So the day is finally here.
It’s been a long summer of planning & training… sweating…. playing… pedaling…

2.4 mile swim.   112 mile bike.   26.2 mile run.
Back to back. All in one day. You’ve got 16 hours to cross the Finish Line.
So here’s the scoop… starting with the Swim Course.

Followed by the Bike Course…

Which was by no means flat. They called it “rolling hills”… they lied!!! It was HILLY!!!

Followed by a full Marathon…

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So we came back down to the waterfront Saturday morning for athlete check-in, mandatory athlete briefing and the IRONMAN Expo. It’s a little overwhelming to see those bridges looming out there off in the distance. Knowing that I was going to have to swim a LONG ways around an island and then under those two, yes count them two, bridges before getting out of the water.

We parked the car and then started off towards IRONMAN VILLAGE. There were already athletes in the water for the official open water swim practice. Sure, I probably should be practicing with them… but then again, why start now?!

So we finally made it to IRONMAN VILLAGE. Exciting!!!
There’s the official IRONMAN Expo Tent, assorted vendors and other things in the Village. We did a little shopping and hung around for the first official Athlete Briefing of the morning. They cover all of the basic rules & information for tomorrow’s triathlon. After the briefing, you’re good to go and get ready for the Big Race!!!

After getting my bags and checking in, we went back to the hotel to pack up my gear for each leg of the race. For most triathlons you generally keep all of your stuff at one place. You continue to return to that same Transition Area in between each leg of the race. But for the IRONMAN, because it’s so much longer, they split it up a bit… and they provide you with a Special Needs Bag for both the run and the bike. Those special needs bags will be out on the route at the half-way point. So it’s important to think about what you might need at each leg of the race ahead of time.

It was great to have Chris there as my longtime friend, eager supporter and Sherpa for the weekend. She was the perfect choice to keep me on task and help keep everything running smoothly. Trying to plan, organize and prepare for every step of the way. I don’t want any surprises along the way tomorrow.

Once we were packed up, and had my numbers attached to bike, helmet and everywhere else… it was time to go back to the Transition Area. I had to get my bike and all of my Gear Bags checked into Transition ahead of time. So my Sherpa Chris and I headed out of the hotel towards the Transition Area again.

When you get there, you suddenly see a LOT of bikes!!! There are nearly three thousand people signed up for the race. And the Transition Area was filling up fast. Right on the waterfront. In the “shadow” of the bridges. Thousands of bikes waiting for their big day tomorrow!

Once bikes are in place, then you take your Gear Bags to the other side of the Transition Area. It’s a big system of numbers & rows. Everything is planned & organized. Everything in its place. Every place with its thing. Thousands of bags all lined up in the field.

After setting up in Transition, we went to find my friend Pam who was working… and sitting down… in the Volunteer’s Information Tent. So glad that she made it down to cheer me on… even if she couldn’t do much walking…

Earlier the day before, as we were leaving Chicago,  I got this text from Pam…

Turns out Pam actually broke her foot. And yet she still pulled it together and came down to Louisville to cheer me on, as well as volunteer at the race. She’s a trooper. So much fun to have Pammy there to be part of my Support Crew, along with her husband Jeff. Too bad she’s going to miss her marathon next weekend through the Redwood Forest in California!!! Mwah, mwah, mwah…

After playing with Pam, Chris and I decided to walk up a mile or so to the location for the the Swim Start. It’s a cozy little marina of docks located between the shoreline and a small island. So the swim plan is that all athletes will jump off one of the closest two docks. Swim north, turn around the island, and then swim south back to Joe’s Crab Shack.

So then it was back to “reality”… dinner, hotel, early to bed.
Chris and I discussed our morning plan. It was going to be a VERY early morning start down at the Pier. The race officially starts at 7:30am. But my personal start time is whenever I cross the timing mat on my way into the water. But the sooner I start, the longer I have to make it across the Finish Line. So we’re starting VERY early tomorrow!!!

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Look what showed up in the mail today. Who would’ve thought
that I would ever get a real paycheck from 20th Century Fox???

Well, look who’s the Featured Artist for October on the AFTOSA.com website… ME!!!

So excited to invited by the Aftosa Team to be featured this month.
I’ve been purchasing ceramic tools & supplies from them for years.
Check them out at aftosa.com.

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So I opened my mailbox today… and found the latest issue of Ceramics Monthly.
I knew it was coming, I’ve already received my “sneak preview” issues, but it’s still fun to see the actual magazine arriving in my mail. And knowing that the same issue is arriving in mailboxes all around the world!!! That my little “Tips And Tools” segment is being read by potters everywhere!!! So exciting.

And while I would highly recommend that everyone subscribe to this fine magazine… you can still read my article even if you don’t. It’s the “Tips and Tools” segment on page 100. They contacted me and asked if I would be interested in writing about my power-drilled berry bowls. And of course I said “YES”!!!

Originally published in October 2016 issue of Ceramics Monthly, page 100.
http://www.ceramicsmonthly.org . Copyright, The American Ceramic Society.
Reprinted with permission.

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Races run. Finish Lines crossed. The Chicago Triathlon Triple Challenge complete.

Now I’ve got a lot of sweaty clothes & smelly shoes!
Double the stink from two races today back-to-back!

Bringing home the hardware! Three triathlon race distances in two days!
Three races. Three medals.

A beautiful day in Chicago… just wanted to check that the medal was real.
Just like a real Olympian!

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Thankfully the huge rains passed before the race started.
Although there were a LOT of puddles & mud in the aftermath.
More fun tomorrow… and hopefully better weather?!

So the day started out a little rainy & drizzy… and a morning filled with Summer Camp kids… but that never stops us from even more fun at Six Flags Great America!!!

As soon as camp let out, I drove quickly up to Six Flags to meet my cousins & kids up there! We rode a few rides and got a little wet before they shut down the roller coasters for a few minutes while the rain passed through. Even though Caroline and my cousin Kim were a little wet, we still found plenty of things to keep us busy!

Soon enough the afternoon was clear, and thanks to the rain, the lines for the rides were short. We had a great afternoon twisting, flipping and zooming on all of the roller coasters! And then, seemingly out of nowhere, the clouded skies gave us a beautiful sunset sky show!

But then it was back to the rides… and back to the fun. It may have been dark outside, but that just makes the roller coasters more exciting. So we squeezed in a few more… The Viper… and my favorite Raging Bull!!!

All too soon, our day of fun had come to an end. We were all tired, a little damp, and filled with great memories of a fun day at Great America!!! I’m hoping that this becomes an annual adventure with my cousin’s kids from Minnesota!!!

Wanna see the “proof” that I finished the MUNCIE 70.3 IRONMAN yesterday?! Click on the link below… but it’s a very LONG video. So scroll through to 4:31:00 to see me crossing the Finish Line!!! WHOO-HOO!!!

Click here for the Muncie 70.3 Ironman video.

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Yesterday was the Muncie 70.3 Half Ironman. A full day of fun in the sun… and wind.
A great day for a little swim, bike and run… with about 2,000 other participants.

The day starts out very early arriving at transition before sunrise. It’s your time to park the car, pull out your bike, take it into the Transition Area, and set-up all of your gear for the rest of the day. Set out your shoes, your helmet, your food, sunscreen, sunglasses, etc. All set-up in some sensible order so you’re not freaking out when it comes time to switch from one segment to the next.

The first part of the triathlon is the SWIM. Not my favorite. Let me just say that I don’t really know how to swim. I might be the only one who does the entire race with the side-stroke?!!! And to add insult to injury, they determined that the water in the Prairie Creek Reservoir was too warm for people to wear their wetsuits. Luckily… they would allow those racers who “want” to wear them to wait until the newly added Wave 19. The proclaimed “Party Wave.” So I ended up waiting almost another hour to start my race so that I could wear my wetsuit. Me and well over a hundred others who rely on their wetsuits for added buoyancy. So we finally get into the water and start the swim… and by “swim” I mean pushing, shoving, kicking, splashing and trying to get past everyone else who is trying to get past you. Luckily, I’m pretty slow… so eventually everyone passes me and the water calms down so I can get my stroke on. After a long & grueling 1.2 miles, it’s finally time to climb out of the water and make it back to the Transition Area.

Next up is the BIKE portion… my favorite!!! So you peel off the wetsuit, throw on your biking shoes & helmet and head off down the road. The route starts out weaving its way through some rough roads and small neighborhoods to get to Highway 35. Luckily, the highway has been recently paved so it was nice and smooth. It’s a double loop ride, so you ride out & back, then out & back again… before weaving back to the Transition Area again. The first leg gout “out” was great. A beautiful day with a bit of a cross breeze and gently rolling hills. At the first turn-around we quickly realized that it wasn’t in fact a cross-breeze… but now we were faced with a strong headwind!!! So now it’s rolling hills and a HEADWIND!!! Not so fun. So it’s twice around the loops and then back. The bike portion was great. I love hills, and I’m okay with wind… so I was pretty happy with the bike. After a quick 56 miles, it’s back again to the Transition Area.

Off with the helmet. Off with the biking shoes. Switch to running shoes, dry socks…
smear on some sunscreen, grab some food, down some Gatorade… and you’re off again!!!

So now it’s the RUN portion of the race… and by “run” I mean a slow rambling stumble at the beginning, which eventually turns into a slow & steady jog. Le me just say that the first mile is not so much fun. Your legs aren’t quite there for running. They’re still in bike mode… and getting the muscles to change over takes a bit of time. Eventually you get your groove back and then the jogging begins. It’s an out-and-back route, so those people finishing their run are coming in on one side of the road, as you’re still heading out on the other. A little disheartening to see everyone form the earlier Waves finishing already as you’re just starting out. The other “surprise” was how the winds that hindered us on the Bike were nowhere to be found on the run. I was looking forward to the cooling breezes. Nope. Instead we had thirteen miles of sun!!! Having pushed a little too hard last week, I decided to pace myself a little better this time. I slowed it down and took it carefully up & over the hills. Yes, I said hills!!! Let’s just say that we don’t have hills in Chicago, so I have VERY little experience running hills. And the treadmill doesn’t help you run DOWN hills?!

One of the “downsides” to being in the Final Wave… the so-called Party Wave… is that you are indeed in the LAST Wave. There’s no one behind you! You’ve got a lot of catching up to do. And you quickly find that you’re kind of out there on your own. There’s no “crowd” of athletes surrounding you, going faster, speeding you along. It’s so much easier to pace yourself with the faster athletes… than when you find you’re out there kind of on your own. Especially when you’re out on the run and you find that most people are already walking. Hard to find the motivation to keep going, when it looks like a LOT more fun to just walk with the others!!! Oh well…

Eventually you make it back… after thirteen miles of jogging up & down hills… you make it to the final stretch. You can hear the crowd and the announcer at the Finish Line. But as every good race seems to have…. there’s one last hill to climb up before you can call it done. But the adrenaline sets-in and it’s a quick sprint through the Finish Line!!! And you’re done!!! WHOO-HOO!!!

As you cross the line they announce your name as an official Ironman finisher!!! You get your medal, and souvenir hat, a bottle of water and they take off your timing chip. A bit of awkward walking. A little sore stumbling. And you’ve got to keep moving before the soreness sets in. But SO EXCITING!!! I’ve done it again!!!

Official Finish Time : 7:17:44  -  7 hours, 17 minutes, 44 seconds
Swim : 56:45
Bike : 3:04:38
Run : 2.59.29

My friend Tracy was also there – doing her first Muncie 70.3 Ironman!!! She did a Half Ironman last summer, but today was her first time in Muncie. She did a great job… but wasn’t so happy with the hills & wind and the bike, and the heat, sun and HILLS on the run! She said the Muncie route was a lot harder than the Steelhead 70.3 Ironman she did last summer in Wisconsin. Needless to say… she FINISHED too!!! Way to go Tracy!!!

After a wonderful massage in the Massage Tent, we had some food, photos and fun before I hopped in my car to drive home. It’s a long drive home sitting in the car for several hours as you feel the muscles tightening up. Not looking forward to getting out of the car at the end of the road trip. Let alone, carry all of my bags & bike up the three flights of stairs to my place! Ouch!!!

But now it’s done… Another Half Ironman done!!!
A great kick-off to this summer’s triathlon season. I’ve got two more scheduled…
with the BIG ONE just three months from yesterday!!! Uh oh… might need to learn how to swim?!!!

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