Wow, I can hardly believe it is all said and done!

My goal of racing an Ironman triathlon (2.4 mile swim, 112 mile bike, 26.2 mile run) in 2002 was actually born about one year ago when I signed up for Ironman Utah. I trained long and hard last winter, dealing with cold, snow, darkness, and rain. Six weeks before the race, I threw my back out in a freak accident lifting my dog onto the examining table at our vet's office, damaging my sciatic nerve. I pulled out of the race, crushed and had to bear grueling masso and physical therapy to get back in the saddle. As it turned out, had I raced in Utah, my goal of racing ironman would have gone unfulfilled anyway, due to bizarre weather conditions there on race day.

I had heard nothing but terrific praise about the Great Floridian Triathlon. Plus, registration was still open, so I didn't have to kiss a big chunk of money good-bye a year ahead of time. I resumed my training in July and set my sights on heading down to Clermont, Florida's triathlon mecca, and home of the brand new USA Triathlon National Training Center. A very lively registration and expo took place there before race day. The Great Floridian Triathlon is called "the People's Race," and was this year's USAT Ultra-long Course National Championship for age groupers. That meant there was no pro or elite division, so the ones who were racing, like Scott Molina, had to race in their age group.

The atmosphere surrounding this event is so laid back. Everyone is hanging out, being social, and having a good time. I've raced some Kona qualifiers and those races are so stressful and intense - - - no one looks at you or talks to you - - - it sucks all the enjoyment out of our sport! Not the case here! Other athletes commented on that, too. And this atmosphere allowed me to be relaxed and calm on race morning, intent on making the most of this experience and taking in every second of it!

The swim is two laps in the very clear, fresh waters of Lake Minneola. The week before the race, the water temperature was 82 degrees. That meant wetsuits would not be legal . . . and that was the buzz around registration (along with the changed bike course). But that cold air that hit the Midwest managed to dip into Florida, making it cool at night and bringing the lake to 76 degrees by race morning . . . . wetsuit legal.

My buddy Don, whom I met a few days earlier, and I were actually the first in the water, warming up. Soon, the sun had risen and then most of the athletes were in the lake getting ready. Everyone was chatting and wishing fellow athletes the best of luck for a great race. There were over 750 athletes in the mass start. I was smack in the middle of it and before I knew it . . . . it was time!

I'm not going to hold back here; MY SWIM KICKED ASS!!! I just relaxed and swam, got knocked around a bit, finding some open stretches of water, luckily! After the first lap we had to exit/re-enter the water. My second lap wasn't as crowded, so I was able to swim pretty much uninterrupted until I reached shore again. When I saw the clock as I was exiting the lake, it was at 59 minutes! I was ECSTATIC! I broke an hour on the swim! And I felt amazing . . . ready to bike!

The bike course was changed for this year's race. It used to be fairly flat, I was told. Now, the first 70 miles are hills. Lots of steep hills and rolling hills . . . a beautiful course; through orange groves, under oaks dripping with Spanish moss, over lakes, past farms, and lots of palm trees. Not to mention, the best stocked aid stations I have ever seen!

I had a decent ride with one glitch. My rear derailleur failed to work when I was in the small chain ring. I ended up having to ride the entire course in my big chain ring (high gears). I felt every inch of those roads, and my left knee was starting to feel sore after a while. I was happy to come to the flat sections, but the hills returned at mile 100. I rode the bike course in just over 6 and one half hours. Man, was I ever ready to start the marathon!

After changing, I headed out on the run course. The first six miles were all big hills. Going down hurt as much as going up. My left knee was killing me from the bike, so after mile 2, I was walking it . . . . kind of disappointed. The volunteers, spectators and other athletes really lifted me up with their encouragement, though, and I ran when I could. At mile 12 I remembered I put Advil in my special needs bag . . . that I just ran past a mile back. Wouldn't see that bag again until mile 18. I was able to get my hands on some a few aid stations down. At mile 20, I felt great and found my running legs. I wanted to get across the finish line in under 13 hours, so I kicked in and ran the final 6 miles in 45 minutes. I was flying!

Coming across the finish line was amazing! For two blocks, people were cheering me into the finish chute.

My time was 12:45:10.

I went and got my legs massaged, ate some real food, then joined the other athletes, spectators and volunteers in bringing in the other athletes still out there. I was having a blast!

I said a few weeks ago that I wouldn't do an Ironman in 2003. The time I sacrificed to training was really getting to me. I'm going to eat those words because I loved every minute of it deep down. I'll more than likely change my mind and return to Clermont next fall.