Reid's Carbo Loading...

I woke up expecting and actually pysched to do a 5.5 hour ride today, and then when I looked at my schedule, coach Luis had changed it to only two hours. He uploaded a new custom Kona program. Bummer.

With the extra time, I ordered the House of Payne 5 km Beer Run Beer shirts. Even though I didn't have the final count, I took the risk. I got a great price from Vista Print but it takes 14 days to get them. I had no choice but to pull the trigger now.

This year, I think the shirt design is the best we've ever had. I paid $5 for it on Fiverr. If you get a chance go to fiverr.com, it has tons of stuff people will do for only $5. I like the one where a guy will call "sounding" like Arnold Swarchenegger and sing happy birthday to anyone you want.

After I came back from my ride, Reid was in the garage and started mildly freaking about the Triathlon, wanting to know if he really had to do it and how much I paid to register him. It was the first time "fear started to set in on him". He was video taping and it's unfortunate that he deleted it, our conversation was priceless.

I showered and helped him get his gear ready. He made sure he had his horns for the bike and cowboy hat and vest. He's serious about running as a Cowboy. The worst part was he won't do anything else, he's not lifting a finger.

He told me, "I'm going to act like you before a race" and then proceed to tell me, "I need to rest, I'm racing tomorrow and, today is all about me!" I had to pretty much pack, load the car, put on the bike rack and load the bike without any help. He sat in the car the whole while and locked his door. When I asked him to open his door, he looked through the glass and said, "I can't open the door, I need to rest my finger".

The triathlon preparation continued for the 90 minute drive to the hotel in Barrie. I'd ask him a question and he'd say, "Don't talk to me, I need to rest my ears". We stopped for gas and it didn't surprise me that he had enough energy to "bolt" into the store to get some junk food. He picked up some pre-race skittles and beef jerky. I told him he should "rest his jaw".

As we drove through Barrie, the first thing I noticed was everyone was wearing baseball caps. I saw one guy outside a dramatic theatre not wearing a one, he stood out like a sore thumb. It didn't take long until I noticed ,by the way he was holding his cigarette, he was gay, which made sense.

I've been to Barrie before and never felt this way. Although, I'd never been on the east side of the 400 highway. I'd always spent my time on the west side. This view of Barrie was completely unexpected.

Even Reid noticed something was up with the people walking the streets of town. He used the words, "It's sure trailer park here". If I wanted to be the richest guy in Barrie, I'd open a store that sells only four things; baseball caps, construction boots, cigarettes, booze and nothing else. Although if I was ever pressured to expand my store, I'd probably add "porn" and "wife beater shirts".

Before we left the house I tried to get a hotel, calling about 4 or 5 places and they were all sold out. I finally got in at the Travel Lodge and didn't know what to expect. After we drove to the race site, to confirm it's location, we checked into the hotel.

I waited 4 deep in line to check in and the hotel had just one person working the desk. The inside looked okay and there was a stack of free newspapers, like no one knew how to read, little did I know. I figured, I think we'll be okay, this shouldn't be another Super 8 experience. Wrong!

I got a little suspicious when the folks in front of me in line were paying with cash. I don't think I've ever been in a hotel where people have paid with cash. I've seen it on TV before, but didn't think it was real. Kind of like Sasquatch.

Our room was on the ground floor and each of the ground floor rooms have patio doors to the outside grass. When we pulled up to unload our car it was a little scary. It looked like the TV series "Lock up - Inside San Quentin". Many of the people we looking out there screen doors at the NEW car that pulled up.

The first guy I saw was sitting on the patio door track and was shirtless with tattoos all over his body with a beer in hand. Then his girlfriend walked out and she looked like a 50 year old cocktail waitress that could man handle the most dangerous patrons in the most seediest bar in town.

We settled into our room and I had to go back to the truck to park closer to our room on the other side of the building. As I drove by the rooms, it was scary, everyone was looking at me. One sight I couldn't believe and wished I had video or camera to record.

If you watch "The Family Guy" and have ever seen Peter naked with only his underwear on, this guy was a real life version. His body shape was not similar to Peter, it was IDENTICAL. I didn't know what to be most surprised about, the fact that he was standing in the middle of his open patio door with just his underwear on, or that his body was a REAL LIFE version of Peter Griffen.

When we tried to turn on the TV in our room we got "nothing", "notta", "it didn't work". We thought it might be the batteries, so we tried to turn it on from the TV. No luck. Someone had pushed the "on" button into the casing of the TV. We couldn't even get our finger inside to try and turn it on.

I called the front desk and she "instructed me to point the remote at the box and push the green power button". Durrr, really, is that how remotes work? I humoured her and tried it and it didn't still didn't work. She said he'll be down once she can get away from the desk. That was 90 minutes ago.

Instead of sitting around doing nothing, I saw that "Hooters" had the UFC fight on tonight and the family agreed to go. I'm taking my laptop along with me, there is no way I'm leaving it in the room. I was worried about my bike when Reid took it for a "spin" around the parking lot. It was like "Children of the Corn", everyone started to come to their patio and watch. With beers in their hands.

I will say ONE good thing about this hotel. The Free Internet speed is fantastic, perhaps the best of any hotel I've been in. It's like I'm the only person in the hotel with a computer hooked up to the Internet.

Before we left, Alyssa figured out the power bar for the TV wasn't turned on. Doh!!! Then I called the front desk to say it was okay and set a wake up call for 6:00 am. They said, all set "7:30 am it is". I then said, no "6:00 am" and she said sorry. Now I'm not even sure if they set it for our room.

Long Bike - 2:33:46 / 79.18 km / 31.1 kph avg / 130 avg hr.

1

Big News...

It must be a slow news day, the Burlington Post posted my Ironman Lake Placid finishers shot with a brief write up. It's the second time I've been in the Post since moving to Ontario in 2004. The first time, I looked much different.

It was four years ago and they did a random, man on the street, interview with me about the upcoming election. It was only fitting that they approached me as I sat in the food court eating my lunch at the Burlington Mall.

I was so embarrassed when that paper came out, I looked so fat and unhealthy and hoped no one I knew saw it. It was one of the low points of my life (which I'll talk about in more detail after Kona). When that picture was taken I was in the FGC (Fat Guy Club). Just my luck, a couple of my neighbours told me they saw me in the paper.

The irony is I'd love my neighbours to see today's photo in the paper and they probably won't. Although yesterday, I got a really nice compliment from one of the neighbours I haven't seen in a while. She said, "you look extremely fit". My reaction should have been, "thank you", but instead I replied, "well I was in better shape before the last 9 days of partying". I was already getting down on myself.

As triathletes, many of us are very critical and hard on ourselves about our weight. I can count on one hand how many times I thought my body was in peak physical shape, yet none of those times were at the time I was in that great shape. It was always afterwards, when I got fatter and reflected back to when I was fitter as a comparison.

For me, I think it's a curse. I started gaining weight at 15 years old after taking "5000 Calorie Bulk Up Shakes" as part of a weight lifting routine. It worked, I bulked up alright, especially in the tummy. Ever since then, I've been concerned about my weight. I don't think there's been one morning that I don't get out of bed, wearing only my underwear, and evaluate my body in the mirror.

I'm getting better, but my emotions are effected by my weight. If I stand on the scale and I'm under 183 lbs, I feel good. If I'm under 180 lbs, I feel great and if I'm 185 lbs or over, my mood is foul.

One reason I don't think I'll ever be a fat guy again is because of all the triathlon pictures and video I have. I can't imagine being fat and having to look at those fit shots of myself on the walls of the "man cave". It would be crushing.

The "Coupe de grace" is going to be the standee that is arriving on Monday. How can you look at a life size cardboard cut-out of yourself when you were in "your prime" and not be motivated to stay there. Maybe there's a reason Alice insisted I convert that IMLP running shot into a standee.

Most of today I was at work in a meeting. I got out around 3 pm and it would have been easy to blow off my swim. Heck, I have the best excuse, I'm in post Ironman recovery. Even my coach says to take it easy. I choose to force my butt into that pool and get back at it anyway.

It was a semi-enjoyable swim if it wasn't for the two Chinese 15 year old boys that were beginner swimmers, at best, and they decided to swim in the fast and medium speed lanes. Actually, it was only fitting that I had my Ironman China swim cap on, at one point I looked around and everyone in the pool was Chinese except for me.

What annoyed me about the situation was there is three pool lanes open. Instead of both of them going in the same slow lane and race each other, they decided that each of them was going to in different lanes. So I got stuck with one of the kids in the fastest lane.

At the YMCA there is slow, medium and fast lane markers. These two couldn't swim and they were in the medium and fast lanes. They didn't even have goggles on and swam with their heads above the water line. The kid in my lane would close his eyes as he swam and would drift in front of me as I was swimming in the opposite direction.

I had to pass him once and when I did, I made it uncomfortable for him. I used the "Nascar" technique and swam close to him and tried to "rub him into the wall" and then as I passed him I'd grab water with my hand and splash it in his face and tried to make it look unintentional.

At one point, he swam into my lane and I had to stop right in front of him and I didn't know if he understood English or not but I said, "Hey man... circles, circles, we swim in circles". He just nodded and said, "sorry, sorry".

I was more pissed off at the life guards than anyone. There was a total of 8 of us in the entire pool and only me and these two kids in the medium and fast swim lanes, I couldn't understand why the lifeguards didn't say or do something.

I laughed when I got out because the guy who just entered the pool is one hell of a big guy, with a bald head, tattoos all over his body and is a very fast swimmer. When you see him, you don't think he knows how to swim until he gets going, then your amazed that a guy who looks like a biker can swim that fast. John Barclay knows who I'm talking about.

I could tell this guy felt the same way I did about these two misplaced kids, and I almost stuck around to see how he was going to rub out one of those little "pecker heads". Again, I don't blame them so much as the lifeguards, but the kids still should have used their common sense.

After the swim I did some weights. It felt so good to get back at it. I enjoy training. Period. I love the feelings I get from it. I also now have a little "softness" around stomach from 9 days of post-Ironman party and I need to get rid of it before I can get back drinking from the "Crack-erator". My plan is to be a good boy from now until the House of Payne Beer Run.

Tonight was movie popcorn night. Alice, Alyssa, Reid and I went to opening night of the movie, "The Other Guys". I had some really good laughs. One laugh in particular was at least a full 6 - 8 seconds long, I was the only one in the audience still laughing at one point. The kids said I was the loudest laugher in the theatre. I'd recommend the movie, typical Will Ferrrell.

Tempo Swim - 46:59 / 2000 meters

Adapt Weights - 30:00 minutes.

Gord Approved...

I got a phone call today, it was from my unofficial coach Gord Brauer. Gord is my friend from Winnipeg. I officially met and got to know him 25 years ago while waiting in the registration line at the Morden Tinman. As much as I ignored him, he kept talking to me.

I actually met him earlier, although I didn't know it was him. At 16 years old he gave me and Peter Ginakas a ride home from the bar one night in his Ford Mustang. Peter was going to throw up and I remember Gord stopping the car and he couldn't throw the both of us out fast enough. He was yelling, "get out of the car, do not throw up, if you throw up I'm going to kill you".

Once I officially met Gord at the Tinman, we did many triathlons, including Ironman Canada together. Unfortunately for Gord, before one of the Ironmans, he was side swiped by a car full of nuns a couple weeks before the race and was knocked over and suffered severe road rash and soft tissue damage. His body didn't fully recouperate from the accident, but he still managed to finish the race in 14 hours and he was a 5 hour half Ironman. The next year, he crashed on the bike and then went to the finish and helped other athletes cross the line right up until the end.

Gord is a manufacturers agent who really should be a personal trainer. His bedside manner is not the best and he's confident in his "rightness". He does come by it honestly, he's a German "square-head", they're used to saying "Ve Du it Tis Vey". At the end of the day, with all his "warts and pimples" (like we all have), I'm proud to call him my friend. Underneath, he's very caring and thoughtful individual with a huge heart.

One quick story about his heart. About 25 years ago, I was on a bike ride and he knew it. It started pouring rain and thundering with lightening. I was about 30 kilometers from home and who pulls up? "Gord". Not Alice, but "Gord". I'd forgotten even telling him I was going riding. He was worried and picked me up just outside of Selkirk, Manitoba. Now that's a true friend.

When I need advice on nutrition, training, supplements or re-assurance on something, Gord's my go to guy. He's one of the few that believes I "should not" stop drinking beer, albeit, "in moderation". Gord has known me for so long, he reminds me of stuff I've long since forgotten.

Today was the first time I spoke to Gord since IMLP. As many of you know, after the Ironman China disaster, he left a voice mail message on my phone and I re-recorded it to You Tube. It was "Classic Gord". I included it below again, for your listening pleasure. I also found an email he wrote me right after Ironman China. I just found it by accident today and I never published it.

Bryan,

I hope you are not seriously ill and feeling better. Please go to your doctors ASAP for tests when back in Canada. You must insure your system does not have anything else as you need to check for kidney, liver damage etc. since this is a foreign illness you contracted. No if ands or butts.

Here is the my " Training Pain." You broke the number one rule of racing and competing yet you did not make your negative experience beneficial in any way to your followers. You did not "man up" and be honest about what happened. YOU DO NOT CHANGE OR DO ANYTHING NEW PRIOR TO A RACE. I SHOULD NOT HAVE TO TELL NOT TO EAT ANYTHING DIFFERENT AND IF YOU DO MAKE SURE YOU ARE SAFE IN YOUR CHOICE. WHAT MADE YOU THINK YOU COULD EAT A (MISC???) MEAT SAUCE PRIOR TO A RACE IN A FOREIGN COUNTRY IN A MASS FOOD SETTING? If you couldn't make out 100% the animal you were eating then why would you?

I gave you the best advice and you chose to ignore it. I told you that you had done enough training and only YOU and other factors will determine your outcome. You could have brought a small amount of Tim Hortons coffee with you and brought some frozen bagels or donuts in your bags in a heavy mylar freezing bag that would have made them completley edible and ready prior to your race. No nuts and fruit varieties and all would have been fine. Don't you remember MASH with klinger getting ribs from Toledo , Ohio?

This may be a bit extreme but I need to make this point. If you had kept my advice in your head YOU would have questioned all that you did including food choices. You left your destiny up to a few staff who hadn't washed their hands or prepared all of the food properly. I don't know how you din't stop dead in your tracks not seeing a real chunk of meat. Who knows what may have been in the mix. This is ASIA and you should have and knew better.

My insight into the humidty also came into play. Do you really think if they told you the truth about how tough the weather could be? They want people to show up and not run away? They lie about the southern Okanagan B.C. weather all the time. People would not visit as much or think they could live there.

TRAIN in similar race conditions. I know your California experience was great but you trained to race in the California desert and not a humid jungle. If you go back to China you are best to go to the Florida Keys ( flat like your race course) and live in the humidity.

My advice about being too light and not worrying about your weight. I hope you were not too thin as the extra few pounds may have helped by giving you more reserve energy. If was really hilly then being a bit lighter would help.

You are a great friend and I had only hoped you did not needlessly sabotage your own race when you had it under your control. You let it slip away. Please write the truth in the blog to the benefit of others. These people look up to you and respect what you have done, do, and will do. Your words will prevent others from making a tragic mistake as in this China race. This will be your "Pay it Forward" from your experience. Setting it straight and have them understand this "Payneful" lesson that will insure, that for decades to come, they will know not to eat as you did and have a great race.

Talk to you soon.

Gord

When Gord sent that email, I chose not to put it on the blog. I had a tough time reading it. I knew it was true and it hurt. It was a very painful read. I just wanted to delete it and move on. It's interesting what time and redemption does for your psyche. I now read it and chuckle and I'm now "man enough to post it on the blog".

The second Ironman was Utah. On this one, Gord wasn't as harsh. I did listen to him more than China. I did have a couple beers a couple days before the race. What I didn't do right in Utah was take in the proper nutrition. I haven't said it before, but I come to realize the truth about Utah and what caused my stomach troubles.

First off, I think it's important to understand that I have a stomach of steel. I've eaten a large Domino's pizza and have went for a run right after. At the beer run I can drink 6 beers during a 5 km run still finish in 23 minutes and change, then drink some more beers afterwards. I've never thrown up from food, unless it's from food poisoning.

In Utah, my problem was I built a stomach bomb. I started the day with McDonald's Bacon and Egg Bagel, then had two more on the bike, then had two or three chocolate bars, Ensure and Gatorade. The stupid part was I never ate McDonald's or Chocolate bars during a race or training before. I figured if the chocolate bars worked for Johan, they should work for me.

On the run, I stopped at every aid station and had some more Gatorade, gels and coke. By the 13 mile mark it was no wonder my stomach started gurgling and I needed to hit the porta-potty 4 or 5 times. I was toxic.

It reminded me of when I was a kid and my brother and I went out for Halloween and would eat half our candy the first night. Then we'd have severe "squirt bum" for the next couple days, our bodies weren't used to the junk food. After a couple days, we could pig out without consequence. Our bodies adjusted.

In Utah, my stupidity caused me NOT to qualify for Kona. If I didn't have to stop for 20 minutes to spend "on the hole", Kona was in the bag. Although, with all that said, I can't tell you how much fun it was to ride by others and "taunt" them with my Bacon, Egg McBagel as they choked down their Powerbar. The Mars and Snickers bars were great too.

Now getting back to Gord. Today he called to congratulate me on my great performance and qualifying at IMLP. He said he watched online all day. He even printed out each of the updates as they happened, thinking I might be interested in seeing them. Like I said, he's a "great guy".

Gord made an interesting comment. He said, "I knew you were going to have a great race after I saw the first transition time. It was much faster compared to my earlier races". Then he emailed me 3 hours before the end of the race, predicting that I was going to do it and finish strong. I couldn't argue with him, he WAS right.

I HAD to go for a bike ride tonight. I was so tired and thought maybe it would wake me up. Even though it was 8 pm and I new it would be near dark when I got back, I went anyways. I'm glad I did, I saw the most beautiful sunset and wished I had my camera, instead I had to use the lousy camera on my iPhone. I rather have a lousy image than no image, I didn't want to forget that sight.

On the ride, I was thinking about the Kona journey and all the mistakes I made along the way. I'm so glad I made them. Had I not, I don't believe I'd be going to Kona this year.

In China, I did two things wrong, I didn't eat properly and I wasn't mentally prepared. I treated China like it was just another training day, I paid it no respect. I felt with all the training and mental winter suffering I did, I'd be near guaranteed a spot. I remember starting the swim thinking, "lets get this day over with", rather than, "lets have some fun, this is what you worked for, enjoy it the best you can".

Had I not failed in China, I would not have done Utah. Utah was purely a "coping" strategy. I was so depressed that I did not finish China, my confidence was shattered. I knew I wouldn't be able to last until IMLP to get it back. I thought I was a "fraud" to my blog readers. I needed to get back on that horse and prove I was still an Ironman.

In Utah, I made some strides. First off, I FINISHED and proved I still had what it took to complete an Ironman. Two, I mentally prepared. I gave the race respect and went with the goal of enjoying myself. Third, I learnt I need to figure out my race nutrition. McDonald's and Candy bars weren't the answer. Although they tasted great!

The tune-up race a few weeks before IMLP was also a learning experience. I did the Welland half Ironman and even though I finished 2nd in my age group and did a sub 5 hour half Ironman, I suffered. A couple nights before, I partied a little too hard and showed up to the race with a high heart rate and it's also not good sign when you're sweating as you put your bike gear in the rack. I really paid the price on the run, it hurt. I was surprised I didn't walk.

Fate is your Destiny. That was a phrase that came to me the other night, I used it in a blog post. Tonight on my bike that phrase came into my mind. It became apparent that if all the "mistakes" and "crap" (pun intended) didn't happen to me, I wouldn't have got to Kona. I learnt from all those mistakes and corrected them for IMLP.

Here was my secret formula to the race of my life

- I didn't drink beer for a couple weeks before.

- I ate healthy for a couple weeks before.

- I didn't taper as much as I used to. (Before my best races, I realized I never tapered much).

- I trained in as much heat as I could. (I figured if it was hot, I'd be ready and if it was cold, my heart wouldn't have to work as hard).

- I got two good nights sleeps (which I never do).

- I rested in my hotel room on my bed and didn't do sight seeing or family activities beforehand. (thanks to reading Chad Holderbaums blog, he was doing it during IMLP and I figured I should too.That's when I even left the family at the movie theater to go home and rest and mentally focus).

- I put no pressure on myself to do well. The only pressure I put on myself was to finish at all costs and in one piece.

- I gave myself a couple of weeks to think about the race and gave it the respect it deserves.

- I made sure I only ate power bars on the bike and I didn't drink too much Gatorade or Coke on the run. (I mostly drank water and felt I would only go outside of water when I stared fading).

Today, the most surprising part of getting Gord's call was him telling me he knew I could do it. He knew I had it in me to race that fast. He actually thinks I can even go lower. That's were I stopped him and said, "I'm happy with 10:20, I'm not sure if I'm interested in the pain and suffering of training and racing to shave 10 minutes off".

I asked him how he knew I had it in me? He replied, "when you did triathlons 23 years ago, you didn't even train and did pretty good, there is something in your body that is made to do this stuff". Like I said, "Coach Gord has a long memory". I forgot how little I trained back then. After he said it, it brought me back to that one and only Century ride 3 weeks before the Ironman to build up the mental confidence that I should be able to get through the bike portion.

I guess I've learnt from 25 years ago as well. If I was to add two more items to the above list of "my secret formula to the race of my life", as profound as it sounds, I'd add......"Put in the hours and Train Properly" and "listen to Coach Gord".

Mod Bike - 56:25 / 30.16 km / 32.1 kph avg

Below is Gords, post Ironman China race voicemail.

Kona unwound...

I ran today in 41 C heat and loved every minute of it. It was my first run since IMLP. I can't remember the last time I haven't run in ten days.

Almost immediately, I noticed some muscle knots on the side of my thigh above the knee. Eventually it worked most of it's way out.

The next discomfort was some tightness around my lower Achilles, nothing too major. And finally, my front quads started feeling like they had lactate acid build up during the final ten minutes of the run.

I wouldn't be surprised if most of the issues were caused from dehydration from all the Partying. Since finishing IMLP, I also feel and look thinner. Again, I'm not sure if it was from NOT eating KFC (or alike) since finishing the race, or dehydration.

I'll know for certain soon. I'm back on the straight and narrow and plan on drinking lots of water. I had to run some errands today and even passed on an impulse buy of soft ice cream and Life Savours. The biggest win was when I dropped off a "real man's" half litre beer glass off at Jamie's as a gift and couldn't be convinced to have a beer.

The best part of the run was the relief of pressure in knowing I accomplished my goal and I'm going to Kona. For some reason that made the run feel more enjoyable and relaxing. No more do I have that overriding goal in the back of my head. I feel free.

Reid's getting back into semi-training for Sunday's kids triathlon. He went for a 15 minute bike ride and hit a maximum speed of 40.6 kph on a slight downhill. His average was 20.6 kph. I was major league impressed and told him so. He still plans on wearing a cowboy outfit on the run and is attaching Texas Longhorns to the front of the bike for his ride. He's already bought them. The horns look cool and are harmless. I hope the organizers allow him to do it.

Reid has absolutely, unequivocally, NO desire to do this race and is not concerned about it. He just wants a cell phone and this is one of the "necessary evils" that he has to do to get it. It was part of the bet and he plans on going slow and walking most of the run. He's pulling a "John Barclay".

Being money driven, Reid's also offered to help volunteer at the House of Payne Beer 5 km Beer run, providing I give him the empty Keg so he can collect the $50 refundable deposit. I turned down that deal.

I emailed out a reminder about the Beer Run today. I can't believe it's only 24 days away. This year we decided to have it a little earlier. If it's warm out, Jamie offered to have everyone walk over to his place afterwards to swim in his pool and enjoy some frozen cocktails. I loved when he said, "I just don't want them staying too long!!!" Classic Jamie. I said, "Don't worry, Payne-a-poolza starts at 4 pm". I'll just get Reid to put on his cowboy outfit and corral all the drunks back. He has experience.

As many of you know, my plan was to help Epic Bill Bradley swim the English Channel on September 28th. Unfortunately I can't, I now need to be in Kona. Bill (and I) was disappointed. I promised to pee on Bill from the boat to keep him warm. Now I'm trying to help Bill find another A-hole as a replacement, we'll probably have to settle for a good guy.

I know there is a number of "mates or blokes" that follow my blog from the U.K and if you, or someone you know is able to help Billy, that would be great.

As per Bill's email he sent me, the requirements are as follows, "Bryan, my swim window starts Sept 28. It is a 9 day window and I am 2nd swimmer. My pilot told me if I get bad weather he will work with me a few days after 9 days is over to get swim in. He'd prefer someone who doesn't get sea sick. I will be arriving 4 to 5 days before my window and I am going to book accommodations in Dover. Crew doesn't need to be early".

If interested please email him at wjb71460@comcast.net It is really an opportunity of a lifetime to say, "I helped The Legendary Epic Bill Bradley swim the English Channel".

I also got a couple of interesting emails today. The first was from from my twitter buddy @denisoakley telling me they put my You Tube Video called Triathlon Song on the home page of Go Triathete at http://www.gotriathlete.com/ . The video is about my Journey from "Fat to Fit". Denis is part of the Malaysian triathlon community, be sure to check out the site he's involved in, it looks like they put a lot of hard work into it.

Next, I got an email was from the "Physical Therapy Assistant School". They wanted to let me know that my blog was selected and listed on their site under the header "50 Inspiring and Informative Blogs for Triathletes" . I've already had some of my blog and twitter buddy's "bust my chops". I too, am not sure if they read my blog closely.

They described the blog as follows: "Training Payne : After taking a break from triathlons for 15 years, this man overcame his weight gain, beating Olympic distance times he set in his 20’s. Read this man’s inspiring entries as he works toward world championships.

The surprising thing was the list looked well thought out. Lots of good informational, motivational and popular blogs, well, maybe except for one. Unless as a reader your trying to train hard and not pass up the fun parts of our very short life.

Lastly, a couple of small items. I found this article link How Triathlon Became the New Status Symbol ...I thought it was an interesting read. I also included the picture of a converted Ironman construction street light I picked up in Lake Placid. The picture doesn't do it justice, the red looks much cooler that the camera could pick up. When you see it in person, you'll definitely want one. It sits proudly on a very unstable shelf I built above my kegerator.

Recovery Run - 35:49 / 6.70 km / 5:19 pace

Prime time...

The 9-day post race party is officially over. I knew it was time to stop when I did a number two and out came beer, and I'm not kidding. That's NEVER happened to me before.

Last night was my last hurrah. It was so nice and warm outside yesterday. I had no choice but to sit on my deck with a cold one by my side. From noon until 2 am I stayed outside working on my computer, sipping draught beer, listening to music and talking with Alice.

The other day I had purchased the photo package from IMLP. I downloaded them the moment they became available. Yesterday evening I realized one photo may be missing. I remember the photographer taking my photo on the run with the Ski Jumps behind me and hadn't seen it.

It turned out that after I downloaded the images, they found the missing one and added it to my gallery. I'm glad I checked back and found it, had I not, I may never had known it even existed. It turns out, that picture may be the best triathlon photo of me ever taken and it DEFINITELY captures how I felt the entire day.

When Mark Allen saw it, he emailed back "I wish I had felt that good in my Ironmans!" I think I even offered to let him use it in his promotion materials.

When Alice saw it, her first words were, "You have to make life-size standee out of that!" She felt that photo really captures me in "my prime". It's the Bryan she wants to forever remember. Her comment set me back. It was humbling to think she considers me in my prime at 45 years old (44 years and 8 months to be exact). Very cool, and after I thought about it, I realized she was right. I actually do feel like I'm in my prime.

Technology being what it is, I googled "Standee" and in less than 10 minutes, the photo was uploaded and it was ordered from Party Standups for $79. It's 6' 6" and they've already printed and shipped it. I should have it by Friday.

The plan is to replace the "Drew Brees Quarterback Standee" from the "Man Cave" with "The Captain". Reid has already moved the Quarterback Standee upstairs to the "Boy Cave".

I also got an email from Carlos. He emailed me his Previous Fat Guy photos. They were from his first triathlon before he lost 65 lbs. Wow, what a difference. I asked him for a write up and I posted the photos and his story on the PFG website. Check it out, it's truly inspiring.

Getting his photos and story reminded me that I've never fully told my story. Mine has some unique twists to it and I haven't told many people. Even my brother and immediate family don't know it. On our last ride, I told Carlos about the dramatic and personal circumstances that motivated me to get in shape. I think he's only one of two people that have heard the full story.

I vowed to myself that I would never write my PFG story until I qualified for Kona. Frankly I didn't expect it to be made public for a long, long time. Today it dawned on me, "I guess I'll be telling the story sooner rather than later". It looks like I have 9 weeks and 4 days to get it ready before posting it. Fate is my destiny.

Today I stopped by Jamie's place to look at his new waterfall. I knew he had an ulterior motives when I saw the beer glass in his hand. I ended up being "enabled" into having a beer. I've never nursed a beer that long in my life. He got me with the, "I don't want to drink alone" while looking at me with sad puppy dog eyes.

Last, and definitely not least, I want to thank Mandy for the generous donation she made to the TPPF. Thanks for the post IMLP beer and pack of matches. Next year she'll be doing IMLP and I'll be returning the favour. Oh, and just for you Mandy, I posted a video of what the start of the swim looks like at IMLP. Be sure to bring the Meat Beater your Grandma gave you.

Post Race Taper - No training

1

Iron respect...

It was another fun night last night at Jamie and Barb's place. We sat outside under the cabana watching the fights on TV.

We warmed up watching UFC 15 from 1997 and then watched a live UFC event, all while draining Jamie's Kegerator.

What a difference from UFC 1997 to present. Old school guys were by enlarge "brawlers", and new school guys are "finely tuned athletic machines". Although, watching Tank Abbott is the best.

I loved Tanks post fight interview, "Tuesday I got off the bar stool and took this fight with no notice or training, I just love to fight" Then he said, "I've won some and other's I'd like a do over and if I trained I would have won this fight". Classic Tank.

John Barclay came by and graced us with his presence. It was great to see John again and it sounds like he's getting back on the Ironman track. His plan is to do Syracuse with us in September. John even had a hangover today, it's about time he drank enough to "join the club". He emailed me and asked if I had one, which I didn't. Pussy.

It's also nice to see Jamie getting back on the Ironman track. He had a 10 year run of training hard and then injury, medical and motivational issues got him off the training rails. He's done a lot of Ironman races and now wants to have a respectable showing at the Syracuse 70.3. There's nothing like racing a half to put fearful motivation into you.

I found out that Davis "DID" qualify at Ironman Calgary 70.3 for the Clearwater World Championships. I can hardly wait for the race report. He came in second in the 18-24 age group. It almost makes Uncle Bryan want to try and qualify to join him. But I won't do it for two reasons.

The first is the money, or lack of it. After doing China, Utah, Lake Placid and now Kona and then NYC marathon in November, and having to buy Alice a new car, I'm sure I'm going to be broke. I may even need to get a paper route to supplement my income.

Even if I had the money, the second reason, is if I was lucky enough to qualify in Syracuse, I rather pass it up and let some other guy have an experience of a lifetime. I had mine last year. I consider it "paying forward", others thankfully, have done it for me.

More good news is that Epic Bill Bradley completed the 292 mile Double Badwater. He's only one of 24 people on the planet to have done it. It took him 7 days, 22 hours and 49 seconds. Frankly, I think he could have shaved 10 seconds off his time, but didn't "Suck it Up". Oh well, I guess there's always next time Bill.

Part of the run is through death valley and the heat was 135 F and he then had to summit Mount Whitney, the highest summit in Continental U.S at 14, 505 feet. I can't yet fathom what motivates him or how he physically does it.

Bills next adventure is swimming the English Channel on September 28th. I planned on joining him as part of his support crew, but had to bail to be in Kona on Oct 4th. It's unfortunate, I was really looking forward to the experience of helping Bill and meeting all my U.K. twitter buddies.

I got a tweet from my good friend @ree_ti_ree, he told me my IMLP marathon time was only 7 minutes shy of the qualifying for the Boston Marathon in my age group. I checked out the site and he was right.

For a 45 year old, I need to run a 3:30 or less. I had always thought it was 3:20 or less. I wonder if anyone has qualified for Boston via an Ironman marathon? That would be funny, and maybe sign to lower the Boston qualifying times.

My goal at the beginning of the year was to qualify for Boston at this years New York City Marathon. Although many have told me it could be tough, with 43,000 plus people running it, it has lots of congestion. I'm glad I now have a 10 minute buffer I didn't think I had.

Reid's definitely looking forward the NYC marathon, which is unusual. He hates going to races, but he won't pass up going to NYC. He went last year with my parents, and loved it.

My recovery from IMLP is going well. I got an email from Mark Allen today. He told me to take it easy for the next three weeks and that "I deserve a break". I laughed. I guess I do, but as sick as this sounds, I'm looking forward to getting back at it. I need to get away from my "Crack-erator".

Other than the scabs on my ankles, I came away from IMLP unscathed. I got the scabs from my racing chip neoprene anklet bracelet, it was chaffing. On the run I was in such pain, I had to stop, take it off one leg and put it on the other. By the end of the race, the other ankle was chaffed.

The only thing I did differently for this race was I put glide on my ankles before the swim to help me get my wetsuit off quicker. Next time I wearing slightly higher ankle socks. Please don't suggest compression socks, you'll never catch me dead in public in those. Sorry Carlos, but they look good on you.

Since it's a National holiday here in Canada, and with no training today, I have nothing but time on my hands, that's why this post is a little longer than normal. For some time, I've wanted to write about what I'm going to write about next.

I'd like to think I was insightful enough to think of this on my own, but I wasn't. It was something I gleaned from a conversation with my U.K buddy Martin Paul at Ironman St. George. He was introduced to me by my twitter buddy Jevon.

After the race, we hooked up for lunch and a couple beers. I asked him, "What got you into Ironman's". He's done like 8 or more, I forget the exact number and he has no plans to stop. After Martin does an Ironman, he has the race tattooed on his calf. He's already working on his second calf. Aside from being a PFG, he had one of the most unique answers I've ever heard.

Below is how I interpreted it and may have even added or taken away from it. I may not even have understood his answer correctly, but I thought what I thought he said was good.

He explained that we are the "lost generation", we've never had any real challenges or suffering. In the past our grandparents and great grandparents had wars, famine, pandemics and all sorts of challenges. Even before that, they were settlers and hard working modern civilization infrastructure builders.

Today's modern western culture really hasn't experienced any hardships of the magnitude our forefathers had. As kids, we had a sense of natural respect for those that preserved through incredible hardship. Who doesn't have respect for someone like a World War II Veteran?

Ironman, to him, was a way of showing his daughter that her Dad was a man who was strong and to be respected. For generations that follow, instead of her saying "my Dad fought for our Country", she could at least be able to say, "my Dad was an Ironman".

I'd even add to that. I'd say that being an Ironman sets an example to your children. It shows that it is in them to accomplish incredible things. Heck, "if Dad could do it, and I come from the same stock, why can't I". It shows Dad wasn't just the guy who brought home a check, washed the car and watered the garden. Dad was a warrior within.

I had never thought of being an Ironman in that context. I found it profound. I thought it was worth sharing and it's something that I've never forgotten. It's just one more benefit of being an Ironman. I raise my glass to you Martin.

Post Race Taper Day - No training.

22

You gotta start somewhere...

I had a lot of fun last night. It was just Alice and I talking, having cocktails and listening to music.

The cool part is that we've been together since we were 16 years old. When either of us reference a situation or person, we know exactly what the other person is talking about. Yet, even after all these years, we still learn new things about each others experiences.

I don't know what time we got to bed, but I got up with barely enough time to post my blog and get ready to go for a bike ride with Jeff. Jeff is my 35 year old next door neighbour and hasn't worked out in 4 years.

I borrowed him one of my bikes, adjusted the seat, showed him how to use the gears and off we went. I picked what I thought, was a very easy route. It was my 35 km running route. I figured it would take us just over an hour. What I didn't anticipate was Jeff's fitness level.

It has been so long since I've been a beginner myself. I've forgotten what to even expect. About 15 minutes into the ride, I took Jeff up Number One Side Road and by the time we got to the top at Guelph Line, he almost stroked out. We had to stop for a 3 or 4 minutes to let him catch his breath. It was a good thing I brought two water bottles.

My hat goes off to him. He never gave up and at times his face was so red I was semi-getting worried about his health. I've been on enough rides to know when a guy is fatigued and near bonking. I could tell Jeff was looking forward to it ending. He enjoyed it, but it was tougher than he, and I, thought it would be on him.

The upside is it's his first workout in 4 years and it was near 2 hours. The key is to keep it up. I told Jeff that if he continued, within 3 or 4 weeks, repeating this ride would feel like nothing. The body is a marvelous thing, it doesn't care about your age or condition, if you use it, it gets stronger.

I told Jeff that he's lucky, he's only 35 years old. That's still young enough for his body to bounce back relatively quickly. I gave him a little primer on heart rate training, although I'm not sure if he was really listening or just focusing on getting through the ride.

When we got home, I gave him the "fist tap", he earned it. He was proudly exhausted and I was happy for him. After finishing his first workout in 4 years, he didn't require medical attention. That's a win.

The moment we finished, Jamie pulled up. I'm so glad he did. He brought me a thermometer for my Kegerator. Had he not showed up, I may not have learnt that I didn't plug my Kegerator into the electrical outlet correctly and it wasn't refrigerating.

Making a mistake like that is a big deal. We're talking about potential spoiling $296 worth of beer in one Keg. I was so lucky he showed up when he did. The good news was the beer is okay and the color is perfect. I got a good Keg this time around. It sure is nice having Jamie as a "keg-mentor".

On the racing front, I was tracking Davis's Calgary 70.3 race online and trying to get tweet updates from Simon's ITU World Championship Long Course Race in Germany.

Davis ended up finishing 2nd in the 18 - 24 age group and my fingers are crossed that he'll qualify for Clearwater. This is Davis's first year on the Mark Allen Online program. I was so excited for him and I really hope he gets that slot. I know how hard he's been training and he's really earned it.

I don't know how Simon did, but from his tweets I know it was hard. He took two IVs afterwards. It is a serious distance and big deal Race. It's a 4 km swim, 130 km bike, and 30 km run. Simon is a UK ex-pat who lives in Malaysia. I hope he did well enough that the Queen finally lets him back in the country. Even if it's just to visit.

It's a National Holiday tomorrow in Canada, no work. Tonight should be fun. Alice and I are going to Jamie and Barbs to watch UFC "AND" hopefully John Barclay will be joining us. There's handicapped parking in front of Jamie's house, so he has no excuses.

EASY RIDE - 1:41:00 / 34.68 km / 20.6 kph

15

Simon is one of the two in the video that got arrested. Can you tell which one? If you chose the shirtless guy, you were right.