Felt good. I did not push myself. I went smooth and steady. The start and first lap were tough. It was my first mass start. I got run over a few times but nothing horrible. Someone must have kicked my watch and stopped the event time. That sucked! Second lap I was able to get near or on the cable to keep a steady course.

I could have pushed it just a bit harder.

I took it slow and steady again. I wanted to keep my heart rate down and make sure that I did not forget anything.

Move much more methodically. I have never had all of my stuff in a bag. I could have cut my time by a third or even in half.

I have never really ridden on any good hills. I signed up for this before I saw the course profile. When I saw it I thought oh !@#$! I have also never ridden 112 miles so between the distance and the course profile, I was concerned. It was a fantastic course. Beautiful, fun, challenging and I am happy to have chosen Lake Placid as my first Ironman. The downhills were exhilarating and the climbs were challenging. At the top of Papa Bear on the first loop, the crowds were making it seem like the Tour! I made me stand up and crank hard. That was motivating. I felt GREAT! I pushed hard through town and by mile 60 I was exhausted. Talk about highs and lows. Thank God the downhill to Keene was close by. I pedaled all the way with very light pressure and that seemed to do the trick. At 65 miles I stopped and ate my peanut butter sandwich, stretched and peed. It was about a 5 minute break. I felt great once I was pedaling again which was good because it was mostly uphill to the finish.

Train on hills!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Methodical, not rushed.

Put new legs in my transition bag!

Holy !@#$! OK, that said, I did not eat anything on the first loop. I do not recommend this approach! I had no appetite and I was tired. I ran most of the way, walking at water stations. I made it back to town tired, but ok. Here is where my lack of run training hurt me. My longest training run had been 14.5 miles. Guess where I hit the wall?. The last 12 miles were difficult. It is hard to be 400 feet from the finish line and have to leave town to do another 13.1 miles!!!!!! I thought about everything. Could I just come back another time and try again? Could I walk the whole 2nd half and make the cutoff? Then I thought of my 4 years in the Marine Corps and thought I should suck it up, quit the self doubt and run as far as I could until I needed to walk. Then I would walk until I could run again. At mile 18 I ate a shot of Gu. About 10 minutes later I felt like I was running stronger. I waited a bit and took another shot. Good, I didn't puke! Felt a little better. I started to run longer each segment. I met Mark and Kimberly. We talked while we ran and that was a good thing. I got back to running to each water station. I felt like I was going faster but as I look at my pace, I may not have been but, I felt better knowing that I was running more than walking. Those last two hills were a bitch!

Train longer.

Five minutes of staggering around, a quick massage, a slice of pizza and walked back to the house.


Training. I did much better in the swim and run than I had anticipated. My run training directly corresponded with my run time.


Excellent first Ironman. I would, and may, do it again! The people in town were fantastic. The crowds helped me push on. My family was unable to attend as my father was hospitalized one week before the race. (He is doing ok) I met a local family who basically adopted me for the day and yelled to me, took pictures and made me feel great. Thank you to the Perkins Family! My friend Joe was energetic, supportive and helpful. He made the 12 hour round trip by himself to cheer me on. It is good to have good friends!
6.5 weeks until the Narragansett 1/2 Iron! Next week it is training time again!!!!!
I am amazed at how good I feel post race. I thought i would feel very tired and beat up. I do not. I feel great. No joint pain at all. No muscular pain. I never cramped. I have a little muscle soreness but nothing to keep me from normal activities. Overall, I feel very good about the event and am happy that I have attained a long term goal.

Thank you to everyone who sent me "Inspire me" notes and those who supported my efforts in their own way.