We did it!  Joseph, Mark, and I completed the Lake Stevens 70.3 Ironman yesterday afternoon.  Under cloudy skies, but 73-degree water we started in our “pink” wave of 120 50-something triathletes at around 7:00am.  The swim course was a giant rectangle and we swam in a counterclockwise direction to get the 1.2 miles of swimming out of the way.  If you’ve never experienced swimming in a large group of wet-suited people, think of swimming in a washing machine with a bunch of drunk seals.  New triathletes find this disconcerting, but you get use to it after a few years.

Next, we biked in one large 56-mile loop (see my last blog about the training ride that we took to get to know the course) that extended into Granite Falls and back under constant rain and very slick conditions.  The weather made the very hilly course even more difficult.  I was glad to get off the bike soaking wet with numb feet and hands.  Yes, the “hill from hell” Ingraham Hill was as tough as ever, made worse by the slick pavement.

The 13.1 mile run was a two-looper around Lake Stevens.  The weather started improving by the time I did the second loop.  The sun helped my condition a bit, but not much.  Most of the muscles in my body started to complain and quit working on me.  A combination of Coca Cola, some sort of energy drink, a few pretzels, orange slices and soaked sponges got my sore, aching body to the finish line in under 7-hours.  In our threesome, Joseph finished first, followed by Mark and I was the caboose.

Although I have done other triathlons I still can’t believe that I can get my body to do something like this.  I was overwhelmed with emotions as I crossed the finish line to hear my name over the speakers announcing my arrival and congratulating me on my accomplishment.

Today, I am in my finishers shirt even though I am at work.  A guy has to boast every now and then!

I look forward to new adventures in future triathlons.  For now, I am savoring the victory of finishing an Ironman 70.3.