Ironman Boulder 2014 Race Report....

Ok, here it is, my Ironman Boulder 2014 race report.

It's my 12th Ironman and going into this one I knew it would be my last as I decided to retire from Ironman Racing.

As always I don't make you wait for my times. I finished in 14:57:04. The breakdowns

2.4 mile swim - 1:44:29
112 mile bike - 6:07:29
26.2 mile run - 6:48:29
Total - 14:57:04

My time was a far cry from my Kona qualifying time of 10:20 only 4 years ago at Ironman Lake Placid. In fact in the last 7 years I've done 9 Ironman and 2 of my races were in the 10 hour marks and the other 7 were in the 11 hour marks. My only disappointment on my time was I wished it was in the 15 hour mark, that would have given me Ironmans I've done over the years in the 10, 11, 12, 13, 14 and 15 hours. Now I just have 2 Ironmans in the 14 hour mark. Bummer.

So here's the report....

First off I want to say Ironman Boulder is the most organized and well run race on the planet. What even makes it more amazing is that this is the first time ever they have had an Ironman. This race went off flawlessly.

From the bus pick up in the morning to take you down to the reservoir the the finish line. Amazing. My prediction is that aside from Kona this will be the most sought after race. The swim, bike and run courses are great. The aid station support, unbelievable. The crowds, huge. Lots of big time cheering all along the run course.

You can definitely tell that Boulder is all about age group and pro athletes training here and they obviously used their knowledge about races they've been too and what they liked and didn't like and just knocked it out of the park. If you could script the perfectly organized race it's the Boulder Ironman.

I'm so glad I did this race...even though I barely lived to tell about it.

I woke up at 4:30 am. I can tell you I really didn't want to get out of bed. On Thursday I had only 5 hours of sleep, Friday 4 hours of sleep and last night another 5 hours. I was not well rested and even worse I flew to Boise for a special work event and spent 7 hours on my feet at the Boise Hawks game and earlier in the day I thought it would be a good idea to go for my last 10 km training run in 95 F heat.

In hindsight it's apparent I was destined for a poor race.

We drove from Toronto and it was 3 days of eating road trip junk food and sitting in a car. Then it was arrive Wednesday night late. Thursday morning register, then do a 10 km run and 1 hour bike, then get 5 hours of sleep, up at 6 am to catch a flight to Boise, run 10 km in Boise in the heat, then Stand in the heat for 7 hours at the Boise Hawks game, get back to the hotel and get to bed a 1 am and get up 4 hours later at 5 am to catch a flight back to Denver.

Arrive in Denver, immediately get my bike and gear from the hotel. I'm pass exhaustion right now. Get down to the reservoir to drop off my bike, then to the school to drop off my run gear, then to have a lunch meal and get back to the hotel around 1 pm.

At this point I can't even bend my knees without pain from all the standing. I mentally am toast from no sleep. I try to do what I can and lie in bed and try to recover as at 4:30 am the next morning I'm up to do hopefully my 12th and final Ironman.

You have no idea how scared I was about my legs. Just getting up out of bed to go to the bathroom was a shuffle. The side of my Achilles was hurting as well.

I did manage to get about a 90 minute power nap in and then spent the rest of the night in the bed watching TV. I feel sorry for Alice, she has nothing to do. Being an Ironman Spouse is no fun the days leading up to the race. It's all about rest and recovery, at least most times.

I knew things were not good when I my sleep consisted of my having cold sweats all night. My pillow was soaked. I think it was from the over indulgence of Carbs of IHOP food and a Pizza.

So the alarm goes off at 4:30 am. I drag myself out of bed. Have my shower, get ready and really don't want to do this.

I catch the bus from the Hotel to the School, then the school to the reservoir. On the bus ride to the water I sit beside a volunteer who is doing motorcycle duty and responsible to follow the top pro's and report back to Ironman live. Very cool gig.

I ask her about the bike course because I course I never look at the maps or read the race kit stuff. I normally just show up and follow the arrows. I asked her if it was hard, she said not to bad, rolling hills, although there is this one climb that is hard with switchbacks. Yikes. I'm not the best climber. The hills I'm okay with. I asked her if the pavement was good, she said yes. That was an understatement, the roads are awesome.

In the transition I get all my water bottles ready, I didn't read the map or know where to go so I did a lot of unnecessary walking, I'd say at least 1.5 miles of walking that could have been prevented.

It was a rolling start swim. Which means everyone lines up according to the swim finish time they predict. I did the 1:15 - :130.  As I was standing in line I had to go pee really bad. So I started slowly and watched as the pee exited my wet suit through the leg. It's kind of cool to see the pee dripping down your ankle and foot. It was the first time I've done that. Normally I pee in my wetsuit in the water.

I was so proud of my peeing that I decided to open it up. Only problem was I didn't realize I had a hole in my wetsuit in the groin area. So I open it up and out comes a regular pee stream right out the front of my wetsuit. Once guy turns around and looks at this and it's pouring out. DOH.

Now before people get all freaked out about the peeing. I noticed one thing. I wasn't the only one. In fact by the time the swim started the pavement was completely wet. It looked like everyone was peeing their wetsuits. It was something I really have never noticed in the past. I thought it was water. Not the case. For future, if you are walking down to the swim in a rolling start and the ground is wet you are walking in pee.

As the swim gun went off and we were walking down to the water I started getting a little emotional knowing this will be my last one. I caught myself and told myself to save it for the finish.

I got into the water, I was concerned about the cold and it causing panic attacks. So I slipped into the water and acclimatized before starting to swim.

No word of a lie within the first 20 meters I had a major panic attack and when I say major, I mean MAJOR. The first thing that got me thinking about it was Simon Cross mentioning in his race he had a panic attack.

What's weird is I never used to have panic attacks and it's something since Utah in 2011 that I fight.

This panic attack was different. Normally I can get myself out of it within a 100 meters or 5 minutes. This one I couldn't. I couldn't swim more than 10 strokes and I'd be taking in water. The water seemed choppy to me and I was not able to breath without taking it in.

My chest felt constricted. I kept going. I tried breast stroking with my head about the water, I tried back stroking. I couldn't stop hyperventilating. I was beyond scared. Many times I'd look over to the people on the kayaks or boats and wonder if I should just pack it in and flag them down.

I looked into the water and really sincerely felt this was my day to die. That I was going to drown. I remember thinking that drowning is not a bad way to die apparently. It's very peaceful. I can't explain how panicked I was.

I still tried to move forward by any means. At one point I couldn't breath that I thought maybe my wetsuit was to tight from the extra pounds I put on so in the water I undid my wetsuit top and pulled it down to my waste. Thankfully I have a sleeveless wetsuit and can do this without drowning.

Now I had my wetsuit pulled down to my waist and I still had trouble breathing. I was so close to quiting. I couldn't imagine myself finishing. I had all types of thoughts going through my mind.

I kept thinking that old people and people that can't swim very well do this. If you have to dog paddle just do that. It sounds good but trust me I was reaching. I thought about when my son Reid had a similar experience in his first and last triathlon. He had never swam in a lake and although he was a good swimmer it panicked him and he had to get out. I remember yelling from shore to Suck it up or something to that effect. I know it was a dick move.

So here I am thinking about this and I started yelling at myself and I really got a flavour for what Reid when through. Me yelling at myself wasn't working. I remember thinking that I could just bail and the race would be over and I'd have the perfect excuse for quitting, that I felt I was going to die.

I then got to think about what would happen next if I quit. It's not like they would shuttle me back to the hotel. I'd have to sit on shore and watch all the other athletes finish, right up to the last one. Then there would be a delay, then someone might have to drive me to my hotel. I wouldn't be able to get my bike until later. Then I'd be watching all the athletes running by and thinking that I wished I was out there and I'd be filled with regret.

Thats' when I realized I need to keep trying. I knew it was mental. I tried to close my eyes and pre tend I was at the local pool swimming. Didn't work. What amazed me too was that I had been swimming regularly for me. It was not physical problems.

I knew I had to get out of my head. I knew I had to play a game to distract so I came up with one. Think of all the things you regret doing in your life. I went through as much and as far back as I remember. It started to work. I was able to swim more than 10 strokes. My breathing started to relax. Then I started to think of all the things that has been really great in my life and all sorts of other questions like that.

To put all this in perspective. I panicked for 1400 meters. The entire first length of the Triangular swim. The reason I know is the swim course was so well marked with buoys that I could count. The swim was so well marked it was a dream. Not that it mattered my sighting was so bad that all I did was swim off course. Many a time I hit a boat and realized I was way off course. I think it was because I was so into my head to distract myself from panicking that I didn't look up.

About half way through the swim I got my rhythm back and felt comfortable in the water. My breathing was normal and I was swimming like I do at the pool. I was now pretty certain I knew I was going to finish. With that said that finish line couldn't come fast enough.

As I was swimming I was thinking I just want to get on the bike. Many people don't realize that triathlons can be a life and death sport. You could drown. I was surprised the amount of banging into each other from the back of the pack, especially on a rolling start. It wasn't hugely bad, it was just there, I didn't expect it.

I finally made it to the swim exit and walked up the ramp. The first order of business was to get the bottom of my wetsuit off. I figured it would be easy since the top was off the entire time I was swimming. The wet suit strippers had a tough time. Two of them, a guy and girl, were pulling and I thought they were going to take my tri shorts with them. Even mentioned it and the women said hold them and they yanked. Again, It thought was this my 15 lb weight gain?

The transition was slow. I didn't care I was there to finish. I got all dressed up for the bike and was out on the road. The first part of the bike seemed up hill and my time wasn't that good. I started to feel the panic attack tightness in my chest again. I was thinking "on the bike?" How can this been. It wasn't long or severe but it was there.

Mentally I was bummed because I really didn't want a bike ride over 6 hours. My training rides have been so slow I figured that was going to happen. Mind you after I put my racing wheels on before I left home I had some great rides.

It turns out I did manage to have a respectable ride, for the first 90 miles I averaged 18. 7 mph / 30.3 kph. I was pretty happy with that as in the beginning of the ride I realized that now that I'm out of the water I have wheels, I could just turn around and ride my bike back to the hotel.

Those first 20 miles weren't easy on my mentally. I wanted to quit. I knew if I just kept riding I'd be too far gone to quit and would be lost so trying to quit would be a waste of time. Then after 10 miles the course started getting some downhills and my average speed went from 24 kph to 30 kph, it was a mental boost I needed.

The bike course was awesome. There was lots of turns and it was so well marked and manned that even a blind man could not have gotten lost. I kid you not. The roads are so smooth and I rarely saw anyone flat.

I only had two minor episodes on the bike. The first was I mishandled my water bottle and dropped it.  Which sucked because it was hot and it was fuel I needed the next aid station was 20 miles away. Also thank goodness know one was behind me and the next closest person was far back enough away they could swerve from the water bottle.

Thank goodness no one was behind me. The second was the heat. The last 30 miles was brutal. I heard it was 93 F out and someone mentioned after the race they have a thermometer on their bike and it was registering 102 F on the road. I believe it. This ride to me was hotter than the ride in Kona. Near the end of the ride I saw one guy and a buddy under a tree and it looked like one guy had heat stroke.

As always on bike, those last 12 miles you just want to get off the bike. Your butt is sore, your neck is sore and every hill that comes up you dread and you just want to get off the bike onto the run.

On the bike I did pass a lot of people. One thing I noticed is when you are at the back of the pack there is no marshals for drafting. I also noticed that aside from only one guy, no one drafted at all.

I got to the bike finish and the first thing they said to all the athletes was "walk" your bike to the bike drop off. Of course you could run if you wanted to. No one did. Myself included. I was now getting spent. I did try to run a bit and my legs were super flat.

There was a pleasant surprise when I went to pick up my run gear. There was a lot of bags not yet picked up. It was a big difference from when I got out of the water. When I got out of the water about 90% of all the bikes were gone. I was one of the slowest swimmers. I made up a lot of ground on the bike.

The minute I got off the bike I realized I have a major problem. The back of my arms were so badly chaffed that I could not swing my arms. I didn't know if I'd be able to run the pain was so great. All I could think about was getting some Vaseline and seeing if that would work to relieve the pain. It was excruciating.

As I was putting it on I was wondering if it was my Doctors without Borders Jersey. I'd never worn it before. The guy looked and said it' looks like just skin on skin. First thing I thought about is "how fat a I now?"

It worked. I could swing my arms. I still loaded up with more Vaseline and put it in globs around my next to use for future if I needed it. I didn't get them to put more sunscreen on me. I did that out of the water onto the bike and my neck was raw from the swim and my jersey rubbing on my next that when the put the sunscreen on it stung like they were putting peroxide on it. I didn't want to go through that pain again and I knew much of the run course was shaded.

I started the run and reflect back to what I've accomplished so far. I managed to get out of the water. I managed to get off the bike in a respectable time. Now the Ironman begins. The ironman in my mind starts on the run. If you are lucky you will run the first 13.1 miles and if you are really lucky you will run the entire distance.

For the first 3 miles I was able to shuffle run. I knew my legs had nothing in them. I was hoping I'd be able to shuffle run until 13.1 miles. That was not going to be the case. My legs were just trashed. Again, the lead up to the race and no recovery it was to be expected.

The crowds along the run route were amazing. I've never seen so many and they are enthusiastic. I've never been cheered on so much. I usually get a lot of cheering with the Captains hat on, this race was off the chain cheering. When I say there was a lot of people I mean there was a lot of people.

What is really cool about Boulder is they have trails that run all through the city. You are running on these park like trails all along the river. It's surreal in a way. In one way you see Boulder as a city with streets and yet you get into the trail system and it's like this oasis within a city. It's a different reality.

After about 10 km I knew my legs were toast.

The one benefit of being part of the best organized Ironman is they had coke at mile 3. Yes, that's right, mile three, you didn't have to wait for it. The aid stations had everything. Banana's, grapes, oranges, chips, pretzels, coke, ice water, perform, and chicken broth. And I had it all. As much as a "death march" as it was it was also a smorgasbord.

I can't express how hard this run was. Not because of the terrain, but the mental side. When you realize that you have only done about 6 miles and you can't run and the only way you are going to finish is by walking near 20 miles it draws on you mentally. 20 miles is a long way. I've never walked 20 miles before.

At this point all sorts of stuff is going through your head. You want to quit. It's a two loop course so you can just drop out after the first 13 miles. Our hotel is right on the race course and I could just slip into the hotel. It reminded me of the story of my buddy Jamie who did Ironman New Zealand and his course was on the route and he went into his hotel, had a shower, a nap and then got back on the course to finish. I was thinking maybe I could do that. My only fear was once I stop moving I wouldn't be able to start moving.

I thought about ways that people could cheat by having someone run for me. Or giving someone my timing chip and have them put it along side theirs. Of course I wasn't going to cheat but those thoughts go through your mind.

There was not a single thing that got me through the run. There was a number. The crowd really helped. I was walking and they were cheering on with support.

I will say about this race that I've never seen so many people walking in my life. Right from the start of the run people were walking, on mass. I think it was probably 60 % running, 40% walking. The only thing I can think of is it was a combination of the heat and the altitude. It is mile high.

Other games I played was thinking that I need to finish this is my 12th and final. I also thought back to China where I had to drop out at the 13.1 mark. In that case it was medical and my kidneys were shutting down from the food poisoning I had 36 hours earlier but it stills stung to quit. Since that race I played it in my mind time and time again, what if I just would have walked would I have finished without damage.

Then there was Rodney who hadn't yet contributed to my Doctors without Borders fundraising campaign who said he would donate some when I got out of the swim, then off the bike and double it all if I finished.

The Doctors without Borders support too helped. As I was on the bike I had one guy say that I was supporting a great cause and we talked briefly about the doctor that came down with Ebola and may die and he was part of that group.

I thought of my friend John Swaine who did an Ironman after a long layoff and I think his time was 15 or 16 hours. I could only imagine the suffering he went through and still managed to finish.

I finished the first 13 miles in about 3 hours and that was running about 5 or 6 miles. I calculated that I had at least another 3.5 hours if I just managed to walk. When you think that you've already been out there 3 hours and now you have another 3.5 hours it wears on you mentally.

My next thought was about the early settlers. They walked across the country. I'm sure they were tired and kept going. They would probably look back at us and say "In my day we didn't have those fancy light weight runners and aid stations every mile, we walked with boots and pulled wagons and were lucky to find a watering whole".

I thought of my dream the other night which I saw as me overcoming adversity and winning. I didn't want to have a repeat of China. I wanted to beat it.

There was thoughts about "this is Ironman". I've finished in 10 hours and I can tell you the real Ironman are the ones that finish in the dark. The mental fortitude to finish when you are totally hurting and all you can do is walk is well beyond the mental fortitude to race and be motivated by your finishing time. I looked at my watch after my first 13 mile lap and thought I'm normally finished by now.

I used to look at the people starting there first lap as I was finishing my second and thinking I felt sorry for them and I was so glad that wasn't me just starting. Well today I looked in the mirror, it was me.

There was also this rather large girl that motivated me. She was about 6 foot and all of about 220 lbs. She actually finished a head of me but every time I saw her in front of me it inspired me to finish. She wasn't not going to finish.

Along the way I saw Sonja a blogger buddy and we did Kona together. She maintained it and has done Kona 4 more times. We had a hug and she walked along side us.

Yes, US. Probably the best way to finish an Ironman death march is to find an Ironman Buddy. Someone else that is walking and in major pain and walk and talk along side them. The talking takes your mind out of the darkness in my mind.

I had two Iron buddies on today's death march. The first was Jason for about mile 7 - 8 and the next was Brian Wrabbit from I would say mile 10 on. By the end of the walk you have nothing much more to talk about or learn about each other. For the last 2 miles walking in the pitch dark it was just about finishing and that our legs hurt.

My legs were beyond hurting. From about mile 6 my heels hurt. It was a reason I couldn't even shuffle. The pounding on my heels was terrible. My feet also felt like they were on fire. Near mile 22 I could feel they were blistering up. It was painful. Even having a friend to talk to it's painful.

All the way until probably mile 25 I still didn't know if finishing was going to happen. I knew I would. I didn't know if I'd sit down and relax and then start up. Brian kept me going.

As we got near the finish I left Brian and started running. He couldn't he had major GI issues and many would have quit. I told him that this being my last I wanted to have that special moment and hopefully start crying like a baby.

My first ever Ironman I had the most awesome cry coming across that finish line. Since then I've chased having that same feeling and this race I figured I could get the same. I started to but the crowds were so big that I got too self conscious and didn't want to be crying in public. It if wasn't dark out and I was wearing my sunglasses I probably would have.

I did know that by finishing this race the Ironman couldn't pull me back for a redemption race. If I had not finished I would have probably been motivated to come back and beat this race for one last time. Instead I beat it proudly.

In many respects I'm more proud of this race than I am of any others, including qualifying for and racing Kona. I truly experienced what being an Ironman is. It's not about just finishing the distance it's about finishing it in the face of misfortune and having the Iron Will to never quit.

More so now than ever I truly feel like an Ironman. It took me 12 Ironmans to do so but finishing this one in the face of all the obstacles and not being fully prepared makes it all the more sweeter.

As I was coming down the last 100 meters the crowds were amazing. I went to the side and high fived every one's hand. Maybe 100 hands or more. I was thinking this is my last finishers chute, make it good.

As I got near the end, within 5 feet from the end, I saw Alice. She had tears in her eyes. I stopped and give her a big kiss, I think a couple. She was so emotional. It was as much and emotional moment for her as it was for me. She was just able to cry in public. It was a special moment.

I then crossed the finish line and instead of my customary arms in the air. I stopped, got down on my knees and kissed the ground. My last Ironman was now in the books. I can proudly say I've done 12 Ironmans and I have NO regrets about my last one and the slow time. If anything I'm most proud of it because it was so hard and I somehow managed to get through it.

After the race I got my medal and shirt. The girls says she got me a large, even though I ordered a medium and I said, no I want the medium, I plan on losing weight, lets not lower the bar.

The finish area was well done. It wasn't like other Ironman's were you have the race organization police that don't allow people to walk places. Boulder group had just the perfect blend. Not to strict but perfect enough to keep everything in order.

Alice had her bike and we needed to pick up mine at the school, about half a mile or more away. More walking, er, shuffling. It doesn't end. A lot of people don't realize that after an Ironman you just don't go home. You have to pick up your bike and your gear and then find a way to get back to your hotel. You're not allowed to pick stuff up in the morning. It's cruel.

I got my stuff and luckily my legs were okay to ride the bike. I had my gear bags wrapped around my neck and Alice and I rode back to the hotel just over a mile away. Then I shuffled up to the room at an incredibly slow pace.

I don't how but I did my last and final bathroom race report and I think I held it together pretty well.

After I was done the pain set in. My legs had sunburn in a spot. The soles of my feet were blistered. The heal of my foot was cut from the rubbing. My arms were fully chaffed. I jumped in the shower and all I could do was scream in pain. The words were "AH, AH, AH, AH".

Then I got out and as normal you get the chills. No matter how hot is its you start chilling up. I jumped under the covers, pulled up to my chin and was shaking with chills.

The hotel restaurant was closed. So we found a local place to deliver a hamburger. I was craving a hamburger. By the time they arrived we had fallen asleep and woke up, ate it and then it was tough for me to fall asleep. The sleep after an Ironman is never a good one. Contrary to what people think. You are burning up and tossing and turning and sore.

All and all it was a good day. As I write this it's the following morning and I'm so glad I finished. I have no unresolved issues. I beat the course. My Ironman spirit is not only intact it's now permanently tattooed in my mind. After 12 Ironmans and a tough one like last nights I have a lifetime membership to the Ironman club. I don't have to do anymore to renew my membership.

Now I'm on to the next phase of my life. I'm looking forward to spending more time with Alice. I think it will be cool being about to hang out on a Saturday and Sunday and not have to do a long bike or a long run. We actually may have some weekends that are now enjoyed.

I can't tell you how much support I've gotten from Alice. She's put up with a lot of my Ironman stuff. Even on the course and during my dark moments I was thinking "what did I do to deserve marrying her?" She's the most kind and loving person and has been supportive of me and all my craziness.

I can hardly wait to see what happens next our lives.

I loved Ironman. I left on my terms. With no regrets.

P.S. If you'd like to donate on my behalf to Doctors without Borders please click here.

The Ironman just got harder....

This being my last Ironman why not make it harder?

Why not make it harder? Because it is hard enough. Over the past few days I've been talking with Alice and just cringing as I think of doing the race.

It's becoming real and the realization is it's going to hurt.

I'm now getting all these flash backs to many of my other races and the pain I feel on the run. It doesn't matter how good of shape you are in it hurts and it's that last 3 - 6 miles that is the worst. Your legs are spent, you are mentally done and just want to quit and even when you have one mile to go you swear it's never going to come.

Then it's even worse afterwards when you finish and then have to retrieve all your gear and bike and make your way back to the hotel.

As I was relieving these past Ironman's in my mind I was shaking my head to myself and wondering why I thought it was a good idea to do this again? Why didn't I decide to retire from Ironman's after number 11?

It's like I'm going on a death march and I know it's going to hurt severely and there is no turning back. The only way for the pain to end is to race through the pain and finish. I look to Alice with big sad eyes and keep telling her how much I'm not looking forward to this and I know it's going to hurt, the question is just how much?

To add to the event that it will be a high pain situation is that after last night's 7 hours of standing on my feet at the Boise Hawks game, my feet were bloated, like I was pregnant and I was getting blisters. Yes, blisters.

I never wear my runners other than to run and I haven't had to stand in them, so blisters have started to form on my feet. Not to mention I'm shuffling and can hardly bend my knees. I'm in a post Ironman stat pre-Ironman.

This morning the alarm went off at 5 am. That gave me a 4 hour sleep. Yup, just what the body needs a 4 hour sleep the night before the Ironman and the night before the Ironman is usually the worst sleep you will normally get. If you don't get a good sleep the two nights before you are at a real disadvantage. Needless to say, I'm at a disadvantage.

I did have the weirdest dream last night. I was being chased by a guy with a gun. It was like an action adventure movie and he was the oriental-asia like villain. Yes, in my dream he seemed Filipino.

He was chasing me and others were around. He was shooting and killing people and then kept chasing after me. I kept dodging the bullets. Eventually I came upon a baseball and grabbed it and somehow got him on his heels. I threw it and it missed his head and hit a glass on the ground instead and broke it.

I then grabbed the broken glass as he jumped on me and slit his throat. Killed him. Yup, killed him. Didn't feel bad about it either, I think he had killed friends and family and was trying to kill me.

So I woke up thinking, wow, that was an interesting dream, it was like being in an actual action adventure movie. Then I thought maybe it's a premonition of what is to come during Sunday's race. In many ways the Ironman a killer, it can kill friends and family. The last Ironman that killed me was China, an Asian Ironman.

When I say kill, I mean that the Ironman makes it so tough to quit for whatever reasons that you do not finish, that you drop out. When you drop out you have been killed.

I'm HOPING my dream comes true that no matter how hard the race is and how much adversity I face that I still manage to finish, to win.

After I woke up today I was tired. In a surreal way. It doesn't even feel like it's real. I had to shake Alice awake. She was out of it. Which is unusual. I then couldn't risk going back to sleep. If we missed the 6:30 am flight then I'd miss the cut off times to put my bike and run gear in place.

Even staying walking distance from the airport we were a little late to check in and they weren't guaranteeing that our luggage would make it back to Denver. We were also the last people to get on the plan, again.

When the plane touched down in Denver I was relieved. I knew things were getting more probable that I'd get my gear set up.

The drive from the airport back to boulder I was near falling asleep at the wheel. I was so tired. All I wanted to do was sleep. I couldn't. I had to get my bike, drop it off at Transition one, and then take my running gear to transition two.

I've learned that the best time to get your gear set up is first thing in the morning when they start accepting gear. The timing worked well that by the time I got back to the hotel, got my bike and gear and got down to the Boulder Reservoir it was 10 minutes after the transition zone opened. Even then it was busy. Of course you had to park a ways a way and walk the bike in and walk out. Just what I needed, more time on my feet.

It was also hot out today and not having the air-conditioning working in my car working added to the adversity.

Next stop was the school and dropping off my running gear. I'm sure my shoes were in the bag, 99.99999% but didn't double check when I dropped off the bag.

Before heading back to the hotel to try and catch up on my sleep we stopped at IHOP. All I wanted was a big breakfast. Pancakes, French Toast, eggs, hash browns, sausage and coffee. What do I have to lose? I can't get fatter and I don't want to bonk tomorrow.

When we got back to the room I managed to get a 90 minute sleep in. My heart rate is through the roof and my feet throbbing. My Achilles tight and I can hardly bend my legs, even lying down. I'm pretty much in rough shape. Not the ideal pre-ironman race shape.

In my 90 minute nap I did have a dream that I started running with the wrong shoes and then somehow was now wearing two different shoes. Maybe a premonition.

Mentally I'm not in the right positive frame of mind, at least not yet. I'm still in the "dread" phase. I need to get myself into the "embrace" phase by swim start. I'm not looking forward to getting up at 4:30 am and busing from the hotel, to the school and from the school to the reservoir.

The water does look nice. The bike I have no idea on, it's a single loop and the run is on trails. My biggest fear is the run. I kind of like out and back boring runs. This one is on twisted trails and it's well shaded. It might be a little dark in the mind if it's dark outside and you are shuffling these trails.

I spent my afternoon playing Elvis. Just lying in bed. I had the big lunch breakfast, more sugar the quicker I'll sleep. Then I had a snickers bar snack, hoping that sugar fix would help me sleep more. It didn't. I've basically slept 90 minutes and been in bed for the balance. The only time I've gotten up was to go to the bathroom and answer the door from room service. I ordered a pizza. No toppings. Don't want to risk any food poisoning. And when I say "getting up", I mean shuffle.

There has been times I've thought how great it would be to bail. I can't unfortunately. I'm racing to raise money for Doctors without Borders. If you haven't donated please do by clicking here. The other reason is just out of principal I don't want to bail. It's my last one and I want to finish it. I just hope I don't get my money's worth. I have up to 17 hours to finish and the longer it takes the more of your monies worth you get.

I know before the race start I need to get in my happy place mentally. I know I need to smile and enjoy every adverse thing that happens to me tomorrow. I need to enjoy the pain and if I have problems just enjoy the epic day.

So as I write this I'm still lying on the bed. I ate near a whole 12 inch pizza, had some salty sunflower seeds and have a wake up call for 4:30 am and my phone alarm set as well. My dream would be to get a full 8 hour sleep.

Right now all the negative stuff is going through my head. The waking up at 4:30 am. The getting ready and going through the pre-Ironman dance.

The one thing I know for certain is I couldn't Carbo Load anymore and I could have rested much more. Doing the Salmon Social Boise Hawks night and travelling to Boise derailed things. One more day of sleep and rest and I'd be in much better shape.

For those that are following the race online my number is 356.

Boise Bound…

Just to make this Ironman a little harder I figured I’d go to Boise in between Thursday’s registration and Saturday’s gear drop off.

There’s two risks. Missing my plane and not giving myself enough pre-race sleep and rest.

The flights are back to back. First we had to Boise we had to get up today at 6:00 am, do my business in Boise and then wake up at 5:00 am on Saturday morning to fly back to Boulder and then grab my gear and check in my cycling stuff at T1 and run stuff at T2. It’s a very tight schedule and if I miss my flight, or it’s cancelled or if it crashes I’m not going to be racing Sunday.

What concerns as much, maybe even more, is that I’m not giving my body time to recover. After tonight’s event at the Boise Hawks game I think that’s a very real possibility.

The reason I flew back to Boise was because Salmon Social, the new social media app I’m working on and a documentary is being filmed about is officially being released at the Boise Hawks game. The Boise Hawks are the minor league baseball time for the Chicago Cubs.

Before I left my 90-day tour of duty in Boise on the second last day I met with Todd Rahr the GM for the Boise Hawks and asked him if we could officially release the app at a Boise Hawks game. He was in. I was stoked. The plan was to combine a Salmon Social night at the Fourth of July Game.

It was a little ambitious on my part. Our development team needed more time. So we had an option, do it August 1^st or September 1^st.  I looked at my schedule and realized that if we do it August 1^st I could squeeze it in between Thursday’s registration and Saturday’s bike drop off. It would also be a shorter 2 hr flight from Denver to Boise rather than a 7- 8 hour flight from Toronto with connections.

The main reason I was prepared to take the risk of logistics and exhaustion was because I’ve got to promote this app in a big way and waiting another month just wouldn’t have worked for me. I’ve invested too much time and money to wait anymore time than I need to and it fits well into my post Ironman plans of not having to train and where I can focus all my attention on Salmon Social.

Little did I know that I’d be spending 7 hours on my feet at the Hawks Game. It reminds me of when I did Ironman Utah and did a 4 hour hike with my daughter Alyssa up Angels Landing two days before.

I really don’t know what I was thinking at the time other than I was more motivated by work and not by being fully rested and prepared for an Ironman.

The day wasn’t uneventful. If you’ve ever been to Denver you’ll understand how the Denver airport is way out of town and is big and requires a lot of time to get through check ins, security and then to take the tram to the gate.

I did have a minor faux pas, I thought the flight was at 8:30 am, it wasn’t, it was at 8:25 am. It may not seem like a big difference but it is.

By the time we got to the airport we were at 1 hour, but we had to park and it’s a huge complex and of course I didn’t know exactly the best place to park and had to walk a ways to the check in.

When we got to the check in the line was long, really long. We did get lucky and put in a shorter line. By the time we made it to the agent and checked our bags it was less than 45 minutes before flight time and the bags arriving with us was not guaranteed.

Our bags were filled with Salmon Social shirts and we needed them for the game. The plan was to throw them into the stands to the crowd.

The bags not making it on our flight didn’t freak me out too much. I knew there was another flight after us that would still make it into Boise before game time. It would just be a hassle if they didn’t arrive on our flight.

We then lucked out again and got the express security line at the airport. It helped. It got us on to the tram quicker and to the gate in time. Of course because we were late we were the last people on a full Southwest flight to board. No seats together. We did get two aisles one in front of the other.

I was just happy to make it on the plane. When we got to the airport in Boise our luggage had made it. Part one of the flight was mission accomplished.

Next stop was the hotel. It was literally walking distance to the airport. I knew that having to get up 5 am tomorrow would be tough and the closer we could get to the airport the better.

Even though we hadn’t arrived yesterday I used my rewards points to book the room last night so that we would have it available to us at 10:30 am when we arrived. We needed a place to crash and have a shower. I also wanted to use it to get as much rest as possible before the game.

Turns out there wasn’t too much rest. My first order of business was to go out for my last run prior to the race. It seemed like a good idea at the time. It was hot out, about 95 F and it was around the airport. No sidewalks, all industrial. Very scenic if you like looking at semi-trucks in an industrial park.

I didn’t know the exact time I’d spend running. My Achilles had been hurting since yesterday’s run and I’d been walking on it gingerly all yesterday and this morning. I kept telling myself it’s mental and not to focus on it being a problem. That it’s not as bad as it feels.

It semi-worked. By the time we got to the hotel I wasn’t walking on it as gingerly and I decided to go for a run. The last time I ran back to back it seemed to help.

I ended up going for a full hour and the Achilles was bearable. It was hot, a dry heat. It felt good to get that last run in and time will tell if it was the best move or not. I find that my body tends to respond to over use than over rest. Or at least it used to.

Once back to the room, it was a quick shower and then off for some food. We found this awesome place , a mom and pop, Cuciana Di Paolo that had amazing gourmet comfort food. The personalities of the owners were great too. I had veal Parmesan and linguine, some clam chowder soup and finished off with some almond pudding and ice cream. Carbo Loading at it’s finest.

Then it was touring drive of downtown Boise with Alice. She hadn’t seen the downtown residential areas. Boise is a really nice City, I call it the best kept secret in the United States. If I was going in the witness protection program I’d request moving to Boise.

After that tour we drove to Memorial Stadium where the Hawks play. I wanted to make sure the app picked up the location and just do a dry run to know where it is relative to the hotel.

By the time we got back to the hotel it was 3 pm and we had to be back for the game at 5 pm. I managed to get about a 40 minute power nap.

Even at that time I knew I was going to be in trouble. My feet were sore from the run and being in tight runners and the night hadn’t even began. I think part of the issue is I only wear runners when I train, any other times I wear my flip flops.

We got to the game and met up with the rest of the Salmon Social gang. It was hot out, about 97 F. It was so hot that when they documentary film crew was shooting my interview they had to stop because the camera overheated and wouldn’t work. They had to take it inside to cool down.

The long and short of the night was I didn’t sit down. From 5 pm till close to midnight I was on my feet.

At least I didn’t hurt my arm. I was throwing out the first pitch of the game and I hadn’t thrown a baseball in I don’t know how long. I was going to practice but decided against it. First I didn’t really have or make the time and second I know from experience if I start throwing a ball for 15 or 20 minutes muscles I never use will be engaged and become sore which will make my swim uncomfortable.

Instead I decided to risk it and potentially flub the throw. I’ve seen those guys that do that and figured that would probably be me.

To get into character I bought a Hawks Jersey and hat. They didn’t have any men’s jerseys so I went with the XL woman’s size which was probably even better as it is nicely cut to allow for my wider hips.

It really was a fun night. We had a great turnout of volunteers and it was great to see all these Salmon Social shirts running around.

Two things I’ve never had on my bucket list, if I had one. Throwing a first pitch at a baseball game and then being interviewed on ESPN Boise radio during the game about Salmon Social. It was kind of cool.

To add to the fun the game went into extra innings. Boise came back in the 9^th from 4 runs down to win the game. It was exciting, although I wish they would have won it in regulation time. It was just more time that cut into my sleep and more standing on my feet time.

It’s not like I could leave either. I was presenting a check to the Boise Rescue Mission as part of our Salmon Social Fundraising night. We donated $1000 towards the mission. That's about 500 meals. Great cause and felt great giving that big check....literally. That's the 3rd thing I've never had on my bucket list but did..." I gave an oversized check", along with the "first pitch" and the interview on "ESPN Boise". It was a triple play. 

My legs were so sore by the end of the night that I dropped something and could hardly bend my knees to pick it up. That's when I knew I was potentially going to be in big trouble. 

Foodwise I had a hot dog, some popcorn and 3 BBQ chicken drumsticks. I was a little concerned about the wings when the guys were testing the inside cooking with a thermometer. I was thinking, "great, just what I need, another Ironman with food poisoning". It wasn't enough to deter me. I figured if they were checking it must be a good sign. 

Even after the event I couldn't leave. I had to do a post interview for the documentary, after the game fireworks. 

By the time it was all said and done we didn't get back to the hotel room until past midnight and I was wide awake. I tried checking the channels for some sort of murder mystery documentary or Greed with Stacy Keachesvoice. If only they had something with serial killers, that would put me to sleep in 10 minutes. 

Tomorrow will be interesting having to get up with only 4 hours sleep. This is definitely adding to becoming an epically sore Ironman. 

Mod Run - 1:00:09 / 10.25 km.

Made it to Boulder...

We made it to Boulder. It wasn't too bad of a road trip. Other than the road food which is another word for junk food.

Our second night we Stayed in Lincoln Nebraska. Kind of a scary place from what I can tell. We drove around the downtown of this small town and all it was was bums and people that looked a little scary. No need to stay downtown.

Instead we found a Country Inn near the interstate.

First thing I saw when I was checking in was a guy who walked in to get a room and he had a gun in a holster on his belt. First time I've seen that. I thought I was in the wild west.

He was a nice guy. We spoke a bit when he saw my bike on the back of my car and he had a friend that did Ironmans. The guys was about 50 years old, he was about 5 foot 6 and his wife or girlfriend near 6 feet.

We had dinner and had some entertainment watching a 38 year old mother and her 16 year old daughter put the hook on her boss. He was a contraction guy and I think she might have been his book keeper. What I do know is both the mom and daughter went out side and were in separate trucks, the mom with the boss and the daughter with a seedy looking young construction worker.

In the morning as we were packing I saw the boss get into his truck. Big black kick ass truck. He was still in the same clothes at 10 am. Didn't see the girls. They were definitely hustlers and gypsy types.

Nebraska is one long state. It seemed like we were driving across it forever. We stopped at some one horse town. It stunk. It had a chicken plant and livestock yard and we ate at a restaurant in the middle of it. I have no idea how people could live there.

For me I was most amazed at the ethnic diversity in Nebraska and Iowa. I would have thought it was all country white boys. Not the case. It was as diversified as Toronto and lots of ethnic food restaurants that looked good.

It's obvious why Nebraska are the cornhuskers. Nothing but corn fields for mile after mile after mile. The minute we crossed into Colorado the terrain was cowboy type and it started raining. Bad. Up to that point it was sunny and hot. We hit Colorado and it was wet.

On the way down at the restaurant we ate at one of the waitresses said that Boulder has been wet and cool. Lots of rain and flash flooding. She wasn't kidding it was pouring rain. All grey and very depressing.

The hotel we are staying at is not to bad. It's old but the rooms are redone and the bedding is nice. I'm now a hotel room Nazi. I can no longer stay at super cheep places.

We grabbed some dinner and it was early to bed. I was tired. I was also feeling bloated and fat. Three days of driving and not moving and eating junk food will do that to you.

There was a slight problem. I messed up on my flights to Denver for the Boise Hawks Salmon Social night. I was to leave Thursday. Then I changed it to Friday. Then I realized I messed up and had the flight originating in Boise and going to Denver. Not Denver to Boise. Huge Mistake. DOH.

Called Southwest and got the most awesome customer service person who was sympathetic and changed the flight without charging me. It saved me probably $500 or more.

I must have had about 10 or more hours of sleep last night. Just what the doctor ordered.

At 10 am I headed over to the Ironman registration area. It's at Boulder High School and on the fields. They were socking wet. I was in my flip flops and it was so wet and muddy that more than once my flip flop stayed put and my foot came out of it. Lots of mud.

The one thing I know is to get to registration early. If not the line ups are crazy. It wasn't too bad. Not much of a wait. I did my run through the merchandise tent and picked up 3 new Ironman polo shirts. That's my work uniform. This being my last Ironman I need to stock up. I also picked up a very cool coffee cup and a sign for the Pig & Whistle. All to the tune of about $250.

At the expo I saw a company was offering bike tune ups and lubes for $65 so I went back to the hotel and got my bike. Just to be safe I want to make sure it's all lubed up. I need all the help I can get. I've been going so slow lately that I'm really wondering if there was something wrong with my drive training. I'm sure there was problems with the wheels. Since I changed to my race wheels my speed is noticeably faster.

While I waited for the bike to get tuned up we went to the Cheesecake factory. I had the spaghetti and meatballs. I can't recall the last time I've had spaghetti and meatballs. It was a little bit of Carbo loading. It was really good.

Went back, picked up the bike. I also realized I forgot my profile water bottle for the front of my bike and had to buy one of those along with bike foam sealant if I get a flat. I've never seen the brand before. Hope it works.

By the time I got back to the hotel I was tired. I had a run planned and then a bike. I can tell you all I wanted to do was lie down and sleep. I had zero motivation. I literally pushed myself out of the door.

Before I left I saw that there is the Boulder river trail that runs behind our hotel. I got onto that and did 30 minute out and back. It goes right behind the expo and T2. It's a whole new world on those trails. It's kind of surreal. On one side you have this City with streets and seems busy. Then you have this blissful set of trails. The trails are also the run portion of the Ironman. It's really scenic and if it's hot there is lots of shade.

Weather wise it's supposed to rain on Friday, be sunny and hot on Saturday and Sunday and then back to rain on Monday. I hope they are right. It forecasted to be 82 F.

I felt so fat and bloated on the run. In hindsight I should have done at least 30 minutes each of the driving days. My Achilles was tight, which is why I should have ran. I had that problem before and I've over come it, or so I thought. Consistency seems to be the key.

When I got back I got on the bike right away. I was feeling better than when I went on my run but I knew if I didn't head out right away I'd lose my mojo. I started off the ride on the trails but it was too much hassle with the twists and turns and people, then there was water from all the flooding.

I did notice the bike was running smooth. I think it was a worth while $65 tune up spend. I moved onto the road and I was really doing well. At 30 kph it felt effortless. I even got up to 42 kph at points. I don't want to jinx it but I'd love to be able to have a relaxing ride and average 30 kph for the bike portion.

The dryness and altitude is apparent. The dryness reminded me of Arizona. I definitely will have to be drinking lots during the bike.

When I got back all I wanted to do was lie down and sleep. No rest for the wicked. I had to shower and do the pre-race body shave. I don't know what it is, I'm assuming the protein whey, but my hair is growing back faster than it ever has. It took a while in a hot shower to get it all done. Definitely dehydrating.

Then still no rest. I had to change my hotel and car reservations and then update the blog. I'm tired and really want to sleep. I can't. I need to get my race bags ready as I'm not going to be able to do it tomorrow and I don't want to rush it on Saturday when I get back.

To add to the challenge we have to get up at 5:30 am to get to the airport to catch our flight to Boise. Worst than that is our flight back from Boise to Denver on Saturday morning is a 6:30 am departure. Yikes. All I want to do on Saturday is drop off my bike and run gear and spend nothing but time lying on the bed in my hotel room and letting my body get as much rest as possible.

Bringing the mountain bike for Alice is working good. She's already been riding the trails. I really can't believe how many miles of trails there is. It seems they are never ending and lots of splits. I could see it really easy to get lost. I hope that doesn't happen during the Ironman.

From the feeling of this Ironman so far I think this is going to be a premier event in the future. They even have an underwear run and it seems many of the athletes are uber fit like Kona. Except me of course. When I see another fat guy I feel a bonding that we are going to do it and weight is only one measure. It's the heart and a strong mind that gets you through.

Alice is right into it. She knows more of what is going on that me. She said that it was close to the swim being cancelled. What? Yup, apparently there is a high algae level. They just checked it today and announced good news that the swim will go on at the reservoir.

What I do like about this Ironman that I haven't seen before is that their is no pre-race meal. Instead they have given $25 food vouchers for a number of participating restaurants. For the first timers I can see the pre-race meal being a part of the adventure. For most it's a lousy meal. I much prefer this $25 voucher idea. They also had some good swag. A backpack and in the kit was a bike tool kit with the Ironman Logo. Very cool.

You can definitely tell that Boulder is an athlete friendly zone. You get the sense on the bike that the drivers of the cars are very respectful and the cyclist are the ones that own the road.

Anyway, it's now 6:51 pm and time to go grab some dinner before an early night to bed. After I pack all my gear up of course.

Oh, last but not least. Saw the greatest tattoo. On one calf it said I'm an Ironman, on the other Calf it said "Chemo is Hard".

Run - 1:00:09 / 10.25 km
Bike 1:00:54 / 28.15 km