Baby win...

My body is starting to bounce back. I had a great biking speed work session today.

All day I WASN'T looking forward to it, my butt muscles hurt so much. This morning, they hurt just from bending and drying myself off after my shower. I was dreading getting on that bike and hammering, I knew there was going to be some pain involved.

At first I was thinking I'd just change the speed work session to a tempo ride session, "why push it early?". But then I figured, "suck it up, you only have 30 day's of training until Utah and everyday counts". Physically I was sore, but mentally I felt better, it was 14 C / 57 F outside, which is not warm, but it is cycling shorts weather.

Within the first 5 minutes into the ride, the endorphins kicked in and I was feeling good. I was sore, but surprisingly, I felt strong. After 30 minutes, which included 15 minutes of easy warm up, I was averaging 33.5 kph. I was cruising up inclines at 31 kph, which I normally do at 25 kph.

I didn't "cut any corners" and even added more minutes to my intervals. Not only did I do speed work, but I did it on huge hills. I figured Utah is hilly, so I may as well do hills.

I did the Bell School Line hill and it is STEEP. Probably at points 10 - 12% grades and I kept it in the big front ring the entire time. I had to stand on the pedals, but I did it. My heart rate got up to 170 bpm. In the past three years, I've never got it that high on the bike. Going downhill on 14 side road I was doing 75.1 kph.

I was taking Simon's advice and pushing hard at a low cadence. He used to ride at my speed, in the 5:25 Ironman range, and then made major strides doing speed work at a lower cadence. This year at Ironman Malaysia he did an unbelievable 4:57

I felt great and at times was riding 40 kph and above. I don't want to get cocky, but I'm feeling more optimistic that I may be able to bounce back and be ready for IMSG.

My weight keeps dropping. I'm now back down to 177 lbs. Maybe that's why I was able to climb in the big gear, less weight to carry. However, my body is not yet stabilized, I'm getting dizzy when I stand up from sitting or lying down. The same thing happened to me when I started my Ironman China training. It usually takes a week for my body to adjust and the dizziness to stop.

The GREAT news is we are starting to get some warm weather, this weekend it may get up to 23C, which would be awesome for my long ride. I'm keeping my fingers crossed. I'm also keeping up my habit of having a beer or more after training. My spinach is working, it's bringing me back from the dead.

John's still not well, his doctor is checking blood work to see if there is any damage to his kidneys. Apparently heat can easily damage them. I kinda feel "guilty" putting the idea of going to China in John's head. It's not fun seeing a friend in pain, even if it's John.

March Totals

Swim - 16.70 km / 10.35 miles

Bike - 702.67 km /435.66 miles

Run - 114.40 km / 70.93 miles

weights - 1 session

Totals -833.77 km / 516.94 miles

Calories - 35,388

74 beers

Speed Bike - 1:17:01 / 36.71 km / 28.6 kph

177.8 lbs / 21.4% BMI

5

Aligator skin...

I don't know what's happening to me. Since coming back from China, my skin is peeling off my fingers and the heels of my hands. (If it was palms, it would be easier to diagnose).

I've never had this happen to me before. I'm wondering if this is still side effects from swimming in a Chinese river? or just from entering China altogether?

Also, John Barclay's still not feeling well. He came by to drop something off and told Alice that his doctor is having him take some blood tests. It seems something got the both of us. Fortunately for me, I'm MUCH stronger than John.

I don't know what I was thinking when I thought China would be safe. Hindsight is 20/20 and after much reflection it all makes sense now. It comes down Newton's law, which is "To every action there is always an equal and opposite reaction". So I used that theory and applied it to our current situation.

My hypothesis, is: If John and I went to China and came back feeling 50% of our normal self, then Chinese people who come to North America and go back to China must feel 150%.

No wonder they don't want their people to leave the country and learn what other foods are available, it would kill their "chicken foot" industry. If they started eating North American food, I could only imagine the problems it would cause. Their dog, cat and rat population would grow out of control.

China may not allow Western social media sites, but they allow McDonald's, KFC and Pizza Hut. To them, it's the equivalent of health food. No wonder McDonald's sponsor their Olympic program, if they didn't, the Chinese athletes wouldn't have the energy to even make it on the team bus.

I'm still shocked how much fitness I lost in just two weeks. Getting food poisoning, and who knows what else, has kicked my ass. Although I think I'm finally on the mend.

Last night, about 2 hours after my ride, my legs started feeling much better. And this morning, I wasn't hobbling and I felt a few cracks and loosening in my pelvis area, which is a good thing. I also noticed that my arms started to feel strong again. It's amazing what only one easy weight training session can do to bring back some muscle strength.

Today was my first swim since China and I hadn't lost much. My main set was 20 x 100 meters on 15 second rests at a steady pace, not hard. My fastest was 1:37 and my slowest was 1:43, most were at 1:41. I was surprised and happy with the strong swim.

However, the swim did take it's toll. I ran tonight and before I even left the house my heart rate was resting in the 70's. It's normally in the 50's. To keep my heart rate under 143, I had to stop and walk at least 30 times during my hilly run.

I don't think I walked that much EVER. It didn't help that my heart rate monitor was screwing up. There may be a few times I walked due to a watch malfunction. For my next run I'm going to be wearing a second heart rate monitor. There is nothing more frustrating that an erratic heart rate monitor.

Although my heart rate was way too high, I was happy with how I felt. My legs were still sore from yesterday's training and before I started the run, I was dreading the pain. It turned out that my legs held together pretty good. They felt better after I finished than when I started.

I'm also making sure that I'm taking in lots of protein. I'm having a protein drink in the morning and after I finish my training. I want to make sure my muscles get everything they need to rebuild as quickly as possible.

I was given some twitter advice from @gosonja about my muscles and strength. She said, "it's not gone, just hiding a little". It made me feel much better because Sonja been there, she knows what she's talking about. She's an age group elite triathlete and this past weekend just came second overall in the Moab 100 mile run. You can check out here race report at http://gosonja.com/

I also think the beers are really helping. I've haven't been going overboard by any stretch, but that first beer after a training session tastes so good. It's heavenly.

I think something in beer must be good for me. Since I started drinking it, I'm not eating or craving food as much, especially junk food. This morning I stepped on the scale and was back down to 179 lbs. In one day I got rid of Sunday's 3 lbs of grease and salt water retention.

In the first two days of Ironman training, I've done 6 hours and I don't feel too bad. It will be interesting to see how long it takes until I get my strength and speed back. This is one hell of an experiment. It falls under the "Nothing ventured, nothing gained" category.

Long Swim - 1:00:09 / 3000 meters

Mod Run - 1:35:02 / 17.08 km / 5:34 pace / 142 avg hr.

179.4 lbs / 21.5% BMI

4

It feels like starting over...

Sunday was another guilt-free indulgence day. I knew I was starting Ironman training today and I let myself eat and drink anything I wanted.

I had fish and chips, wings, potato chips, ice cream, beer and movie popcorn. It was the four food groups; salt, grease, sugar and alcohol. How come the stuff that is so bad for you, tastes soooo good?

This morning I weighed in at 183 lbs. As strange as it sounds I didn't mind being in the 180's, even though I loved standing on the scale and seeing 178 lbs. Being heavier made me feel that my body is getting back to normal. I also figured a LOT of it is from water retention.

I did a weight training session at lunch time. Even though I only did 1 x 15 reps for every exercise, my legs and buttocks felt it. Especially after the lunges. Once finished, I felt great. It was the first time I've ever gotten an endorphin rush from weight training. I felt alive!

Today's weather was 9 C, not great. I bundled up, put on bootees and gloves and forced myself out to do my moderate ride. After 30 minutes I was mentally getting sick of the ride, I wasn't prepared to continue doing cold weather riding.

Looking back, I didn't think I'd be training right now, I thought I'd be resting after a great race in China. That I'd take a few weeks off and by the time I started up my IM Lake Placid training it'd be warm out. So much for the "best laid plans of mice and men".

The cold and the wind was depressing me. I just kept focusing on cadence and heart rate and pushed through. Twenty minutes later I was feeling better. It felt like my first ride of the year. I can't believe how much fitness I've lost in only 2 weeks. I was okay for the first 2 hours and for the last hour I was getting tired and it didn't take much to get my heart rate up.

What kept me strong was thinking about having a nice "cold beer" and barbecuing some steaks when I got home. I'm committed to eating well, and even had a salad for lunch, but I'm not going to deprive myself of beer. That vision of having a cold one, kept me going. It was like a carrot on the end of a stick. It didn't disappoint either, it tasted so good.

After the ride, my legs and core felt weak. I haven't felt this way in over a year. I think the food poisoning did more damage than I originally thought. My legs are already much more tired and sore than they were after the first full week of Ironman China training.

I'm hoping this tired and sore phase won't last long. Even more important, I hope the weather gets warmer soon. I am so "sick" of cold weather training. My focus right now is to get back to "training enjoyment". I want to feel strong and powerful in my mind and core and I know the only way to do that is to be mentally positive.

My ideal is to show up to St. George feeling healthy and optimistic. Forget about Kona, I just want to be strong enough to enjoy this race. I'd be suffering if I had to do the race right now. I can't remember the last time I felt this weak. It's like I'm starting over.

I had a minor mishap today. My water bottle cage broke. It was on a country road with very little traffic. When it broke, I looked to see what happened and out of nowhere a school bus had to veer around me as I started drifting. I may not feel strong, but I am feeling lucky.

Weights - 30 minutes

Mod Bike - 3:00:10 / 88.72 km / 29.55 kph / 134 avg hr

183.2 lbs / 21.9% BMI

4

Mary's on the go...

Not a lot to report. Today is my last day of recovery before I start training for Ironman St. George.

I'm going into it with a much different mindset than Ironman China. For Ironman China it was "do the training and the results will come", for Ironman St. George, it's "there's more to it than just doing the training".

Rarely do I do this, but I went to the movie "Hot Tub Time Machine" for a second time in two days. This time, it was with Alyssa and Nazaire. All afternoon Alice and I were sitting around the home bar and watching sports on TV and after quite a few beers I wanted to see the movie and relieve the 80's again.

Alyssa drove, and I snuck a couple beers into the theater. When your drinking and watching a movie staged during your prime teen aged years, you reminisce. During the movie I was thinking that someone my age is watching this movie and it will be the turning point where they turn their life upside down. They'll realize they didn't "become all they could be".

As much as I'd love the excitement of turning my life upside down, I couldn't. I wouldn't want to screw up what I have. But if I was in a dead end relationship and a dead end job, that movie would push me over the edge. Tomorrow, someone, somewhere, will be making a life choice that will radically change their life. My hat goes off to them. Better late than never.

Talking about the passage of time, I can't believe that I'm 44 years old. I was watching the UFC pay per view this weekend, and in my minds eye, I think I'm still young and strong like the fighters. When I said that out loud, Alyssa thought I was delusional. I've come to the conclusion that I think I look like I'm in my mid 30's, and others think I look like a middle aged high school principal.

Coming back to the present, I want to give a big kudos's to Nina Jack for completing the LA Marathon. I met Nina and her husband Dana when let me stay at their home during my California training camp. They are two big hearted people. You can check out Nina's race report at http://triathleteintransition.blogspot.com/

Nina is a charity money generating machine. For the LA marathon she was running to raise money to cure Pancreatic Cancer and I made a donation to support her efforts. Just before the race, I got an email from Nina, asking if there was "someone in memory" whose name I'd like to have written on her racing bib.

It got me thinking, who do I know who is deceased. Someone who I can "honour" by having Nina put their name on her bib as she pushes herself to finish her first ever marathon, which is added pressure to not an easy task. It took me some time to come up with a name, especially since I didn't have any family that has died from Pancreatic Cancer.

The person I came up with was Mary Payne, my grandmother. Some would think it was an odd choice. Mary didn't die of any type of cancer, she died in her sleep peacefully. She went to bed fine, looking forward to the next day, and woke up dead.

It was a tragedy. I don't think "people dying in their sleep" gets enough attention. You often hear of people working to raise money for things like cancer, heart disease and diabetes, but who's working to raise money for "elderly sudden death syndrome"?

I choose my grandmother Mary for one reason and one reason only. She'd be touched by it. If, from her perch in heaven, she could see someone running a race with her name written on the bib, she'd be honoured to tears.

Mary, who we called "Granny", did everything for everyone else except herself. Whatever you think an awesome grandmother should be, she was. When I started getting into shape and did my first ever race, a 10 KM run. She was there. It was just her, Alice and I.

And when I did my first Ironman, she was there. Granny thought I was crazy. She didn't think running or biking for long distances was healthy. She'd tell me, "why are you doing this crazy stuff, it can't be good for you, it's crazy, your going to wear out your body". She'd complain a lot, but she was always there to support and watch.

Never in a million years would "Granny" think that someone would run any race with her name on the racing bib, let alone the Los Angeles Marathon. Knowing her, she probably thought no one would even remember her when she was gone. She was wrong.

Rest and Recovery - No Training.

11

Getting legal...

I woke up early this morning and had to go for a run. I know my plan was to do nothing until Monday, but I just couldn't resist.

Now before anyone jumps all over me for not taking my own advice, which is fair. I've given myself a forever "hall pass". I've added a disclaimer to the bottom of my blog.

It reads - Important Disclaimer: Any observations, advice, opinions, comments or personal commitments I make on this blog, are subject to change without notice or apology. I thought it was a fair thing to add in light of my personal nature. I just felt like my body was becoming weaker and weaker and I needed to do something to reverse it.

Also, last night didn't help. I was wrestling with Reid and he started lying on top of me. I had a tough time moving him, it was near impossible. My upper body had no strength. Now in all fairness, he's 13 years old and weighs 192 lbs. I did manage to get him off me, but just barely. I had to use finesse. I used the old "bend the fingers the wrong way" technique.

I'm so glad I went for a run this morning. It was beautiful outside and my legs needed it. At first it felt like I was running in slow motion, yet it was at decent 4:59 pace. Then I started to get looser. By the 15 minute mark, I felt fluid and I felt so alive. My breathing was back to normal, I was able to take deep breaths and my core energy was back. At no point did I feel I needed to walk.

Now here's the interesting part. My last run was last Sunday, I did 1:15. In only 6 days and after only 30 minutes of running, my quads started to hurt a little. It felt like it was my first run in a long time. It just shows that exercise is a "zero sum" game. If you don't use it, you lose it and it doesn't matter who you are.

I also noticed that I was getting a little joint soreness. I was so glad I went for a run, it was short, but effective. Immediately, I knew I stopped the "bleeding". My legs were no longer atrophying. I now have them in limbo. The only way to go is up. Another positive was my speed was much better than it has been in a long time for a moderate run.

It was the first weekend I had no training in the afternoon. Alice, Reid and I decided to the afternoon showing of the movie "Hot Tub Time Machine". It was a really good movie, especially if you grew up in the 80's. After I parked the truck and we started walking to the theatre, Reid started "lip-ing off", over and over, that he could easily drive my truck. I gave him the "yeah right, sure you could".

After the movie, just as we got to the truck, he wasn't expecting it, but I threw him the keys. I said, "okay big talker, Betty Crocker, lets see you drive my truck". He turned "white" and said, "you're serious? are you serious? you're not serious?". I said I was and to open the doors. He fumbled and had trouble even opening the doors. I got in the back seat. He still didn't think I was serious.

He slowly got in the front and then I started goading him, "You told me you could drive, so drive". I called his bluff. I told him to "put the key in, start it up". Which he did. Alice was in the passenger seat and he kept looking at her for help". I said, "I thought you said you could drive?" He then said, "well, um, this parking lot is too busy" and "I'd rather drive mom's car, yeah I'd feel much better driving mom's car". I made him squirm a little longer and then let him off the hook and took over the wheel.

The one thing I love doing, is abusing Reid. I'm his dad and I'm also the older brother he never had. On the way home, I kept "mocking" him, "I'm Reid, let me drive, I could easily drive your truck....yada, yada, yada". At one point I thought he was going to cry, so I pulled back. Then he started talking big again and I stopped the truck for the second time and got out of the drivers seat and said, "let's go big talker, let's see you drive".

He almost got in, but chickened out. Before he got in he wanted to know how to use the blinkers. I told him, "don't worry about the blinkers, just worry about the gas and brake pedals". He jammed out a second time. To his defense, there was traffic and it wouldn't have been a good thing. I started un-relentlessly started bugging him again, "strike two for Reid".

Now at this point, I'm sure my parenting style is being called into question and most would feel my son would do better in a foster home. Perhaps that's true and it definitely would be true if Alice wasn't part of the family unit. But, being the ever so caring father, I let him save face and redeem himself. I took him to an empty parking lot behind a school and let him drive. Which he did.

It was your typical fun stuff. First he pushed on the gas pedal too hard and then braked to hard, giving all of us minor whiplash. To his credit, he got the hang of it pretty quickly and started having fun. It was an out and back, so he had to do some 360 turns and even had to back up. The first time he backed up was funny, he hit the gas to hard and I yelled out "stop! your going to hit the pole!" and he slammed on the breaks (Even though the pole was about 20 feet away). Lots of laughter all around.

By the end, he was doing pretty, pretty, pretty good (Imagine it said in Larry David's voice) and I couldn't tease him anymore. Now he was teasing back because he feels like he's a great driver. A legend in his own mind. As he was driving, I was thinking to myself, "nothing like creating childhood memories". I know he won't forget today. Ever. Nor will I.

Changing subjects, below you will find a You Tube video. It is a voicemail recording I got on Friday. It's from my buddy Gord and it's about my Ironman China race. Gord is an ex-Ironman from 20 years ago and called to "cheer me up", as only a true friend could. Warning: Coarse Language, 6 times to be exact. Enjoy!

Mod Run - 37:57 / 7.86 km / 4:49 pace / 135 avg hr

Easier said than done...

Sitting still and not training has been hard, especially today. I should start a TA chapter. I'd start of by saying "I'm Bryan, I'm a Training-olic and it's been 12 days since my last workout".

Alice and I were shooting pool and I told her that if it's warm out tomorrow, I may go for a ride. I'm going crazy and my legs are feeling like they are atrophying.

I know the time off is doing my body well. The cyst I had in my groin area is almost gone and my legs are feeling, well, like legs. I don't notice the daily soreness. In a strange way, I miss that soreness, it doesn't feel normal without it.

I'm trying to take it easy. I even left work early and went for a few of beers with Johnny. I had a few more with Alice when I got home. But I'm not going overboard. I don't want gain weight. With IMSG not far away and with all the climbing on the bike, carrying less weight is a good thing.

Today, as I was driving I got a call from my buddy Gord Brauer in Winnipeg. He's an ex-Ironman and started our conversation off by telling me that not finishing IMChina was my own fault. That I shouldn't be upset that I didn't finish, instead, I should be upset that I didn't take proper care to eat well beforehand.

Although he was gentle with me, he only repeated it 5 or 6 times, I agreed 5 - 6 times and then I had to stop him. Had he not stopped, I would have had no choice but to turn into oncoming traffic.

Then, as a true friend, he said he wants to join me in Utah. Providing he can get a cheap flight. Gord wants to support me and make sure I don't make any pre-race errors. I wouldn't put it past Gord to "taste" my food before I eat it. He was telling me that travelling with a "hot plate" is a very workable option, and he was deadly serious.

I've never really seen myself as a "hot plate" travelling kind of guy. It seems a little weird. Neck roll yes. Hot plate no.

Essentially, he wants to make sure I'm 100% at the start line. Gord 's a knowledgeable guy when it comes to Ironman training and diet. Prior to China. he was upset that I quit drinking beer. He told me my body is used to it and needs it. He didn't look at beer as a negative. He even felt that had I been drinking it, the alcohol would have probably killed my "food bug".

It's funny he said that, because on the run during Ironman China, I thought that all I needed was a beer. I envisioned myself stopping at a roadside bar, sitting down and having a beer or more. Then, when I felt better, get back on the course and finish the run.

I was serious about that thought. Unfortunately, I realized it wasn't an option, I had no money. For my next Ironman, I'm putting some money in my special needs bag or I'm going to figure out a way to sew a money pocket in the top of the Captain's hat. I want to be prepared this time around.

Changing subjects, Alice was telling me a funny story about Reid's foot. After I left to China, the doctor removed a wart from Reid's foot. To allow it to heal, he was told not to let his foot get wet. He had to take showers and baths with a plastic bag over his foot to keep it dry.

He was telling Alice that he couldn't wait to wash his foot. That it was smelling. Even when he was at school, he was paranoid about it being stinky. This went on for days. Then one day, Alice walked into Reid's room and the smell was unbearable.

She asked Reid what "stinks so bad?" and he said, "oh, it must be my foot, I don't even notice the smell anymore". The smell was so aweful, Alice couldn't believe it was his foot. She looked around and saw the hamster cage and didn't see Reid's hamster Roxy.

Turns out Roxy had been dead for days. The smell wasn't Reid's foot.

Rest & Recover Day - No Training

178.2 / 21.5% BMI

9

The reviews are in...

From and emotional and physical perspective, I've talked Ironman China to death. Those days are over, "I've beaten that horse to death". This post is a "no holds barred" Ironman China race review.

I wished I had found a review like this before I signed up. I would have been much better prepared to know what to expect or I may have decided not to sign up at all.

First off, the Chinese are becoming very Westernized in their marketing approach. Lots of stretching of the truth.

According to "the brochure", they said to expect race day temperatures of around 26 C. Even though I was training through a Canadian winter, I didn't think heat was going to be too much of a problem. After all, it was supposed to be warm, not hot. Knowing this, I signed up.

About a month before the race, John Barclay called me and was worried about the heat. It was already consistently 30 C plus. Race day it ended up being 40 C / 104F. Giving them the benefit of the doubt, I figured it must have been a typo. They hit the 2 on the keyboard instead of the 3. It SHOULD have read, expect 36 C.

According to "the brochure", it is the Hawaii of China. Well, I haven't been to Hawaii in a while, but the last few times I was there I don't remember all the pollution and cars. The brochure also said the host hotel is a 5 Star Resort. It was definitely a 5 star, providing their top hotel rating is 10 stars. It was the equivalent of a nice Holiday Inn, at best. The photo's were definitely retouched.

I will say the hotel staff were very friendly, and if you spoke fluent Chinese, they were also easy to communicate with. Other than a couple of the front desk people, most of the staff didn't understand English. Actually, very few Chinese people I dealt with understood English.

At the resort, everything but the hotel room was expensive. You definitely want to go into town to buy food or water. I bought 4 bottles of water, a can of Coke, a snickers bar and a large package of Oreo Cookies and it cost me $35 U.S. In town, it would have cost me less than $5.

The food is third World prepared, maybe even fourth World, if there is such a thing. The breakfast and pre-race meals were buffet style and I felt like I was playing "Russian Roulette" every time I'd put something on my plate. I've eaten food in the Dominican Republic, Cuba and Mexico and it was gourmet compared to China. Ultimately, the food did did me in and food poisoning ended my race early.

Flying in and out of Haikou is an adventure. The airline counter staff understand very little English and seemed to have no experience handling bikes as baggage. Additional charges are not simple counter transactions. You're also never really sure if your standing in the right line. It was a zoo.

John Barclay described it best when he said, "it felt like we were trying to get on the last flight out of Vietnam before the war started". To ensure you get on your flight, you need to show up at least three hours beforehand, two hours is cutting it close.

Pre-race training conditions are less than ideal. The roads are full of traffic and vehicles are going different directions on the same side of the street. The rules are "there are no rules". Traffic lights don't matter, they are basically treated as a "suggestion". It is a little nerve racking when riding or running on the roads.

The basic challenges for me were the heat, the food, the roads, the jet lag and lack of communication. Other than those, it was pretty pain free. If I was to do the race again, I couldn't see myself showing up early to Haikou to acclimatize. I don't know where I'd safely ride or what I'd eat. I'd have to find another country nearby with a similar climate, Western food and safe roads to train on.

I'd also stay at a different hotel. Something in town, ideally an apartment style hotel with a full kitchen. At minimum, I'd bring my own food and I'd most definitely spend the time to research the best and safest restaurants to eat at.

The race itself is unlike any other Ironman I've ever done. It's a small group of competitors and the athletes are not friendly to one another. Even getting on and off the elevator, most of the athletes wouldn't even make eye contact. It's not your regular festive Ironman atmosphere. It is NOT the place you want to do your first Ironman.

It was definitely a high caliber of athlete that is drawn to China. Most of the people I spoke to were there for a single purpose, to get a Kona slot. Hence the intense atmosphere. The first smile I saw was from the pro Chris McCormack. Most everyone else seemed to be wearing their game faces.

My 8 X Ironman buddy Jamie once told me that he's only met one Kona Qualifier that isn't boring. I now know what he means, they are intense, not many smiles. John and I tried to have fun with it by directly looking at people and saying "hi". It still wasn't working and I think John eventually gave up. I will say the atmosphere was a little better after the race.

In terms of clothing, don't expect much. The table was about 2 foot x 14 feet. I think there was only 3 or 4 styles of shirts in 3 or 4 colors. To get my size, I thought I was buying drugs. They didn't have it on the table and the girl looked both ways and acted like she was doing me a favour by going in the back room and finding my size.

Now it wasn't ALL bad. I will say that the course was FANTASTIC. I was skeptical at first about the four lap swim, but it worked out well. No congestion. At one point the pros started swimming up beside me and it was pretty cool seeing how fast they swim relative to myself. With that said, if it was a large race with your standard 2000 plus athletes, I think the four loop swim would be pandemonium.

Although the river water seemed clean, this IS China. Not a lot of environmental controls. I don't even want to think what I was swimming in. The other day John was telling me he has a bunch of red bumps on his skin and wanted to know if I did as well. That got me looking and I think I do. Or the power of suggestion has got me paranoid.

The bike course was great. Even a blind man couldn't get lost. Large roads and three lane highways were completely shut down from traffic and all the roads seemed to be swept clean before the race. The roads were smooth and approximately every 500 to 1000 meters there was Police standing at the side of the road. At least there were standing in the morning. In the afternoon they were sitting due to the heat, most with their shoes and socks off.

The water stations support staff were great. The kids manning the stations were focused and couldn't do enough for you. I once stopped and before I could say a word, they were rubbing ice on my back as I was getting a drink. They were aggressive and were pouring water on me when I didn't want it on me, but I couldn't get mad, their intent was pure and "it felt so damn good".

As Simon mentioned in his race report post, they only had aid stations every 15 km on the bike and 2 km on the run and with the heat, it would probably be better to have them every 10 km on the bike and 1.5 km on the run. To me, the bike wasn't so much and issue as the run was.

The one thing about the Chinese that becomes apparent early, is they are great at following rules and doing what they are told. I've never been in a race where there has been so many diligent draft Marshals. This would be a great course for any world Championship. Lots of space to ride and drafters would definitely get caught.

The only other race item I could think of is the busing. Often the buses would leave on the hour. It would have been nice to have the buses revolving or leaving every 20 minutes. Especially at the end of the race when all you want to do is get back to the hotel. After the race, I had to wait and when the bus did leave, it had to stop for gas. One guy got so "pissed off" he jumped off of the bus and flagged down a cab.

One final note. It's more like a training day race. Unlike other Ironman races, it doesn't have lots of athletes, high amounts of supportive energy, boisterous crowds and fanfare.

This race, the field is small, intense and multi-cultural, with many of the athletes not speaking English. There is very little interaction with others along the course. The crowds watching and cheering are not very large either. Expect to be on your own, you won't be drawing energy from anywhere but between your own ears.

My final Score Card

Ease of Travel - Poor

Jet Lag - Poor

Most Communications with Chinese - Poor

Race Hotel - Fair

Hotel Bathroom- Nice (best part of room, good thing, I spent a lot of time in there).

Hotel Service - Fair

Hotel Prices - Poor /Very expensive

Hotel Food - Beyond Poor

Carbo Loading Buffet - Beyond Poor (many got food poisoning)

General Food in China - Poor

Pre Race Training Conditions - Poor

Pre -Race Organization - Excellent

Festive race atmosphere - Poor

Race Day organization - Excellent

Race Course organization - Excellent

Course Support - Very Good

Caliber of Athlete - High (Small field but World Class Competition)

Post race food - beyond Poor (many more got food poisoning).

Chinese People Cheering - Very Good

Amount of People Cheering - Fair

Airport Travel - beyond poor.

Arriving back in Toronto - Priceless.

Special note to Simon: Thanks for the Ironman Pictures.

Rest and Recovery Week - No training

178.6 / 21.5 BMI

Sitting still isn't easy...

Today is the first day I'm starting to feel somewhat normal, I'd say 75%. I spoke with John Barclay earlier today and he's also just starting to feel better.

Yesterday he still had stomach issues, but it looks like it's over. He's dying to give up his throne.

One thing is for sure, China kicked our asses. Or at least kicked everything out our asses. It's now been two weeks and were both still not 100%.

Looking at it optimistically, John netted out a 7lb weight loss and I netted 5 lbs. John said he looks anorexic and Alice said I feel skinny and Nazaire say I've noticeably lost weight. I can't say I'm complaining, thin is in. But I don't think my thinness will last long. Alice's cooking and my having some relaxing beers is bringing me back from the brink. Especially the beer. "Beer is to me, what spinach is to Popeye".

I already decided to make one slight diet adjustment for IMSG, I'm not abstaining from beer leading up to it. I most definitely WILL be having a beer or two a couple nights before the race. It also turns out that I'll be going to IMSG without an entourage. Even Alice won't be joining me. She got "spoiled" with the online Athlete tracker and much prefers to follow the race from the comfort of home.

I can't say that I blame her. I wouldn't want to look at my game face all week long either. I'd be as much fun as a "spinal tap". After Ironman Louisville, I remember Reid telling me how BORING it is to watch triathlons. That he was going to video tape the entire race and then make me sit down in front of the TV, and for 10 plus hours, make me watch it, and see how I liked it!!!

I posted on twitter, that I'm open to sharing a room with someone in St. George. There's nothing like starting a friendship by walking around a hotel room in your underwear with someone you don't even know. I'm not sure I'll find a person because I had very strict guidelines. "They can't be a serial killer". Although, truth be told, I'm flexible.

Back to present day. True to form, I almost went against my plan and did a bike session today. I was so close to going for an easy hour. Heck it was a unseasonably warm 15 C outside. It was tough to resist. At the last minute, I reconsidered when Alice became the voice of reason and gave the perfect argument, "Why"?

That was a good question and all it took. I was just thinking of going out because I was bored. John Barclay said he's already bored too. For the first time in a long time, last night he was sitting with Heather watching TV. It felt weird and he told Heather, "he felt like he was wasting his time". Apparently, it didn't go over to well. He's such a romantic.

Another recovery positive is my back started to feel better today. On Monday I threw it out cleaning the kitchen and it was BAD. I was having trouble walking. Yesterday I did three things that helped loosen it up; I went for a massage, I had a few beers and I didn't clean the kitchen.

As I was getting a massage, my legs felt like the muscle fibres had fused together. The masseuse was loosening them up and pulling them apart. I've never had that sensation before. I wondered if it was from the severe dehydration? Could dehydration cause the muscle fibres to start fusing together?

Today I also experienced a second recovery benefit. I was able to walk down the stairs in the morning without shuffling one step at a time. It's been a long time since I've done that. I almost didn't think it was possible. It's not yet perfect, put I think I can now get down the stairs faster than most 80 year olds.

Even though my body is not ready to get back training, I'm still feel I'm taking a risk. Although I have 14 weeks of hard structured training behind me, I'm essentially taking two weeks off and racing only 4 weeks later. Will the two weeks off, negatively or positively effect my performance at IMSG?

I can't imagine I'd lose enough fitness that couldn't be made up with 3 - 4 weeks of heavy training. Although, I'll know for certain in 37 days. I do know, I'm 100% committed to taking the rest of the week off. The only thing I am going to do is stretch and drink as much water as possible. I only see only upside in doing that.

Recovery Week - No Training

178.2 lbs / 20.7 BMI

8

800th post was special...

I can't say enough good things about the supportive feedback I got from yesterday's post.

I was emotionally DOWN about my performance at Ironman China, and wrote about it. It's amazing the difference a day can make. Originally, I was going to ask that no one send me supportive comments, I didn't want to hear them.

I figured they'd just be kind hearted, "get well soon and best of luck gestures". At the last minute, I decided not to add that request. My thought was, "I don't put restrictions on my blog writing, so why restrict anyone from making comments if they want to add them".

I'm so glad I didn't ask for "no comments please". The comments I got were amazing. Not at all what I expected. They were far from empty gestures.

The first one I got was from John Fortin and it was the first to start "snapping" me out of my funk. I knew John's comments were seriously prepared, ne one spelling er germer msitick. I mean "not one spelling or grammar mistake".

I was on the way to the airport to pick up my family and comments started flooding in, as I read them, my mood started to change immediately. Never would I ever have imagined that in a matter of hours, my mood could change so dramatically. At least not without good drugs.

In my "wallowing", I didn't realize that yesterday's post was my 800th. I guess it's only fitting that number 800 was emotional, meaningful and memorable. The comments back were "PURE WISDOM EXTRAORDINAIRE".

Before I discuss some of the "hitting home" comments, I want to share some relevant data. In the last 30 days, my blog had 4,675 hits and 1,412 unique visitors and is growing at 57.14% per month. The post with the most daily hits was "An Anonymous Rant..." regarding CC (Cowardly Commentator). It had 394 hits. The previous record was Ironman China race day with 363 hits.

By the growth of my blog, I guess people must be getting something out of it that keeps them coming back. I'm humbled, and primarily surprised. In a weird way, knowing others are following me, I don't feel alone in my journeys. It's like I've got a built in support group that keep me honest.

Not only am I being followed, but I'm following others. It's a real and genuine sense of community. The best part is none of us have to show up for meetings, or get dressed up, or chew with our mouth's closed. (Frankly, I'm now thinking this "Internet thing" may be here to stay" (insert laugh here).

Yesterday, an unexpected personal benefit came to "roost".

Anything I've posted on the blog that may have helped or brought entertainment to others, I got back yesterday. I got Karma in "spades" and I really want to thank everyone who posted their comments. I got hit with a beautiful "Velvet Hammer" that straightened me out. Some of the phrases that "resonated immediately" were as follows:

"If John (Barclay) had forced himself to keep going and ended up doing permanent damage, you'd be calling him an ass".

"part of wanting to play with the pro's is dealing with defeat like a pro!"

"we can't have a PB after every race".

"you have had a bad one, first one since you are back as a triathlete".

"better days, and better Ironmans are coming".

"you can't change it".

"you don't have any career halting injuries, and in my book that means you got away easy!"

"(decision) was the right one".

"great push broom moustache" - A good laugh. And NO, I checked with Alice , NO moustache allowed. But Reid is prepared to "pinch hit" and grow the stache, in 3 or 4 years it should naturally look like the photo above. In the meantime, he's improvised.

"you can't go back, no do overs, look straight ahead"

"what if you had pushed on and ended up doing permanent damage to your kidneys and could never race again? Worth it?"

"You said once that Ironman should be a journey and not a destination"

"Concentrate on your next Ironman race instead of wallowing in the past".

"You are feeling normal - you didn't finish a huge goal"

"Don't underestimate the long term effects of jet lag".

"if your not making mistakes, your not learning, and if you're not learning, your not doing anything worth while".

"Your around to try again, that's the right result regardless of the decision".

"Everything happens for a reason"

"Something will happen that will change your life or you will touch and inspire someone else on your journey towards IMSG".

"Don't Dwell on it now, leave that to talking to your great grand kids"

"Use that will power for a positive focus".

"The entire Roosevelt Quote" (I'm not sure if the quote is from President Roosevelt or the profile Roosevelt. Either way, I'm going to print it out and put it on my wall).

"I felt depressed, ashamed, a failure, I felt I disgraced. Still lingering with me today. Your so right about the pain of not finishing"

"Time is a great healer"

"Use the lessons of China"

"I was scared, lost my self belief and confidence, worried and took the race with a different attitude and learned more in that race than I had in 8 previous Ironmans".

"stop being a big softies, get over it".

"There are two types of Ironman, those that have DNF'd and those that haven't done enough Ironmans".

"you better appreciate the choice, thumb cramps or beer".

"Word verification - Shine".

"A tired body equals a tired mind and that's when feelings of melancholy will begin to flutter across your consciousness".

"Chill out, train when you feel like it, nurse yourself back".

THANKS FOR WORDS OF WISDOM. I'M FEELING MUCH BETTER AND BACK ON TRACK.

Because the advice was so great, I've included them in their entirety below. I've done it for selfish reasons. I know I'm probably going to want to read these over and over again and I want to be able to find them easier. It also want to ensure they all get printed in next years book.

Rest & Recovery - Massage / No Training

177.6 lbs / 21.7 BMI

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