Another great day!!!
Tuesday, August 9, 2011
Friday, October 30, 2009
Tuesday, September 15, 2009
The Final Chapter
Sunday September 13, 2009. Had a restless sleep. I was flopping around like a fish on the deck of a boat. Alarm went off at 6:00 a.m.. I had been awake since 5. Had a bite to eat and a fast shower. Headed up to the transition area with the rest of my gear for the day. Laid it all out by my bike. Checked the tires on the bike. Pumped them up a bit. Found one of the body markers and got my number put on both arms and my age on my calf. Wandered around a bit and then we headed back to the room. Nerves were full on.
The Swim 1.9K
We were lucky with our room in that we basically walked out of the building and were at the swim start. The pro men were to start at 8:00am. I was not off until 8:27. Put my race gear on and then put the wetsuit over top. Lots of adjustments to make sure there was no resistance on my shoulders. We headed down to watch the pro men go off. They are fast. One speed and its fast. Just around 8:15 they herded my age group down to the water. Got in the water and adjusted the goggles. No leaks and took some warmup. Everything felt excellent. So much so that I did not even take my goggles off after that. My strategy on the swim was to try and stay out of the traffic but still take the shortest route around the buoys. I started on the inside and as soon as I took my first few strokes I knew I was in the right zone. A little bumping in the first 500 metres. I hugged the inside of the course all the way around. I never broke my stroke even one time. I knew I rounded the last buoy and spotted the finish. Was a little crowded getting to the line. I was passing different colored caps from the group 6 minutes ahead of me and even some that started 12 minutes in front of me. Hit the stairs and had a glance at my watch. It was my best swim ever at the most important time. Felt really good. I heard the chirp when I stepped over the timing mat. My official swim time 38 minutes and 6 seconds. Its kind of chaos when you exit the water. But I did manage to hear Linda and Tanya calling me and I think I smiled at them. Was hoping for a sub 45 minute swim. So call it a big success.
Transition 1
After exiting the water we ran across the 18th fairway to a golf cart path that goes 300 meters up a hill and then around the Deerhurst resort to the main parking lot which is where the bikes were. Started to unzip my wetsuit while kind of running to my stop in transition. Arrived at my bike and pulled off my wetsuit. It was overcast and a bit cold so I decided to wear my cycling jersey instead of my tri top. Helmet on..shoes on...banana in my back and some Powerbar bites. Two gatorades bottles with me and off I go to get to the bike start. Hustled as best as I could in cycling shoes to the bike start line. Probably about 100 metres from my bike transition spot. My transition time was 8 minutes and 9 seconds.
THE BIKE - 94K
I had been doing long rides of this distance every weekend. Also had rode the course in June. So I knew what to expect. Lots of hills. Only a couple real big ones. The only thing I was concerned about was having mechanical problems. Over the course I passed lots of people who were stopped with a wheel off changing a flat. Even saw a guy in front of me snap his chain. There were 2 trucks circulating the course to help with major mechanical issues. Thankfully I had no issues at all. Made my way around the course and the time seemed to fly by. It was fun riding through the small towns. The residents lined the streets to cheer us on. With so many people in the race I was never alone on the course. That also helped. I rode in groups at times and other times I was with only a few. Very rarely was I not near another rider. Had a chat to a few guys. There was one guy and I would pass him and then he would pass me and then back and forth. We had a laugh about it. The final hill at the 90K mark was a big one. I thought for sure my thighs were going to explode. There was actually one person that I saw walking their bike up the hill. Hit the home stretch and the road was lined with people cheering. Heard Linda and Tanya calling my name and spotted them. I am pretty sure I smiled at them again. My official bike time was 3 hours twenty-three minutes and 42 seconds. Was targeting to be under 3hours 30 minutes. Another success.
Transition 2
As I was walking my bike into transition I passed the spot where the pro men were and there was a guy packing up his gear. He was done already!!! Had a chuckle and made my way to my parking spot. Ditched the bike stuff and put on the running/shuffling gear. With the bike ride done and no mechanical issues it was at this moment that I knew that nothing could stop me from finishing now. Headed out of transition to the run course. T2 time was 3 minutes and 55 seconds.
The Run - 21.1K
I have only ran this distance one other time. The Ajax half marathon and got a 1hour 53 minute time. I had no illusions on ripping off a time like that but I thought maybe if I could take and extra minute or so for every km then maybe a 2:15ish was possible. But the hills on the bike really took a toll on my legs. They were tight right from the minute I attempted to take my first run stride. I passed Linda and Tanya on my way out to the run course and this time I know for sure I did smile. I figured only a couple more hours and I would be done. Probably 2 and a half for sure would do it. There was a hill that led up to the first k mark. I was running/shuffling up to that point. At the bottom of the hill my thighs started to tighten even more. Before they full on cramped I decided I had better walk up this hill. There were tons of people walking the hills on the course. All the way through. Made it to the 1 k mark and thought ok only 20 to go. The aid stations were every 2 k and I walked every one of them to make sure I got re-hydrated. They had water, gatorade, pepsi, power gels and pretzels. The k's ticked by and I walked every hill and ran the flats. At times I lost track of what k marker was coming up. I remember thinking that the 19k mark was coming up and thinking great...only 2k left. But when I got to the marker it said 18k and I was so disappointed. The last 6 k of the run was a real struggle since there were plenty of hills. Hit the 20k mark. The home stretch ahead. Saw Linda again on my way into the finish. I am pretty sure we high-fived. Only 100 meters left. I heard the announcer call my name and across the finish line I went. My run time was 2 hours 41 minutes and 46 seconds....Ouch......
Total time for the event was 6 hours 55 minutes and 38 seconds.
I really enjoyed the day. I was never in any real distress. I had trained hard and trusted my training. No stomach or nutrition issues. I need to figure out why the run was so tough. Was there something I could have taken to help. Salt tablets...magnesium tablets.
So thats it. The journey is done. A big thanks to Linda and Tanya for their support and cheers for the day. And to my whole family for putting up with a sweaty stinky workout room in the basement and all the time I spent training to chase the Ironman dream.
Today my friends....I am IRONMAN !!!
BW
The Swim 1.9K
We were lucky with our room in that we basically walked out of the building and were at the swim start. The pro men were to start at 8:00am. I was not off until 8:27. Put my race gear on and then put the wetsuit over top. Lots of adjustments to make sure there was no resistance on my shoulders. We headed down to watch the pro men go off. They are fast. One speed and its fast. Just around 8:15 they herded my age group down to the water. Got in the water and adjusted the goggles. No leaks and took some warmup. Everything felt excellent. So much so that I did not even take my goggles off after that. My strategy on the swim was to try and stay out of the traffic but still take the shortest route around the buoys. I started on the inside and as soon as I took my first few strokes I knew I was in the right zone. A little bumping in the first 500 metres. I hugged the inside of the course all the way around. I never broke my stroke even one time. I knew I rounded the last buoy and spotted the finish. Was a little crowded getting to the line. I was passing different colored caps from the group 6 minutes ahead of me and even some that started 12 minutes in front of me. Hit the stairs and had a glance at my watch. It was my best swim ever at the most important time. Felt really good. I heard the chirp when I stepped over the timing mat. My official swim time 38 minutes and 6 seconds. Its kind of chaos when you exit the water. But I did manage to hear Linda and Tanya calling me and I think I smiled at them. Was hoping for a sub 45 minute swim. So call it a big success.
Transition 1
After exiting the water we ran across the 18th fairway to a golf cart path that goes 300 meters up a hill and then around the Deerhurst resort to the main parking lot which is where the bikes were. Started to unzip my wetsuit while kind of running to my stop in transition. Arrived at my bike and pulled off my wetsuit. It was overcast and a bit cold so I decided to wear my cycling jersey instead of my tri top. Helmet on..shoes on...banana in my back and some Powerbar bites. Two gatorades bottles with me and off I go to get to the bike start. Hustled as best as I could in cycling shoes to the bike start line. Probably about 100 metres from my bike transition spot. My transition time was 8 minutes and 9 seconds.
THE BIKE - 94K
I had been doing long rides of this distance every weekend. Also had rode the course in June. So I knew what to expect. Lots of hills. Only a couple real big ones. The only thing I was concerned about was having mechanical problems. Over the course I passed lots of people who were stopped with a wheel off changing a flat. Even saw a guy in front of me snap his chain. There were 2 trucks circulating the course to help with major mechanical issues. Thankfully I had no issues at all. Made my way around the course and the time seemed to fly by. It was fun riding through the small towns. The residents lined the streets to cheer us on. With so many people in the race I was never alone on the course. That also helped. I rode in groups at times and other times I was with only a few. Very rarely was I not near another rider. Had a chat to a few guys. There was one guy and I would pass him and then he would pass me and then back and forth. We had a laugh about it. The final hill at the 90K mark was a big one. I thought for sure my thighs were going to explode. There was actually one person that I saw walking their bike up the hill. Hit the home stretch and the road was lined with people cheering. Heard Linda and Tanya calling my name and spotted them. I am pretty sure I smiled at them again. My official bike time was 3 hours twenty-three minutes and 42 seconds. Was targeting to be under 3hours 30 minutes. Another success.
Transition 2
As I was walking my bike into transition I passed the spot where the pro men were and there was a guy packing up his gear. He was done already!!! Had a chuckle and made my way to my parking spot. Ditched the bike stuff and put on the running/shuffling gear. With the bike ride done and no mechanical issues it was at this moment that I knew that nothing could stop me from finishing now. Headed out of transition to the run course. T2 time was 3 minutes and 55 seconds.
The Run - 21.1K
I have only ran this distance one other time. The Ajax half marathon and got a 1hour 53 minute time. I had no illusions on ripping off a time like that but I thought maybe if I could take and extra minute or so for every km then maybe a 2:15ish was possible. But the hills on the bike really took a toll on my legs. They were tight right from the minute I attempted to take my first run stride. I passed Linda and Tanya on my way out to the run course and this time I know for sure I did smile. I figured only a couple more hours and I would be done. Probably 2 and a half for sure would do it. There was a hill that led up to the first k mark. I was running/shuffling up to that point. At the bottom of the hill my thighs started to tighten even more. Before they full on cramped I decided I had better walk up this hill. There were tons of people walking the hills on the course. All the way through. Made it to the 1 k mark and thought ok only 20 to go. The aid stations were every 2 k and I walked every one of them to make sure I got re-hydrated. They had water, gatorade, pepsi, power gels and pretzels. The k's ticked by and I walked every hill and ran the flats. At times I lost track of what k marker was coming up. I remember thinking that the 19k mark was coming up and thinking great...only 2k left. But when I got to the marker it said 18k and I was so disappointed. The last 6 k of the run was a real struggle since there were plenty of hills. Hit the 20k mark. The home stretch ahead. Saw Linda again on my way into the finish. I am pretty sure we high-fived. Only 100 meters left. I heard the announcer call my name and across the finish line I went. My run time was 2 hours 41 minutes and 46 seconds....Ouch......
Total time for the event was 6 hours 55 minutes and 38 seconds.
I really enjoyed the day. I was never in any real distress. I had trained hard and trusted my training. No stomach or nutrition issues. I need to figure out why the run was so tough. Was there something I could have taken to help. Salt tablets...magnesium tablets.
So thats it. The journey is done. A big thanks to Linda and Tanya for their support and cheers for the day. And to my whole family for putting up with a sweaty stinky workout room in the basement and all the time I spent training to chase the Ironman dream.
Today my friends....I am IRONMAN !!!
BW
Saturday, September 12, 2009
1 More Get Up
Went for a bike ride on the run course last night. Lots of rolling hills. It will be tough. But thats why its Ironman....not plastic man or jelly man. Had a good feed at the athlete dinner last night. Back to the room to watch the Argos win.....that was different.
This morning got up and swam the swim course. It went very well. Hopefully that same execution comes when it counts. But it is a good feeling to have that practice swim and have it go well. Will be much different with 1,700 athletes hitting the water all within 30 minutes of each other. Going to try and stay out of traffic...but still stay on the shortest points around the buoys.
Not much going on today. The athlete rules meeting is this afternoon, then check the bike into transition and lay around and rest up for tomorrow.
This will be my last post until after the race.
I am on the verge.
BW
This morning got up and swam the swim course. It went very well. Hopefully that same execution comes when it counts. But it is a good feeling to have that practice swim and have it go well. Will be much different with 1,700 athletes hitting the water all within 30 minutes of each other. Going to try and stay out of traffic...but still stay on the shortest points around the buoys.
Not much going on today. The athlete rules meeting is this afternoon, then check the bike into transition and lay around and rest up for tomorrow.
This will be my last post until after the race.
I am on the verge.
BW
Friday, September 11, 2009
I Have Arrived
Its 2:44 p.m.. I have arrived and am all registered. Been shopping at the race expo and picked up a nice jacket to wear proudly. We are just waiting for our room to be ready. Going to go for a bike ride on the run course this afternoon to see how the run course is laid out. Athlete dinner tonight and hopefully watch the Argo game in the room...if they have TSN. Tomorrow going to do the swim course and see how that goes then rest until Sunday morning. Just over 1,700 are racing on Sunday.
I am now very excited.
BW
I am now very excited.
BW
Thursday, September 10, 2009
Last Pool Swim
Hit the pool last night for my last pool swim before the race. Pool was busy. An hour of lane swimming. I think I will actually miss walking around smelling like chlorine. It is so strong the smell stays with you for a couple days.
My athlete number is 1006. You can put my name or number in the athlete tracker on www.ironman.com on race day to see how I am doing. They will have live updates through the day.
Heading up on Friday morning and will be back Sunday night. There is supposed to be free Internet access up there for the athletes. So I will try and get on and update you on how Friday and Saturday go. If not I will post my race report on Sunday night or Monday.
I am ready.....lets do this!!!!
BW
My athlete number is 1006. You can put my name or number in the athlete tracker on www.ironman.com on race day to see how I am doing. They will have live updates through the day.
Heading up on Friday morning and will be back Sunday night. There is supposed to be free Internet access up there for the athletes. So I will try and get on and update you on how Friday and Saturday go. If not I will post my race report on Sunday night or Monday.
I am ready.....lets do this!!!!
BW
Tuesday, September 8, 2009
The Final Countdown
5 more get ups until the race. The training is done. I am ready and its time to race. My age group starts at 8:27 a.m. on Sunday morning. You can track my progress via the Ironman web page. www.ironman.com. There will be a link with an athlete tracker for Muskoka. Just put in my name and my progress will be shown.
Just easy stuff for this week.
I am close.
BW
Just easy stuff for this week.
I am close.
BW
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