Reed visits Colorado 2009

Reed visited us for nearly a week, and we had a blast. We did everything we could think of and then some. Activities included tennis; go-carting; skee ball; learning to score baseball games, and going to a Rockies game; inventing a dice-based, paper baseball game; getting a Rockies autograph; playing ball with Grandpa and Charley; strolling the Pearl Street Mall and getting presents for his family; dropping Mento's into Coke bottles and watching the explosion; watching Apollo 13 for the first time; and learning to use iMovie on a Mac and making the video below.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sKREAKov198

The Long Road to Lake Placid 2009

July 2009

Lake Placid Ironman 2009

Iron week finally arrived. Joani and I drove up to Lake Placid on the Tuesday before the big race, giving us plenty of time to get settled. I got in several swims in beautiful Mirror Lake, where the actual swim course is marked by an underwater wire that makes "sighting" very easy during the race. I also did a few last easy runs and bike rides including the 6 mile downhill into the town of Keene.

I went over my training and was confident I was well prepared. I checked my logs to be sure I had trained and raced enough. I had, in fact trained a bit more than in 2007. Since I signed up for this race a year ago, I had done 14 races, including 3 marathons and 2 half iron tri's, racing for a total of 315 miles in some 42 hours. Since I began training hard for this race in January (2009), I had covered nearly 1,500 miles during about 200 hours of training. I was ready.

On Saturday, I racked my bike, and hung my transition bags in the transition area. These were the last steps before a final night's sleep and then a day of fun in the sun.

Or so I thought. For the past few days, Joani had been complaining of chest pains. Thinking it would go away (as most aches and pains do), we (she) tried to ignore it. By Saturday, however, the problem was too severe to ignore, so we decided to have the local Emergency room fix the problem so Joani could more comfortably watch the race.

Ha!

Little did we suspect that she had had a pulmonary embolism (i.e. a blood clot in the lung), that required immediate hospitalization and treatment. So, by 7pm on Saturday evening, we found ourselves set up in the Adirondack Medical Center for what would turn out to be days of drugs, IV's, and hospital food. No Ironman for me in 2009, but at least Joani was on the mend.

I retrieved up my bike and my gear during the Race on Sunday. It was very exciting to see the race from the spectator's perspective. The transition area looked very lonely with all the participants out on the course, and only my lonely red Kestrel left in transition :-(

June 2009

Eagleman Half Iron

I was pumped and ready for Eagleman. This has been one of my favorite races, although I had not done it since 2005. I had my best EM swim ever at 42 minutes. I kissed a jelly fish along the way, and had numb lips for the start of the bike. My ride was my worst ever, and my run was middling for me at EM. We got wind in the face on the back half of the bike, and a hot/humid day by the time I get to the run. My final time was right between my best and worst at that race, totalling 6:44. I'll take it as a good Ironman training race.

May 2009

Jim McDonald swims

I had a fair one mile swim at 36 mins. My two miler was 1:15 which was 3 mins faster than last year. For each of the past two years, I metaled in both 1 and 2 mile races. This year the field was deeper and faster, so I didn't medal. Good swims however.

Columbia Tri

The race started well, with 70 degree water in a cool drizzly morning. I had a fair swim time, with lots of jostling at the start. Halfway through the bike I flatted. Fixed it in about 11 mins, but flatted again within a minute. Fixed it again, and made it 10 mins before m final flat. No more spares, so I waited for the Sag Wagon. It took over an hour to arrive, so I took a ride back to transition, where I had a very good run. Such are the problems out on the trail.

Potomac River Run Marathon

Ran my second Marathon in 2 weeks. Except for Boston, this was my best time since 2003 MCM. Nice cool day with intermittent rain. I had a good first half, tough 3rd quarter, but got my mojo back for the final leg. Like Boston, I ran this without planned walk breaks other than very short ones at water stations. Also, I only carried GU, but used race provided drinks...this worked just fine. My goal pace was 11:30...I did 10:36 for first half, and 12:06 for second half. Final time was 4:57:50 or 11:22 per mile. I should work on longer interval training to try to get my late run pace up.

This was a very small race, with few fans, and few participants. It was lonely out there...no one to talk to, and no cheering. I suspect this will be the last time they hold this race.

April 2009

The Boston Marathon

This was my first Boston. It was different and exciting. About 23,000 runners. Unlike most races the course is point-to-point...we were bussed 26.2 miles out of town, and ran back to the center of Boston. The logistics of the race are no fun. Race day was cool (45-50) and windy (in your face, mostly). I ran with Rob and his speedy wife, Beth. We lined up for the outbound buses at 7am. We endured the wind for 45 minutes, and then boarded big yellow school buses (Marathon day is a holiday in Boston, so school buses are readily available). We took the Mass Turnpike out to Hopkinton where the race starts. I must say, it seemed like a very long ride. Then we endured the wind for another hour or so, waiting for a 10:30 start.

The race itself was truly awesome. They say there were 500,000 fans lining the course. I can believe it. The Wellesley girls (and a few guys) were screaming so loudly, I had to back away from their side of the road...this despite the inviting signs the girls held, like, "Kiss me, I'm from Wellesley", and other raunchier ones. My race went great for the first 2o miles or so. I clocked in at below 10 minutes/mile for the first half, and held a good 11 minute/mile pace for much of the second half. However, by mile 20 or so (just beyond Heartbreak Hill, which I found way overrated), my quads started talking to me. They continued talking louder and louder as I approached the finish. By the time I could see the Prudential Center (with about three miles to go), my quads were hurting my ears.

But, I toughed it out, and finished with my best Marathon time in 16 years! Came in at 4:43:57. Hooorah!

October 2008

Marine Corps Marathon

I did my first MCM since 2003, and had a great day. I finished ahead of plan, and felt great for the whole race. My 5:06:45 finish was pretty well normal for me. The day was sunny and cool, and the 20,000 participants had great support along the entire course. As usual, I met a number of interesting participants. One woman was wearing a "Marathon in all 50 States" tee shirt. She had run a marathon in each State (obviously). In fact, she said she had done so twice...the first time it took her 10 years, the second only 4. In total, she said she had run 241 marathons! Pretty amazing.

The MCM has changed the course of the race since I last ran it, and the new course goes along Canal Road and MacArthur Boulevard. Much to my surprise, when I told fellow runners that I grew up near there, they didn't seem to care :-( .

September 2008

The Nation's Tri September 14

This was a new race for me (only the third running). The swim is in the Potomac, starting just east of the Memorial Bridge. You swim upstream and go under the bridge, then turn back to the start. The water was warm (78) and the current was minimal...not a bad swim. I did 34 mins, which was a bit slow from me, and probably due to some current.

The bike ride was great. All traffic was blocked, so the roads were clear and fast. Most of the ride was on Canal Road and the Clara Barton Parkway. I've ridden these roads countless times, but never without traffic. Rock on!

The run was through scenic downtown DC. We ran past countless monuments and memorials, as well as the Capitol and numerous museums. However, it was hot, and my run was slow. Overall I did 3:28 and placed 13 out of 16 in my age group.

I don't know if I will do this Urban Tri again. There were 2700 or so participants. The logistics were difficult. We had to register the day prior, and rack bikes that day. However the registration and transition area were 3 miles apart. They had buses, but getting around DC was a challenge. Note to self...park at the registration hotel and take the shuttle. On race morning, I arrived at 4 am so that I could park near the trans area. That was ok, but my wave didn't go until about 8:30 am, so I had a long wait, with nowhere to sit :-(. Note to self...stay at the Race Hotel, and take the shuttles. All in all, it was a fun race, but a logistical mess.

August 2008

Steamboat Springs Tri (Long Sprint) August 24

This is one of the prettiest locations for any of the many Tri's I have done. It's in Steamboat Springs, need I say more?

I had 2/3's of great race here this year. My swim seemed impossibly fast. I did the 3/4 mile swim in just under 24 minutes, versus last year when it took me 29 minutes. At 24 minutes, my pace was 1 minute 48 seconds per hundred yards. While this blazing speed won't win me any Olympic Gold, it was at least 15 seconds per 100 faster than any other race I have done. I was really pumped when I got out of the water and saw my time. All the more excited when I saw Joani who had arrived just in time to see me finish the swim. The air did not come out of that balloon until the awards ceremony when the race director mentioned that he had mis-measured the swim course, and it was shorter than normal (c'est la vie!).

My run was just a bit faster than last year, but I'm just a bit older, so I'll take it. My great disappointment, however was the bike. I did the first half very fast (for me), but bombed on the second half. I had a headwind coming back, which put me 9 minutes behind last year. Adding it all up, I was 5 minutes slower than last year, and finished 5th in my age group. It was fun, however!

5430 Sports Long Course Tri (Half Ironman) August 10

I did the 5430Sports Long Course (i.e. 70.3 mile, half ironman distance) race in Boulder on August 10. My time was 7:03, and each event went pretty much as planned. I had to train during a record string of 24 consecutive 90 plus degree days. The temperature broke just before the race, and race day was overcast and a pleasant 80 or so...whew!

Of note during the race: at about mile 15 of the bike, while cruising down a long hill at about 25mph, I got hit on the helmet, and then, a split second later felt a similar hit on the knee. The knee hit became a sharp pain, which was caused by a bee! I think it ran into my helmet, and then bounced to my knee. How it managed to latch on at that incredible speed, I do not know. He gave his life for a taste my blood, but I survived, although the swelling reached about 3 inches in diameter by the time I finished to bike.

As usual, I had to make the tough decision as to whether this was a life threatening event. I decided I could endure the pain, and finish the race.

July 2008

The road to LP09 began in July of '08. The Lake Placid Ironman is one of the most popular. Getting a slot is difficult. In the olden days, you could go online the day after the race, and sign up for the following year. With the increased popularity of the race however, they changed the procedure, and gave first preference to current year competitors, who could sign up the day before the current year's race. Next priority went to people who came to Lake Placid in person, who could sign up the day after the race. And the, if the race was not yet full, you could sign up online on the Monday after the race. This year, however, no such slots were available. They were all taken by '08 competitors, and spectators.

Fortunately, of the 2,200 or so total slots, about 400 are reserved for those willing to make a donation to a Charity set up to help Lake Placid residents. And even more fortunate, the Ironman offices are located in Boulder! So, once I saw that no online slots were available, at Joani's suggestion, I headed down to the Ironman office and got slots for Rob and myself. It was not cheap, but it had to be done.

Bike meets Motocycle

Ok, would you believe that while I was out for a training ride, a guy in a motorcycle pulls up beside me and challenges me to a race? And that although he pulled ahead, I caught up to him on a straight away, and then he stopped suddenly and I smashed into the back of his Harley? Would you believe it if I showed you my picture after the event?

Ok, ok, so you're not buying that huh? How about if I told you I was cruising along, fussing with my iPod, and I rammed into the back of a Harley stopped by the side of the road? After I picked myself up, the Harley driver (who was not touched), was all upset about whether I might have scratched the motorcycle. Turns out he was a repair tech, and was not supposed to be out on that bike, so all he cared about was whether he might have messed up a customer's bike.

Not surprisingly, the motorcycle was fine. Not so for the inattentive triathlete. Joani had to come and rescue me again, because my front wheel was flat, bent, and generally ruined. I had a gash in my leg, and seemed to have lost some of my chin. Fortunately the bleeding stopped by the time the Joani rescue service arrived. We packed up my bike, and I was able to drive myself to the local emergency room. They welcomed me back (I had visited in May for another training injury) and hustled me in.

My leg only required two stickes, but my chin needed four subcutaneous stitches, and fifteen (that's right, 15!) on the outside. They said my face may not longer be as photogenic as it once was, and that my hopes of starring in the next Indy Jones movie is probably not going to happen.

I'm happy to say, that me and my bike will recover. I pick up the bike this afternoon...I don't think I will heal quite as quickly.

Jase and gang head home :-(

Jase and the gang wrapped up their visit on Sunday. We were sad to see them go, but everyone had a great time and we look forward to next year.

By the end of the week, Brady had advanced from the kids beginner slope, level 1, to skiing the big mountain from the Thunderhead Lodge all the way down the Why Not trail to the bottom. Not bad for 5 days on the slopes. Reed honed his skills, and was skiing powder, trees, and jumps. He will be hard to catch in another year or two. Jordan continued her ski-less vacation with more snowshoeing, plus tubing, ice skating, and shopping. A great time was had by all.

Below is a video of some of the highlights from the visit:

Brady and friends arrive in Steamboat :-)

It's winter break here in Steamboat and the Golomb's have come back to visit. Brady is back in kids ski school, and he is doing fine. After class we take him up on the "real" mountain, and he aims down hill, and goes. He can't stop yet, so when he is ready to stop, he just drops to the ground, drags his butt, and sooner or later, he stops. He is a bold child.

Reed will take a lesson or two, but he mostly ski's with the grownups. Jock that he is, he can ski all the green's (easiest), all the blue's (medium hard) he has tried, and some of the blacks.

Jordan is injured with a broken wrist. She and I have been snow shoeing which is working out just fine. She is also learning how to edit computer video, and we will share some of her work later in the week.

Good snow conditions so far.

Buddy Werner shrinks

Snow does funny things out here. Compare Buddy (the statue) standing next to Joani in March 2008, to Buddy standing next to Kris, Jordan and Reed a year earlier.

Bonus Powder day in March

We've had a great winter here in Steamboat. But come March, and it usually starts to warm up, so you can't expect the snow to be quite as good as it was in January. But this week we got lucky and caught a cold snowstorm, and that means light, fluffy powder! We got 22 inches over the weekend, and we took advantage. Here's some more video of our powder adventures:

Wind, Snow, Warm, Cold ... weird weather

It's been strange out here in Steamboat. It's been mostly cold and snowy...since early December. But we have also had lots of wind. Today they closed ALL the lifts due to wind. We've never seen that since we've been out here. The lifts reopened by 10am, so it was not a total loss. The last two days it has warmed up enough that I was able to run outside for the first time all winter...again, not a total loss. Here are some recent pictures for you.

Shoveling snow off Steamboat rooftops
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Snow drifts on Storm Peak

Snow, snow and more snow

It has been quite a month here in Steamboat. It has snowed practically every day, and we have been out in it up to our waists.

Clearing snow from roof of Ski Patrol Hut on Storm Peak

We have not seen much sun, but we sure have seen the snow, wind, fog, and cold temps. Just like we like it out here in the mountains. Check out Joani skiing thru the powder in video below.









Deep powder on the mountain

Snow plowed up to the Stop Sign outside our condo

Summit County Ski Trip

I took my annual ski trip with my MIT buddies this week and we skied in Summit County, CO: Breckenridge and Copper Mountain. Gerry joined Mel and Neal this year, along with Neals son Darrin. There was fresh powder, great groomed runs, and lots of challenging terrain. (Click on the photo's here to enlarge them).



Yesterday we happened to come across a photo shoot outside the cafeteria at Copper Mountain. You don't see skimpily clad models out in the snow very often.



Today we skied the back bowls of Copper. We hiked to limited access terrain where the only way down was over a 90 degree (straight down) ridge. The ski patrol was controlling the area, and only allowing one skier down at a time. Mel, never one for following orders, jumped over the edge without ever getting in line. The ski patroller was not happy, and yelled Mel to a halt, and yelled reprimands his way. Mel couldn't hear a thing, so he caught his breath and rode right on out. I got down ok, despite my 360 degree flip near the end.

Later, Mel and I found ourselves at the top of a Super Pipe. I invited Mel to give it a try, but he chickened out. I dropped in and rode it to the bottom. When Mel got down, he informed me that there was a line of boarders waiting to ride the pipe, and I jumped ahead of them all. They did not have nice things to say about me. Boy's just gotta have their fun, don't you know!

Here's some video too:

Chuck and family visit Steamboat

We had a nice visit from Chuck and family at Steamboat. Weather delayed their visit but nobody seemed to mind receiving their gifts a few days late. Charley build three new lego models including a 331 piece, giant truck (construction still underway when they had to return home). He also mastered an introductory Sudoku game, learned more about the Cosmos from books and the Discovery channel, and advanced his skiing skills.

Josephine played with her dolls and fussed over baby Gabriella, who was active and adorable as you might expect from a six month old.

You can link to more photos at: http://www.flickr.com/gp/96515697@N00/806NoP

Also, here is video of one of our skiing adventures.

Shortest day of the year

We were out by 8:05 and back home by 9:55. We only skied 6,690 vertical feet (vs a typical day of 20k or so), before we gave in to cold and poor visibility. Due to high winds yesterday and overnight, the snow was hard and crusty, despite the nearly continue snowfall for days. Wind does that. Yesterday, there were whiteouts on the mountain, and we even got caught in one while driving home from lunch. We had to creep along Mt. Werner Circle Rd trying to follow the tail lights ahead without hitting them or driving off the road. Life is hard out here in Steamboat.

Happy New Year and a prosperous 2008 to my vast reading audience!

Another Foot

We awoke to another foot of snow in Steamboat. We got to the early lift opening only to find long lines of locals and visitors. We never made it up to Storm Peak due to long lift lines, but we did ski all over the Sunshine side of the mountain, as well as the runs off the Four Points Lift. Need I say more than "powder, powder, powder"? Up to my knees and beyond. A snow capped rock illustrates the snow coverage, and this video should give you a feel for the lines and the powder.

Frigid!

It was mighty chilly in Steamboat today. It was +10 at our condo when we returned from the mountain at noon. We took advantage of the early lift opening today, and we caught the gondy at about 8:15. It was -1 when we stopped at the Four Points Hut after only one run. Nevertheless, the snow was excellent with a fresh inch of new stuff on top of 35 inches that fell earlier this week. Life is tough in Steamboat.

More snow in Steamboat

Bob and Cheryl have really brought the snow. We had another foot or more last night, and have had over three feet in the last four days. Bob and Cheryl have been all over the mountain with us. It's all open now, except for some of the most difficult terrain. All the lifts are running. Today, Bob and I opened Pioneer Ridge for the first time this season. It was unbelievable how much powder was up there. Click below for a video of our ski adventure. More video can be seen on YouTube.

Bob and Cheryl visit Steamboat

Bob and Cheryl arrived in Steamboat and the snow came with them. We got out early today, and found about 6 inches of new snow. It was deeper on the mountain, and it snowed all day. We had snow, we had fog, we had wind...a perfect day in Steamboat. We dined at Hazie's for lunch, and didn't get in until 3pm.

Here is some video of Cheryl in the deep powder.

Pow Pow!

Steamboat got its first BIG dump of the season today. We've logged over 15 inches in the last 24 hours. Joani and I were out at the opening bell, and discovered, gasp, lines at the Gondola. Soooo, we took the new Christie Peak Express 6-pack half way up the mountain, and began our day from there. The snowfall just kept coming. More snow predicted over the next week. See me smiling?

Here is some video of Joani and me heading down Rainbow.

Weekend in Longmont

We spent this weekend in Longmont. We had tough duty watching Charley, Josephine, and sometimes even Gabriella, while parents prepared for and threw a holiday party. Gabriella is now 6 months old, and is adorable, responsive and quite interactive. Click this link for some live action video of the little angel. Charley wowed us with his model building prowess. He needs the barest amount of help the first time or two he builds a new model, but thereafter, he won't even accept help. Watch this to see him in action. And finally, we tested out our backyard as a sledding hill, and it passed with flying colors. Harvey, Charley and Josephine had fun, while Gramma supervised and was our videographer. Here is the video.

Ski Season 2007-8!

Ski season is finally here again. We came up from Boulder (or "Longmont" if you want to be picky) to find marginal snow coverage, many changes on the mountain, and an unbelievable amount of construction going on all over town.

I headed down to the Recreation center which is undergoing a big renovation itself. I swam while Joani prepared our winter's worth of homecooked food. You can see the new water slide under construction behind me.

Our friend Bill Ward ("Carol's other half) was in town to autograph copies of his recently published book about Cowboy artist "Bill Gollings". Check our copy out when you next visit us.

The snow finally started falling for real, so we hit the slopes for the first time on Saturday. We got in a few hours each day for the next few, and found conditions quite good. The video below is from a run we took on Sunday, down Buddy's run.



The Gondola has a new main cable (3.4 miles of a single steel wire!). The three lifts at the bottom of the mountain have been replaced with two, including a six-person, high speed lift. This makes for much more room at the base, in addition to the regrading which has eliminated many difficult (for beginners) pitches on the lower mountain.

There is also a lot of new construction right at the base of the Gondola. In this picture you can see two vertical cranes that are being used for the new buildings that will be in the former parking lot just below the Gondy building. As Bob Dylan said, "the things they are a'changin'".

Tri for Your Cause (Boulder)

September 15

I did a long sprint in Boulder. The swim was a quick 1/2 mile, with water temp about 20 degrees warmer than the air. The 25 mile bike course is a fast loop around Boulder and Longmont. I was settling in at about mile 5 when I went off the shoulder and found myself one with road. My right thumb hurt and was bleeding nicely. I had some abrasions on my left leg and hand. I had also hit my head, but that did not hurt. The dedicated athletes in Colorado completely ignored me as they zoomed by.

So, I faced the Athlete's Dilemma .. to DNF (Did Not Finish) or risk bleeding to death trying (through the thumb). I only had 20 miles of the bike course left, so I headed out, determined to complete the race.

I finished the bike, no worse for the effort, and decided to try the run which I completed in about 30 minutes, a good time for me.

Feeling ok, I decided to have the EMTs who were standing by check me out. They cleaned up my wounds and suggested that I have my thumb checked out by a Doctor. As I started to leave, one of them said "hey, what about that cut above your eye?" I didn't realize it was even there, but they said I should have that checked out too.

So, off to the local emergency room.

The net of it all, is that I got seven stitches above my eye, and sprained my thumb. It remains to be seen how serious the thumb problem is. More importantly, I finished 3rd in my age group.

Steamboat Triathlon

August 26

This was my first full tri after the Lake Placid Ironman. I trained hard for this race, having arrived in Steamboat a week prior to the race. The venue was as scenic as they come. A beautiful mountain lake with a very fast bike ride through the town of Steamboat and a run around the lake. The race is only three years old and is gaining in popularity. There were some 600 participants, including 9 in my esteemed age group. Joani and Mac (a skiing buddy) came out to cheer me on. My winter fitness coach was also doing the race and we had a dinner bet on the outcome...she is a trainer and 20 years my junior.

The morning was cool and clear (40 degrees). The beautiful mountain lake is full of seaweed and other organic matter. My swim time was a bit slower than I expected. My bike, however was excellent. I managed just over 20 mph on the first half, and finished at over 18 overall. Then I had a good 4 mile run. This got me a 4th place in my age group, but my coach beat me by 30 seconds!

Details: .75 mile swim, 20 mile bike, 4 mile run
Swim :29 min, Bike: 1:06, Run :42 min, Total 2:22

[click on photos to enlarge]

Splash and Dash

I did an interesting race in Boulder on Aug 16. This is a weekly event held at the Boulder Reservoir. It consist of a 1500 meter swim and a 5k run. It is all quite casual. About 2-300 entries per week. Most people come right from work. Most drive, but many bike there. After checking in with registration, you just lay your gear out on the grass overlooking the reservoir. The swim is two loops and the run is an out and back around the reservoir. Most participants are quite good. Lot's of fit, young folks as you might expect.

While finishing my run, a woman caught up to me, and we were chatting. She was doing her cooldown lap after having finished the race who knows how long before me. We chatted about races we had done, and it turns out she had done numerous Ironman events, including Hawaii EIGHT times.

My time was 1:06 which got me a third place in the Social Security age group.

Lake Placid July 22, 2007

Race morning was cool and crystal clear. This year there were some 2,000 athletes vs only 1,600 in 2003. The pre-race tension was palpable. At 7am, the fun began.

I had a great swim coming in at 1 hour 23 minutes. That was a personal record ("PR") for me. As usual the swim started out all knees and elbows. I got smacked and kicked, but gave as good as I got. About half way through the first lap of the swim, I was got close to the buoy line and was able to hold that for most of the rest of the swim. I finished strong, had my wetsuit stripped by the peelers and hustled off to the changing tent.

The first lap of the bike course was great. I was strong on the uphill portions, and was able to focus and ride hard on the flats. Naturally, the downhills were exhilarating. I had a fast first lap, but a headwind, and tired legs slowed me down on the second lap. Nevertheless, I completed the bike ride in 8 hours and 8 minutes, only 4 minutes slower than my previous best bike time.

I saw my tri buddies Chuck and John late in lap two, and I saw my loyal fan contingent everywhere. Joani biked out to the hill called "Papa Bear" twice and saw me struggle to the top. She then hustled back to the center of town, to see me begin my next event. Arlene and Roger (sister and brother-in-law) had a great view of the race from the road in front of the Marriott Courtyard. Jason and his kids mostly hung out there too, and they enthusiastically greeted me every time I went by.

Now, having completed the bike before 5pm, I could finally begin my run. It's always fun to begin a Marathon right after a brisk little bike ride. The first 13.1 miles of the run were tough. My legs were stiff and achy at first. By the time they loosened up, I realized that I had raised blisters on each foot. Such is the life of an Ironman. I really did feel stronger on the second run lap, and by then the sun had set, and the much cooler temps were a blessing. I saw many of my tri buddies on the run. Patricia was about a half a lap ahead of me. I didn't see John R, because he was nearly done when I started running. I saw Chuck during my first lap, and was surprised that he did not catch me. Later I saw Rob and John E but I did not think they would catch up at that point. I never saw Andy, but I finished the race with Brook.

My fan contingent was great on the run. Jase, Jordan and Reed had no problem keeping up with me when I got to their viewing spots. They paced me and we chatted. Roger and Arlene were busy snapping pictures, and Joani was everywhere...encouraging me, cheering, giving me time updates, etc. She managed to catch me 9 times during the day!

My primary goal for the day was to beat my previous best time of 15:59. Most of the day I figured I had that made. Ha! Late in the second run lap, I realized I had better speed things up. When I got back into town, with only 2 miles to go I was able to knock 2 minutes per mile off my pace and finished strong. That put me over the line in a brisk 15 hours and 50 minutes, nine minutes faster than my previous best!

I crossed the finish line with most of my fan contingent in tow.



On Monday, a bunch of us got together for a late breakfast. That's me on the left. Andy completed his first Ironman after only two years of tri's. Rob finished his fifth Ironman, and did so without training. Patricia knocked over an hour off her previous best time! Chuck got a monkey off his back by finishing this year after having medical problems that prevented his finish in 2003. And John E finished his first Ironman during his first tri season.

So, what will we do for fun next year?