This is the sixth and final article in the Ironman Chronicles series.

Well, I did it! I am officially an Ironman, one of the elite few people who have competed in a triathlon swimming 2.4 miles, biking 112 miles, and then running a marathon (26.2 miles). 1406. is my new favorite number.

I think this whole race was highly unusual for me. First off, my business trip earlier in the week totally distracted me from the race so I didn’t even think too much about it. I thought that was a good thing, not having a lot of pent up nervous energy. Then for the first time in three years, I actually got a full night’s sleep before a race, 7 hours.

My main concern about this race was the swim. The weather here in Coeur d’Alene can change from day to day. But the stars must have been aligned today because the weather was picture perfect with minimal wind to kick up the waves and cause a swell in the lake. So basically the water was very calm.

After dropping off our Bike Special Needs and Run Special Needs bags, Eric and I got ready for the swim in the changing tent. We basically just sat in the tent since it was warm and waited until about 6:00 AM to put on our wetsuits. The race starts promptly at 7:00 AM with a mass start, basically 3000 male and female athletes jockeying for position in the water.

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This is the fifth article in the Ironman Chronicles series.

Eric and I finished our last easy bike ride this morning. It was pretty cold, and we both decided to wear jackets tomorrow on race day. It’s projected to be about 47° by the time we get out of the water. Not only am I wearing a jacket, I’m also wearing toe covers on my shoes, arm coolers, arm warmers over the coolers, and leg warmers. The wind looked less active today, and you could tell the waves on the lake were smaller. But the wind was still strong enough to blow my bike. Need to be sure to stay alert during tomorrow’s ride.

After the ride we looked around the Ironman Village some more. And I bought some souvenirs for Maria & Tony. After lunch, we went for a 15-min jog. Then Eric visited with his bro, and I packed most of my bags for the return trip to San Diego.

Ate dinner at the hotel restaurant. Had some salad, clam chowder soup, and penne pasta with garlic butter and marinara sauce. Eric caught up with me at dinner time.

I have 8 bottles; Eric has 2.

Afterwards, we mixed our nutrition bottles. Eric requested a wake-up call for 3:30 AM. I set my alarm for 3:15. We leave on the hotel shuttle to Transition at 4:30 AM. The grand adventure begins with the canon going off at 7:00 AM.

Good night!

This is the fourth article in the Ironman Chronicles series.

There is a time for everything,
and a season for every activity under the heavens: (Ecclesiastes 3:1)

This is the time for Ironman.

My first time in Idaho. First time in Coeur d’Alene. It’s very scenic around the lake.

Lake Coeur d'Alene

My first Athlete Dinner at an Ironman race. I felt lost in a herd of cattle being led to a trough of food.

Athlete Dinner

My first time not needing my own race bag.

Race Bags

This is my time. And it’s my first Ironman.

This is the second article in the Ironman Chronicles series.

I love this sport. It fits perfectly with my personality. You know the type. Type A. You have to be regimented, disciplined, and organized. I guess you need to be if you want to remember all this sh*tuff you have to bring with you to race one of these Ironmans. My gawd! This is a lot of stuff.

Lots and lots of sh*tuff

And if you know anything about the typical triathlete doing an Ironman race, you also have to bring backups for the backup gear. Duplicate and triplicate items galore. Sheesh, I thought my “normal” checklist for a “regular” sprint triathlon was huge. But for IMCdA, I have eight checklists to help me remember everything I need to bring: bike, clothing, electronics, food, miscellaneous, nutrition, run, and swim. Then on top of it all, you have to buy more stuff, namely food, when you arrive at the race.

In addition to my bike, I brought three bags of gear: one huge Zoot race/travel bag, one TravelPro carry-on bag, and one gear bag (that I had transported by TriBike Transport, the company that drove my bike from San Diego to Idaho). I packed some pretty odd stuff for this race in June. For example, arm warmers and leg warmers. In June! Here at Coeur d’Alene, the weather could be anything: hot, warm, freezing, or rainy. I even packed a rain jacket. The latest weather forecast for Sunday looks perfect: moderate at 68° with water temperatures in the lake at 58° so hopefully I won’t need any warmers or jackets during the race.

Even with my eight hardcore checklists, apparently I forgot the most important Ironman Essentials below, slippers and Hershey’s Chocolate.

Ironman Essentials