This was the best time of my life, what an experience, where do I start, well Im a positive thinking and good Karma kinda guy so after Hurricane Wilma hit us I was sitting there with no power and decided to pack up the dog and bike and head to Clermont for some last minute training. I hung out at the National Training Center, that place is really cool, I did get some really strange looks swimming laps in an outdoor heated pool with a wetsuit on, but it was new so I needed the practice swimming with one on. My Polar 720 HRM display failed so I went to south lake bikes in Clermont to see if they could fix it but they said I have to send it in, so here I am standing outside the door of the bike shop all dejected because I have no HRM for my race and I just TSR'd my backup to OCCY a couple of weeks ago when all of a sudden this SUV pulls up all painted in the POLAR logo, I showed the guy my watch and told him that I was racing in a couple of weeks, he said no problem and pulled out a similar HRM and gave it to me and said just mail it back to him for the race, hows that for customer support.
Anyway I had to drive back down to Miami and drop the dog of and pick up Miami79, she was going stir crazy with no power so we decided to go up to PCB a week early and hang out, ( oh by the way, were just friends, she is a really cool person to hang out with, so for all the other girls wanting to throw themselves at me, im always available :))))
We arrived at PCB and got in some good training. We stayed at the Holiday Inn which was a nice Hotel, it was centrally located with lots of food around, free internet in the lobby and free Porn on channel 72 after 11pm, heheheehehehe.
I volunteered at the Gatorade swim booth and met a ton of St'ers, lurkers and TNO peeps. Tommy Ziebart was a really cool dude, what a classy and fun guy to hang out with. We had fun working the booth, the girls seemed to be locked onto the Euro guys stripping butt naked in front of us while changing, while me and the fellas where checking out the hotties as they walked by. Everyone was super friendly, it was nice to put a face with the screen names,
Eganski- finally got over his Jellyfish phobia
KJGrog- almost got nailed by a tractor trailer on our group ride if it wasnt for his granny bell on his bike
Paul- super cool dude and fast
Tri-Toronto and his buddy with the slowtwitch shirt on- cool dudes
Francois- cool dude and hes not that short but he has a funny looking bike.
Occy- super nice guy, met him in the water at the ocean swim
Joe and Sue Bonness- Super friendly and nice people
Saltamontes- was in the room above us and made a lot of banging noises, sheeeeeesh :))))
Zinc- cool dude, talked to him via phone
Nick, Betsy and all the other TNO peeps, really cool people
I know Im forgetting some people there was way too many names to remember. The prerace dinner was super cool, seeing the videos the pro's and all the other athletes, waaaay cool, Ill never forget it.
THE SWIM 1:20
I wasnt as nervous as I thought I would be, I didnt know what to expect so I made the best of it. I was the bonehead that started in the front, I figured no one is going to swim over me so why not go off in the front and it worked. I was so pumped up for the start that I sprinted as soon as the gun went off and was in FIRST PLACE AT IM FLORIDA for about 5 seconds, then the games began, the first leg of the swim was nothing but a WWF smackdown match, all that pool training and technique goes out the window, it was a freaking washing machine out there, some people were cursing at others and some tried to take me on but I gave a few warning elbows to those that tried. Finally at the turnaround i got into some clean water and was just in crusie mode, mostly conserving energy for the long day ahead, i started feeling really strong on the second loop and passed a ton of people on the way in. I had a 1:20 swim which wasnt bad, but I did expect to do better than that but I was happy with it.
T1
I spent waaay to much time here I think like 12 or 13 minutes, but I wanted to make sure everything was right.
THE BIKE 6:08
Starting out I was feeling really strong, but Coach lee warned me not to go fast at the beginning and to take it easy and save it for the end but I couldnt resist, my heartrate was under control and my speed was about 22-24 mph so I maintained it. It was cool seeing a conga line of bikes as far as you could see, I also felt the need to flirt with all the girls as I passed them, there were a ton of hotties out there, I need to find me one of them. I drove the bike course before the race and it helped me to visualize the course as i was racing. I got to the area where the rollers where and was still feeling good and kinda pushed it a little too hard, i was playing a little game with this group I was with of you pass me going up and ill pass you going down, I was over 40 MPH going down some of those rollers, my 230lb frame doesnt like to climb but loves to go downhill. My nutrition was spot on, I had one bottle carrier on the bike and just alternated at each aid station between gatorade and water, I consumed E-Gels (these things are the bomb, no need for salt tablets) every 45 minutes. At special needs I had a red bull waiting for me and that made me feel like a new man for about the next 25 miles. The only thing that hurt on the bike was the bottom of my feet, they were killing me at mile 85ish and it made it hard to concentrate and pedal without pain. Then we got into the headwind for the last 20 miles and that just about killed me, I struggled with everyone just to get back to T2.
T2
It wasnt so bad this time, i camped out for about 6 or 8 minutes and got out of there.
THE RUN 6:04
I hooked up with Nick from TNO and started running with him, we basically run/walked to each aid station for the first 6 miles then we started feeling good and were running more consistently. I took an alleve to get rid of the foot pain that i was having and it helped. Comming back into the IM village was really cool, it pumps you up, we picked up special needs where I had a red bull waiting for me but I saved it for the last 6 miles were i would need it. It was nice to see all the other St'ers on the run cheering each other on, I saw a dude with a TSR jersey on and i yelled are you MR TIBBS, he chuckled and said no. Nutrition on the run was good, I basically didnt know what to eat at the aid stations, there was soo much to choose from so i alternated with different foods, the chicken broth was the bomb. Anway I got stronger as the run went on right up till the last turnaround in the park, the last 6.5 miles were horrible, my legs just didnt want to move anymore, I got separated from my buddy nick so my moral support was gone, my nutrition was good but my legs were cursing at me. The best part of the whole race is comming back, at first you start seeing the lights and once you hear the music all the pain goes away and for a brief moment in time it seems as all the world is there for YOU, I felt like a rockstar comming down the chute, everyone was going nuts, I was High Fiving everyone and savoring the moment then I rounded the corner and there was the finish line with the finish tape and the finishing time, they called my name on the sound system and said" DAN FROM HOLLYWOOD FLORIDA, YOU ARE AN IRONMAN", I welled up a little bit and couldnt believe that i did it. I remember watching footage of the Ironman on ABC's Wide World of Sports and still cant believe that I did it, wooooooohoooooooooooo, im still pumped.
Finishing Time 13:54
POST RACE
I ate pizza and watched the other athletes come in, what a spectacle. I want to say thanks to the Volunteers and spectators, they were huge and a big part of my race. A HUGE thanks goes to my Coach And Friend Lee Zolhman of BodyZen who put together a great training program for me with, you da man LEE. I big thanks goes to Slowman for having this forum available to us, without him and this forum I would never have met all you cool people and a big thanks to all you St'ers, Ive learned sooo much from reading this forum of what to do and what not to do, you guys crack me up. Oh wait there is one more person to thank, who is it, I cant remember, damn, its on the tip of my tounge, oh yeah Its " PAULIE" aka SAC, he helped me out earlier in the year and would always answer my emails and offer great advice, how come he always gets no respect, heheheehheeh.
Anyway im going to take my crippled ass for a Massage, see all you peeps later.
Dan
_____________________________________________
I have horrible back problems but I have zero problems staying in an aero position for 180k. Why? Because I ride steep and because I train regularly in that position. Simple as that.....Gerard
Anyway I had to drive back down to Miami and drop the dog of and pick up Miami79, she was going stir crazy with no power so we decided to go up to PCB a week early and hang out, ( oh by the way, were just friends, she is a really cool person to hang out with, so for all the other girls wanting to throw themselves at me, im always available :))))
We arrived at PCB and got in some good training. We stayed at the Holiday Inn which was a nice Hotel, it was centrally located with lots of food around, free internet in the lobby and free Porn on channel 72 after 11pm, heheheehehehe.
I volunteered at the Gatorade swim booth and met a ton of St'ers, lurkers and TNO peeps. Tommy Ziebart was a really cool dude, what a classy and fun guy to hang out with. We had fun working the booth, the girls seemed to be locked onto the Euro guys stripping butt naked in front of us while changing, while me and the fellas where checking out the hotties as they walked by. Everyone was super friendly, it was nice to put a face with the screen names,
Eganski- finally got over his Jellyfish phobia
KJGrog- almost got nailed by a tractor trailer on our group ride if it wasnt for his granny bell on his bike
Paul- super cool dude and fast
Tri-Toronto and his buddy with the slowtwitch shirt on- cool dudes
Francois- cool dude and hes not that short but he has a funny looking bike.
Occy- super nice guy, met him in the water at the ocean swim
Joe and Sue Bonness- Super friendly and nice people
Saltamontes- was in the room above us and made a lot of banging noises, sheeeeeesh :))))
Zinc- cool dude, talked to him via phone
Nick, Betsy and all the other TNO peeps, really cool people
I know Im forgetting some people there was way too many names to remember. The prerace dinner was super cool, seeing the videos the pro's and all the other athletes, waaaay cool, Ill never forget it.
THE SWIM 1:20
I wasnt as nervous as I thought I would be, I didnt know what to expect so I made the best of it. I was the bonehead that started in the front, I figured no one is going to swim over me so why not go off in the front and it worked. I was so pumped up for the start that I sprinted as soon as the gun went off and was in FIRST PLACE AT IM FLORIDA for about 5 seconds, then the games began, the first leg of the swim was nothing but a WWF smackdown match, all that pool training and technique goes out the window, it was a freaking washing machine out there, some people were cursing at others and some tried to take me on but I gave a few warning elbows to those that tried. Finally at the turnaround i got into some clean water and was just in crusie mode, mostly conserving energy for the long day ahead, i started feeling really strong on the second loop and passed a ton of people on the way in. I had a 1:20 swim which wasnt bad, but I did expect to do better than that but I was happy with it.
T1
I spent waaay to much time here I think like 12 or 13 minutes, but I wanted to make sure everything was right.
THE BIKE 6:08
Starting out I was feeling really strong, but Coach lee warned me not to go fast at the beginning and to take it easy and save it for the end but I couldnt resist, my heartrate was under control and my speed was about 22-24 mph so I maintained it. It was cool seeing a conga line of bikes as far as you could see, I also felt the need to flirt with all the girls as I passed them, there were a ton of hotties out there, I need to find me one of them. I drove the bike course before the race and it helped me to visualize the course as i was racing. I got to the area where the rollers where and was still feeling good and kinda pushed it a little too hard, i was playing a little game with this group I was with of you pass me going up and ill pass you going down, I was over 40 MPH going down some of those rollers, my 230lb frame doesnt like to climb but loves to go downhill. My nutrition was spot on, I had one bottle carrier on the bike and just alternated at each aid station between gatorade and water, I consumed E-Gels (these things are the bomb, no need for salt tablets) every 45 minutes. At special needs I had a red bull waiting for me and that made me feel like a new man for about the next 25 miles. The only thing that hurt on the bike was the bottom of my feet, they were killing me at mile 85ish and it made it hard to concentrate and pedal without pain. Then we got into the headwind for the last 20 miles and that just about killed me, I struggled with everyone just to get back to T2.
T2
It wasnt so bad this time, i camped out for about 6 or 8 minutes and got out of there.
THE RUN 6:04
I hooked up with Nick from TNO and started running with him, we basically run/walked to each aid station for the first 6 miles then we started feeling good and were running more consistently. I took an alleve to get rid of the foot pain that i was having and it helped. Comming back into the IM village was really cool, it pumps you up, we picked up special needs where I had a red bull waiting for me but I saved it for the last 6 miles were i would need it. It was nice to see all the other St'ers on the run cheering each other on, I saw a dude with a TSR jersey on and i yelled are you MR TIBBS, he chuckled and said no. Nutrition on the run was good, I basically didnt know what to eat at the aid stations, there was soo much to choose from so i alternated with different foods, the chicken broth was the bomb. Anway I got stronger as the run went on right up till the last turnaround in the park, the last 6.5 miles were horrible, my legs just didnt want to move anymore, I got separated from my buddy nick so my moral support was gone, my nutrition was good but my legs were cursing at me. The best part of the whole race is comming back, at first you start seeing the lights and once you hear the music all the pain goes away and for a brief moment in time it seems as all the world is there for YOU, I felt like a rockstar comming down the chute, everyone was going nuts, I was High Fiving everyone and savoring the moment then I rounded the corner and there was the finish line with the finish tape and the finishing time, they called my name on the sound system and said" DAN FROM HOLLYWOOD FLORIDA, YOU ARE AN IRONMAN", I welled up a little bit and couldnt believe that i did it. I remember watching footage of the Ironman on ABC's Wide World of Sports and still cant believe that I did it, wooooooohoooooooooooo, im still pumped.
Finishing Time 13:54
POST RACE
I ate pizza and watched the other athletes come in, what a spectacle. I want to say thanks to the Volunteers and spectators, they were huge and a big part of my race. A HUGE thanks goes to my Coach And Friend Lee Zolhman of BodyZen who put together a great training program for me with, you da man LEE. I big thanks goes to Slowman for having this forum available to us, without him and this forum I would never have met all you cool people and a big thanks to all you St'ers, Ive learned sooo much from reading this forum of what to do and what not to do, you guys crack me up. Oh wait there is one more person to thank, who is it, I cant remember, damn, its on the tip of my tounge, oh yeah Its " PAULIE" aka SAC, he helped me out earlier in the year and would always answer my emails and offer great advice, how come he always gets no respect, heheheehheeh.
Anyway im going to take my crippled ass for a Massage, see all you peeps later.
Dan
_____________________________________________
I have horrible back problems but I have zero problems staying in an aero position for 180k. Why? Because I ride steep and because I train regularly in that position. Simple as that.....Gerard