IRONMAN CANADA RACE REPORT
RACE DATE: Sunday August 27, 2006
Wednesday August 23, 2006Flew out of Pearson Airport at 11 am (right on time). I had tried to fill my belly with a hamburger and fries (did not want one of those lame arse breakfasts) before getting on the plane but they were not serving them until 10:30 am. Sucked for me. Had to settle for a $5 roast beef wrap on the plane. Relaxed, and watched the in-flight movie (The Sentinel - Sutherland, Longoria, and Douglas) on the way to Vancouver.
Some jerk kept tapping my seat and invading my space with his feet. A few evil looks and a couple firm reclines with my seat easily took care of that problem. Oh, did I mention that the "EB" (wife said I can use that term) was sitting in squalor in business class while I was dealing with the jerk in economy? Somebody please tell me who is racing on Sunday? I'll tell ya, not her. She will be spending all of Sunday pretending to cheer for me so it's all good. Grateful to have EB's support.
After some minor delays we arrived in Penticton. As we flew in, I immediately thought that I could retire in this place. Beautiful scenery, big lakes, and lots of outdoor things to do. There's not much more you can ask for.
David, our host at the Lakewynd B & B, was there to pick us up. Before taking us to the B&B, he gave us a nice tour of the city and a bit of a history lesson. David is a great guy. Genuinely helpful and kind in every way. We then made our way to the B&B. It did not look that far away on a map but it was a good 7-8 km from the city and Ironman village. There was no way I'd be walking back here after the race.
We got settled, unpacked, and we were fortunate enough to have David drive us into town. Of course the first stop was at the merchandise tent to do some serious shopping. The bike shirts, shorts, tri tops, and jackets looked awesome. I would have got one of each except for one thing, they were way to damn expensive. $100 for a bike shirt, $100 for shorts, $85 for the tri top, $170 for the jacket, then throw in the tax and what do you have? Next year's race entry. As hard as it was, I decided to be a good boy and only bought a nice golf shirt. I figured it would be a waste of money since I wouldn't wear it much since I would be sporting my new Litespeed Factory Team uniform soon, along with my Running Free Team apparel. Still managed to drop $127 bucks in there though. Checked out a few more areas and bought 30 Powerbar products (got a free Powerbar Ironman jacket).
Then went to dinner at Salty's. Excellent joint. Quality food, great variety and imagination, excellent service, and good looking waitresses. I strongly recommend the Beach House pasta. Our waitress (Sara) called us a cab as we headed home. The cab ride cost us $20. We are considering renting a car but that all depends if one is available. Off to bed by 11 pm (it was 2 am Toronto time so give me a break ok.
Thursday August 24, 2006
Had a tasty breakfast courtesy of our host and then he gave us a lift downtown. We immediately sought out car rental companies in the slim hope that a vehicle may be available.
We had no luck at Budget, so we crossed the road to Best Choice Car Rentals. I saw only moving vans left in the parking lot so if there were no cars left I would take one of those. We chatted with Doug (owner of the company -- also an Ironman but taking a break for a few years), and he told us he just had a cancellation. Talk about luck. The car we would be getting was to be back by 1 pm but I still had to pick up my bike from Aubrey at the Carmi Motel by 10 am. Realizing my little problem, Doug gave me the keys to one of his moving van to use until I picked up our actual rental car.
So here I am, stylin' down the streets of Penticton in this moving van. I pull up to the Carmi, pick up my bike from Aubrey, chatted with a him and a few folks about the course, then put my lone bike in this huge van. This got a few good laughs. I did not feel quite comfortable driving around and parking this beast so I brought it back to Doug. Thanked him for lending it to us and made my way to Gyro park to register.
I was warned about the tendency of long lineups at IMCAN and it started here at registration. Waited for 40 minutes before I got to the first step of the registration process. At IMUSA, you are in and out of there in 5 minutes. I really can't figure out why it takes so long because once you are in the tent, everything moves relatively quickly. The volunteers in there were definitely very friendly and lived up to their reputation. I pre-purchased a picture package from ASI Photo. Here is a hint. Buy the package with the plaque (roughly only $20 more than the full picture package), and if you happen to have a poor race then you can cancel or downgrade your package. You have nothing to lose here.
We needed to kill some time before picking up the car so we walked the downtown area, visited Starbucks, and the famous Bike Barn. We then made our way to Best Choice and as soon as we walked up, Doug (who was inside the store at the time) popped open the trunk so I could put my bike and other gear in there. He is really too much. He hooked us up with a great rate for 6 days, asked what my race number was and what I'd be wearing so he could cheer for me in Sunday.
Drove to check out the Ironman Village. It was in full operation at this point so we strolled around and checked out all of the booths. Not a lot of freebees at this Expo (ok, none actually) chalk another one up for IMLP where you get stocked up with tons of stuff.
On the way back to the B & B, we visited 3 wineries and did some tasting. First stop was La Frenz (we bought a Merlot), the second stop was The Red Rooster (we loved everything we tasted--but decided to order the wines online and have it shipped to us), and then made a final stop at the Hillside Estate Winery. They had a Bistro that served dinner and the menu looked great so we made a decision to dine there that night.
Got back to the B&B and I prepped my equipment for a bike ride and run before dinner. I rode north along Naramata road and the scenery is picturesque. It was quite easy to keep on heading north but it would have been a 3-4 hr ride rather than my planned 40 minutes. Not something I wanted to do a few days before the race. After the ride, I ran up a 1 km hill (no choice since it is the only way to the main road) and made my way to the Hillside Estates Winery to make a dinner reservation. Got one for 8 pm, then headed for home.
Showered, changed, then did some preliminary packing of my transition bags.
Dinner at the Hillside Bistro was outstanding. This was top quality food. I had Smoked BC Salmon for an appetizer, and NY Steak for the main course. "EB" had a very sumptuous Seafood pasta dish. Of course we also enjoyed some Hillside wines to perfectly compliment our dinner choices. It was a memorable dining experience and a must do for any visitor to the area. It was then back home for bed.
Friday August 25, 2006
Had a nice breakfast of French Toast and fruit at the B&B, then headed to the Lakeshore for a planned swim and run.
I did a quick 20 minute run along the beach, past the SS Sicamous, along the channel then back to the car. Then put on my wetsuit for my first swim since IMLP (July 23). It was windy so the water was really choppy and had a lot of swells. It was like swimming in the ocean. I have never swum in conditions like this, so I practiced swimming against, parallel, and with the swells. Swimming with then swells was sure a lot of fun, but not the other stuff. Race day should be fun.
We paid a visit to the Penticton Rose Garden, drove around for a bit, then checked out the Ironman Expo again. We took in some seminars (Kinesys, Lisa Bentley, Paula Newby-Fraser, and Jimmy Ricitello), I hung out in the Triathlon Magazine Canada booth with Chris and Kevin, and checked out a few booths again. I got a call from Ray (my real estate agent) about the latest offer for our house. "EB" and I discussed it, accepted their offer so it appears we have sold our house. There are still papers to sign and small details to hammer out but that should be a formality.
We headed to the UPS Store to make arrangements for our incoming faxes that we needed to sign and send back. With the welcome banquet only a few hours away we decided to stay in town and wander around to kill time. I checked out a few tattoo shops, and made an appointment for Tuesday at 10 am to get my IMCAN tattoo done. Now I have no choice but to finish the race. The pressure is on.
With the history of long lineups, we headed over to the site of the banquet at 5 pm (it starts at 6 pm). The lineup was already over 150 deep. Crazy! We were not too happy waiting in line like cattle but that is the way things are done here so you have to go with it. If it were not my first IMCAN, I would have left to have dinner elsewhere.
Once we were let inside the lines moved fairly efficiently. I filled up 2 plates with the typical fare of salad, pasta, veggies, rice, and fruit. Found a table easily and chomped away. At the tables, there were little pieces of paper, which informed us that if we wanted to register for the 2007 race we could do so tomorrow. They had scheduled specific times based on our current race numbers. Apparently they did not want us to have to line up overnight after we had just done the race. Sweet!!! I do feel sorry for those flying in just to sign up for next year.
At the table we were joined by nice group of folks from Portland. The banquet was Ok. The MC was a bit clued out, but I think I am spoiled by the high professionalism of Mike Reilly. It was awesome to hear Canada's National Anthem for a change. Since all of my other Ironman races have taken place in the USA. We stayed for the mandatory athlete meeting, then busted out of there as soon as it was over to beat the traffic. We were home within minutes.
Showered, shaved (head included), then fully packed my transition bags. Updated this race report up to this point, and then went to bed at 1:45 am.
Saturday August 26, 2006
Got up at 8 am for breakfast. We had my favourite, Eggs Benedict, along with a big serving of fruit. Quickly got my stuff together and headed to the race site at 9 am to put my bike and gear bags into the transition area. The process was very quick and easy.
I then went back to the Ironman Village to hang out and wait for our friends to arrive (they all flew in last night). We hooked up with all of them, chatted and walked around the village some more. I then grabbed a front row seat for the Powerbar Athletes Seminar. Peter Reid (3 Time World Champion - Mega Legend) was going to be there and I was not going to miss it. There was lots of great information shared by Peter, Nigel Gray, Lance Watson, and Mike Neill. After the seminar, I got my picture taken with Peter. He was real cool and wished me luck with my race. Just listening to him give his tips makes me believe that he would be an incredible coach. We will see if that is where is future lies.
We were all very hungry and had a late lunch at a funky café. I can’t remember the name but they regularly bring in live musical acts at night. We all had some healthy wraps, and salads. Some us made a stop at Dairy Queen. I enjoyed a large Hot fudge sundae, and killed time chatting in the DQ with my pals. Before going back to the B&B, we visited Subway for a final meal. I got a Tuna wrap, and a Roast Beef Footlong (which I was going to share with “EB”).
Back at the B&B I did some final prep for race day, ate my final meal for the night, chilled out, and lay down to bed 10:30 pm. Probably didn’t fall asleep until close to midnight.
Sunday August 27, 2006 - Race DayGot up at 3:15 am to have breakfast #1. Drank 2 bottles of Vanilla Boost and ate 1/2 of a Peanut Butter flavoured Powerbar. Went back to bed then woke up again at 4:50 am, drank another bottle of Boost, and got ready for the big day.
We left the B&B at 5:15 am and drove into town (saw 3 deer snacking). As soon as I got ready to park, I realized I had forgotten my Infinit Nutrition back in the fridge if the B&B. I had to drive back to get it since I was using it as my sole nutritional source all day. Got thing the B&B is only 10 minutes away. We saw more deer, got back into town, parked, and walked over to the Transition area. I saw the "Lovato's" (husband and wife professionals) walking along with me, and it was not even 6 am yet so I had lots of time.
Said bye to "EB", and headed into Transition to; pump up my tires, put nutrition on bike, and put some last second items in my transition bags. As I do before every Ironman, I wait until the last possible moment before I put on my wetsuit. Why? So I can go to the bathroom that one final time before the race. Got out of Porta-john and towards the water to put on my wetsuit. Then I heard, "All athletes should be out of transition for the race start." I'm thinking, "What's the rush, I've still got five minutes." But apparently everyone but me is in a panic and 2 volunteers come running over to help me put my wetsuit on. We get it on quickly, I thank them, cross the timing mats, and wait on the beach for the swim start. Hard to believe that 2400 people are going leave from this small start area. Boom! The cannon goes off and the race begins.
It takes me about 1 minute of walking into the water before I actually start swimming. Lake Okanagan is so wide that there is room for everyone. No battle royale like Ironman Lake Placid. There was tons of open space and I quickly got into a nice rhythm. I tried to hook up to some feet to do some drafting but I couldn’t find someone who was going slightly faster than the pace I wanted to go. The only collisions came at the first turnaround. Where a couple of guys zig-zagged in front of me then slowed down for some reason. Being a little frustrated at the break in my rhythm, I actually took hold of them and gently moved them both to side and then kept moving forward. The swim back to shore was uneventful, and I got out of the water in a time of 1:26:51 (Avg Hr: 144). Headed up the beach into transition, and grabbed my T1 bag.
I decided to change outside. I felt if I sat down and changed that I would take longer, plus I did not want to be part of the big sausage party inside the tent – if you catch my drift. I changed fairly quickly, and headed for my bike. Before getting to Siena, I got hosed down with sunscreen (a volunteer literally hosed you down with it from a huge spray can – pretty cool), made a pit stop in the Porta potty, grabbed Siena and headed out on the bike course. T1 took 6 minutes.
The crowds heading out of town were awesome. It felt like the Tour de France in the downtown area with a narrow pathway created by huge crowds on either side. My heart rate was skyrocketing at this point due to the excitement because I wasn’t going all that fast. I made my way out of town and along Skaha Lake. It would have been nice to have aerobars during this flat and windy section but since I was using my new Litespeed Siena for this race I did not have that option. On the first sharp uphill I planned to take it easy but the other riders around me were almost at a standstill and I had no choice but to spin fast and go around them. This effort spiked my heart rate into the high 170’s but this short test gave me an early indication that I had some biking legs today and not like Lake Placid. I soon got my heart rate back into my goal range of 145-155 until I got to the infamous Richter Pass Climb. It was 10:30 am at this point but it was already beginning to get hot. The sweat was dripping into my eyes so I put my sunglasses into my pocket. I behaved myself up the climb and kept my heart rate in the 150’s, only maxing out at 163 near the top of Richter. It took me just less than an hour to do it and next year I know I can crank up a speed a bit and still stay aerobic. On the descent I spent my time stretching out my back and legs. There were a series of rollers and flats before the next major climb so I used the time to take in nutrition and the beautiful scenery. I started the long but gradual Yellow Lake Climb at 1:30 pm. I was forewarned that you don’t really see this coming (you don’t) so I am relying on my Polar 625x altitude readings for this information. Start to finish it took me 1 hr and 20 minutes to complete is climb. Despite the urging the great crowds that lined the entire Yellow Lake Climb, I once again behaved myself and kept my heart rate in the 150’s the entire time. At the top, my friends, Angus and Michelle, cheered me on. They snapped a few pictures and I made my way down the long descent back into town. I fuelled up and stretched as much as I could in preparation for the marathon. Back in town I yelled at my support crew who was waiting for me to pass by and headed into transition. Total bike time was 6:51:30 (Avg Hr: 150).
I grabbed my T2 bag and headed into the change tent. The tent was not crowded this time and I wanted to take the time to make sure I was totally comfortable when I headed out on that run. I immediately made the decision not to carry the flask of Infinit Nutrition that I had prepared for the run. I used Infinit exclusively on the bike but at the end of the ride I just did not want to drink anymore of it. I figured I’d survive on the water, cola, and gels out on the course. Just before crossing the timing mats and heading out on the run course, I grabbed a Power Gel Double Latte and sucked it back with some water. T2 took 7:36. Departing T2 at around 8:31 and feeling good, I recognized the opportunity of going into the 12 hr range with a sub 4:30 marathon and decided I’d go for it. The real fun was about to begin.
The wind was picking up, and the heat was at its peak (33 degrees). None of this mattered at this point because the crowd support in town was insane. I was moving along faster than I wanted to (heart rate in the 160’s) and kept reminding myself to slow it down. I finally brought the heart rate down to the 150’s but the speed was in the 5:30 per km pace. I saw my support crew at 3 km mark. I gave them a quick smile, waved, slapped hands and ran out of town. I felt great but thought I might still be going too fast and eventually settled into a 5:45 per km pace. With the extreme heat I knew I had to keep drinking, but I also knew that if I drank too much I would eventually begin to bloat and fell heavy. I took door #2 and kept drinking tons because I was severely thirsty the whole way.
I maintained my pace until the 14 km mark. After that, my pace started slowing down in a big way. I felt like a big water jug (lots of sloshing), my chest felt very tight and I could only take short breaths. I kept on pushing through but the hills also begin to kick in at that section in the race. Not a good time for troubles to happen. I soon calculated that going sub 13 hours was not going to be in the cards today so I pulled the plug and decided to walk the rest of the way. I had some nice chats with a lot of people out there and enjoyed my stroll back into town. I saw Angus and he laid a guilt trip on me (when we race together I always yell at him that he better not walk so now it was his time to turn the tables on me). I explained that I went for it on the run and it just didn’t happen so I did not want to bust myself up for a non PB clocking. We kept walking towards the rest of the cheering crew and I gave my glow stick to my friend’s daughter Megan (the only reason why I took it). She looked thrilled to get it so at least I was able to do some good on the day. They told me that they would catch me at the finish, and I joked that I would see them in an hour (there was only about 3 km to go). With about 1.5 km left, I started running again because the streets were packed. Walking was not an option with these enthusiastic crowds cheering you on. I figured I’d shoot for sub 14:30 at this point and crossed the line in 14:28:15 (Avg Hr: 144, Max: 178, Calories Burned: 12 852).
My finish line catcher put the medal on me, checked to make sure I was ok and took me over to get my t-shirt and very cool finishers hat from Headsweats. He continued to escort me to Gyro Park for food and a massage. I assured him I was ok and once I got into the massage line I thanked him for his help and said goodbye. I got a nice massage from a local lady and then made my way to find my support crew. No one was in sight so I went into transition, gathered all my gear, changed, and fetched Siena. I took everything out of the transition area and tried to find my support crew. I eventually saw JP & A walking around looking for me and I ran after them. They said that everyone was at the finish line still waiting for me to come in. I asked if they were nuts. I know I shut it down but it does not take over 90 minutes to go a little over 3 km. Everyone was rounded up and I told JP and Angus that people were already lining up to register for next year. So if they planned on sleeping overnight (I told them Graham Fraser said no one would have to do so) that they should get over to Okanagan Park as soon as possible. I said goodbye, good luck, and told them to have fun.
I walked back into Gyro Park with “EB” and bought a huge serving if Fish & Chips. I was craving “real” food and it really hit the spot. Also downed a large cup of Booster Juice (loaded with protein powder). We walked to the car and witnessed the crazy long line-up for registration the next morning. People were out there in sleeping bags, tents, lawn chairs, you name it. The line went on forever. Unfortunately for this dedicated bunch of people, it would be confirmed that next day that sleeping overnight was not necessary at all. But better safe than sorry I guess.
Drove home, showered, and went to bed by 1 am.
Monday August 28, 2006Got up at 7 am, did some packing, and had breakfast with the other B&B guests. We were treated to some nice fluffy pancakes with a very tasty variety of fruit syrups from the nearby Summerland region. Said goodbye to the other guests (heading back to Saskatoon today), and did some more packing. David (our host) was leaving for Kelowna for the week so I paid for our stay and put a deposit down for next year. We also said our goodbyes and thanks.
We drove into town to visit JP and Angus in line. We found out that the line went quickly and they already had their certificates to register for the race. So we met some other friends for breakfast. The place did not expect to be swamped to we mostly served ourselves beverages until the food arrived. They actually locked the doors of the restaurant so more people could not come in. Never seen that before. Can you say fire hazard?
Paid a quick visit to the UPS Store to retrieve our faxes from our real estate agent. We signed all the necessary documents and faxed them back. It was now official, we have sold our house. What a huge weight off our shoulders. Now we just have to go through the fun of packing, moving and unpacking again.
We then headed down to the Athlete Village to get my results, pictures, and check out the finishers merchandise. Since there was absolutely no one in line and registrations were still being taken, I convinced a couple of friends to pick up certificates to sign up for the race. It would be a great opportunity and they would still have 2 weeks to think actually paying the money and signing up.
We spent the afternoon doing wine tours of the Naramata Bench with Angus and Michelle and had a great time. We made our separate ways and drove to the Penticton Convention Centre for the Awards Banquet. This time we decided not to arrive early and go through the line-up ordeal. Despite showing up 15 minutes past the 5:30 pm start time, the line up was still long. We somehow joined a line in the middle and got in within minutes. I stocked up 2 plates worth of food (salad, roasted veggies, chicken, rib patties, rice), and found a seat in the far corner. It was the regular boring stuff with the only highlight being the speeches by Jasper Blake and Belinda Granger. The video was pretty cool too and we got our DVD copy of it upon exiting the Banquet.
I was beginning to feel hungry again so I made a stop at Little Caesar’s Pizza and ordered a Medium Supreme Pizza. Drove back to the B&B and inhaled it all since “EB” wanted none of it. I think I could have actually eaten an Extra Large the way I felt. I showered, read a bit, and went to bed.
Tuesday August 29, 2006Got up for our 8 am breakfast (hard boiled eggs, toast, cheese, fruit, juice and coffee). Did some packing and headed into town for my 10 am tattoo appointment. I got an Ironman Canada tattoo on my left arm, and the artist also jazzed up my existing Ironman Arizona tattoo. He also updated the dates on all of them. I keep forgetting how painful the outlining the tattoo is but the rest of it was fine. I was under the needle for a little over 90 minutes. I was happy with what the artist and his fire wings for the Arizona tattoo worked well. I will likely be back for some additional work next year. A very professional and hygienic job. They are located right across from the Bike Barn and I highly recommend them. We paid a visit to Doug at Best Choice Car Rentals and made reservations for next year. Doug is a great guy and super accommodating, so you are going to rent a car in Penticton try and support him.
Afterwards we drove past Summerland and checked out a few more wineries. We started with the Sonoran, did lots of tasting and bought a bottle. Doug had suggested that we try the Sumac Ridge Winery for lunch and it was not a mistake. The food here was a major highlight to our trip. Everything on the menu looked great so I had 2 entrees (Fresh Pasta with Chorizo Sausage in a spicy creamy tomato sauce, Wild BC Salmon), “EB” had Lamb Sausage. We also had nice wines to go along with our meals. Desserts could not be passed up and I had 3 scoops of some awesome tasting freshly made ice cream, while “EB” had an unforgettable chocolate torte. The service was outstanding as well. We will be back here next year without a doubt.
We then paid a visit the downtown Summerland, and walked around a bit to work off our gigantic lunch. It was a nice town that was obviously big among retirees. There were lots of nice places to eat at here too but too bad we were already stuffed. It was now back to downtown Penticton to hopefully catch a flick.
We arrived at the movie theatre in time to catch a movie called Accepted. We knew it was not going to be an Academy award winner but we had no other choices. I went to the bathroom to take the bandages off my tattoos (was to have done so 2 hours prior), and slowly pulled it off. I washed it with water, dried it, and applied the ointment the artist gave me. Then went into the theatre to watch the movie. There were a few laughs and it was not as foolish as I thought it would be. It does fall in the rental only category though.
I did not want to go back to the B&B just yet, so I drove around town. We toured the run course once more, checked out the OK Falls area, the local mall, and filled up on gas.
I had a craving for KFC and could not resist the urge to satisfy it. I ordered a 2 pc meal, with chicken fries, wedges and a root beer. Talk about a top quality meal of champions. Got back to the B&B and enjoyed my feast. We did our final packing, applied more ointment to the tattoo, and went to bed. At this point the KFC started working its magic in my belly. Now I remember why I only satisfy this KFC craving once or twice a year. I always say never again but it never happens.
Wednesday August 30, 2006
Unfortunately it is time to head back home to deal with the real world. We got up at 7 am, showered, had breakfast, and I made my final “deposit” in Penticton. After 1 week here I still have yet to make a “solid deposit”. I must have some kind of bug in the system. I am sure you all needed to know that but too bad, now you know. I said goodbye to our host Lindanna, packed the car, and drove to the airport. Got there a little past 8 am and unloaded the car. Checked in, went through security (the most thorough screening I’ve ever been through), and waited for departure. The winner of the women’s race, Belinda Granger was also on the plane with us. She was very friendly and gracious to everyone.
Our flight was delayed by 30 minutes and when we landed in Vancouver our flight to Toronto was also delayed (40 minutes). I tried to get bumped up to business class with “EB” but the gate attendant said no chance. It turns out she was just being evil because there was 4 empty seats up there.
I sat in economy next to a man whose wife and kid was seated elsewhere. Why wouldn’t the geniuses at Air Canada put them all together in the 3 middle row seats is beyond me. Probably makes too much sense. Instead they split them up. On top of that, they give him the window seat and me the aisle. I am already thinking that this dude is going to be getting up a few times to hang with his wife and kid. In fact, I had to get up 5 times (10 really since I have to get up again to let him back in) throughout the flight. You think that maybe he would say, can I have the aisle? No sir, he wanted to best of everything. I was close to snapping, but being banned from flying again was not an option. The last few times I did take my sweet a$$ time to get up, and the last time I gave a dirty look and asked him directly. “Am I am going to be getting up anymore during this flight.” He got the message at that point.
Add to that, the guy was sick too. Now if I caught anything from him after all of this I would be pi$$ed. Thank goodness I had a J&B and ginger ale early in the flight. I think that mellowed me out to deal with all this crap.
The in-flight movie was Mission Impossible 3. A solid 7 out of 10. But I also wanted to give a solid smack to the head of the person in the seat on front of me who kept moving their hooded head back and forth constantly. Why was this idiot wearing a hood? Who knows? She was sleeping for more than half of the movie and then woke up with 30 minutes remaining to suddenly be interested in it. Can you tell that I had a fun flight? Upon landing the guy next to me tried to initiate a conversation about Ironman racing, but I gave a few terse answers, grabbed my gear and got the heck out of there and that nightmarish experience. Met up with “EB”, told her of my fun, and she told me about all the extra seats in business class (made me feel even more joyous). We got our baggage, easily hailed a cab and made it home within 30 minutes.
Final verdict. A great vacation with an Ironman thrown in on a Sunday! We did not hold back and enjoyed everything we possibly could. Lots of wine drinking, eating lots at restaurants, enjoying in all the sites and sucking in everything that the Okanagan had to offer. I think I may have to take this approach with every Ironman I travel to. It makes for a much more enjoyable time before, during and after the race.
I can't wait for 2007 to come. Thinking of getting a bike? Go with Litespeed.
