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!