anyways, keep watching our site.

Pepper

The Countdown Begins...

Pepper and I's big adventure will begin in about 30 days!!!

My mom and dad got the bright idea that we were going to rent something called a "Winnebago" and "Go for A Ride". I love going for a ride as much as the next dog...as long as it is not to that scary place where they stick the thermometer in my keester and cut my nails...but I have to tell you, I am a little nervous about this one.

Hold on a minute, I have to scratch my ear...

It seems that my mom and dad want to go hit all of the cheesy tourist traps in the Western U.S.: The biggest ball of string, The worlds largest shoe collection. As well as some cool places like: The Grand Canyon. Sequoia National Park (I cannot wait to lift my leg on one of those bad-boys), Napa and the Hoover Dam.

They figured the best way to do this was to load me and my sister Pepper into the "Winnebago" and drive to all of these places. My dad decided he wanted to stop in Vegas as well. Great idea dad. I wonder how your pals at your weekly Gamblers Anonymous meeting will greet you after you have spent all of your 401K on blackjack...again.

My Grandma and Grandpa have decided to come with us. I love those guys. When they are around, I get away with all kinds of stuff. Having them around to buy me treats and scratch my belly is always good.

My OCD mom and dad have put together something called a spreadsheet that has each of the stops, the mileage down to the tenth of a mile, costs of everything and other details that are sure to take all of the spontaneity and fun out of the whole thing.

Knowing my dad, he has figured out how to sync the schedule up to a marathon. Of course, he will act as surprised as he can fake when he announces that there just happens to be a marathon at one of the locations (after we are already there)...everyone will see right through it. He is not fooling anybody. I will fix him by chewing his running shoes if he even hints at something like that.

Anyways, I will keep you all posted as the trip gets closer. Time for a nap.

Mr. Wendell