It's been almost two weeks since race day. I've had very little training on my schedule. First a full week off (wierd!) and this week and next are pretty light. Did 90 minutes the bike today, which was the most work since race day. Man it's nice to go for an easy ride on a sunny day. I was really tired most of the first week and that's gotten better. A few small aches and pains have sprung...

It's been almost two weeks since race day. I've had very little training on my schedule. First a full week off (wierd!) and this week and next are pretty light. Did 90 minutes the bike today, which was the most work since race day. Man it's nice to go for an easy ride on a sunny day. I was really tired most of the first week and that's gotten better. A few small aches and pains have sprung...

[WARNING: This Got REALLY Long. But, hey, it's got pictures!] The Setup. Prior to May 2004 I'd never actually swam a lap in a pool in my life. Triathlons sounded fun, and that July I signed up for and raced in the SeaFair Sprint Triathlon (see picture taken from plane on the way to Tempe below). I never thought I'd do an Ironman. In fact, there were several times when things like "no way", "hell no", and "never"...

[WARNING: This Got REALLY Long. But, hey, it's got pictures!] The Setup. Prior to May 2004 I'd never actually swam a lap in a pool in my life. Triathlons sounded fun, and that July I signed up for and raced in the SeaFair Sprint Triathlon (see picture taken from plane on the way to Tempe below). I never thought I'd do an Ironman. In fact, there were several times when things like "no way", "hell no", and "never"...

Time has gone by quickly here in Tempe. Wedneday we got into town and wandered around a bit, and go on the bikes for a while. We found a great place about 5 blocks from the race start. Very nice to be able to walk back and forth to the race area. Every morning, they've been opening the lake for athletes to swim in. The swim is straight forward. The "lake" is really a resevoir that's about 400 yards wide by a 1.5 miles long....

Time has gone by quickly here in Tempe. Wedneday we got into town and wandered around a bit, and go on the bikes for a while. We found a great place about 5 blocks from the race start. Very nice to be able to walk back and forth to the race area. Every morning, they've been opening the lake for athletes to swim in. The swim is straight forward. The "lake" is really a resevoir that's about 400 yards wide by a 1.5 miles long....

Four days to go. The last two weeks have brought the last of the work and the Taper phase. It's very odd to go from 17-20 hours of volume down to 7 or less, but that's how it works. Some people report having "the taper blues" which is a set of things that happen to your body when you do this. Some people feel sluggish and start to freak about their fitness (I haven't had this problem), some people get all kinds...

Four days to go. The last two weeks have brought the last of the work and the Taper phase. It's very odd to go from 17-20 hours of volume down to 7 or less, but that's how it works. Some people report having "the taper blues" which is a set of things that happen to your body when you do this. Some people feel sluggish and start to freak about their fitness (I haven't had this problem), some people get all kinds...

Race day is just over two weeks away. I'm spending a lot of time thinking forward about the race and the trip - mostly about the details: What am I going to wear on race day? How many spare tires should I take? Should I wear a visor or a hat for the run? What will...

Race day is just over two weeks away. I'm spending a lot of time thinking forward about the race and the trip - mostly about the details: What am I going to wear on race day? How many spare tires should I take? Should I wear a visor or a hat for the run? What will...