Ironman UK 2010

I always seem to be thinking about inspiration.  Its effect on people and how it can make a person accomplish things they never thought possible.  I was inspired.  Mannix Kane.  His battle with cancer brought my mind in a new direction.  Focused me.  4 Years of age.  Fighting away, not knowing any different.  Why do people without any real difficulties or illness have so much self doubt? You can. You just need to believe. But you have to fight, and you have to want to fight.  So why decide not too, or worse decide its too difficult.  You only have 1 life.

At 5:45 on Sunday morning I entered the water in Pennington flash with 1250 other hopefuls.  It was only then the magnitude of the whole thing hit me.  My stomach was in a very bad way, I nearly threw up in the water before the start.  My heart rate was 130 BPM and I was only floating there.  Never in my life have I felt anything like it.  And once I got going I was fine. More than fine.  I knew the moment I came out of the swim within my swim target time, the day was mine.  I had not seen the bike course or the run course, no knowledge, but I had this feeling inside , I just knew no matter what I faced through the day I would get to the finish, and get to it well.

The bike was tough but I enjoyed every minute.  It took longer than expected but I paced it well and felt great on the climbs.  I could go into detail here but to describe the course would take a few pages.  It was a climbers course, hills, headwind, twists and turns, technical downhill sections.  Grind it out. 2183 metres of climbing.  Yes metres not feet.

The marathon course was varied to say the least.  Straight out of T2 you hit a wicked uphill section into a forest on muddy trails, then back down to Bolton city streets for a bit, then back on to a trail, up a mental incline and back towards the finish.  You got turned away from the finish and back along the same course for 3 laps. It was not an easy marathon course and not flat.  But that didn't matter.  My legs felt great.  All run.  This was marathon number 9 for me and was one of the best I have run, close to many of the individual times I have done in the past. I didn't feel bad at any stage during the day.  I set a goal of 12 hours I reached it.  But if I had known the course beforehand there is no way I would have set it at 12, maybe 13.  See what I mean about self doubt !

Anyway I would like to leave you with a poem by Jon Blais, the blazeman, I think this sums it up nicely.

"LIve life more than your neighbours unleash yourself upon the world and go places, 

Go now, giggle, no Laugh; 

Bark at the moon like the wild dog that you are 

understand that this is not a dress-rehearsal; this is it, 

your life, 

face your fears and live your dreams, take it all in, yes every chance you get;

come close

and

by all means whatever you do get it on film" 


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Vrjp2P0GlE


Total           Swim           T1           Bike           T2          Run
11:55:51 /  01:14:21 /   01:19 /   06:41:34 /   03:49 /   03:51:05

267th out of 1093 finishers.