According to that little counter on the upper right of the page it's just a little over 11 days until Ironman Canada (IMC)! Bib numbers went up today and I'm number 467. You can follow my progress on race day (Sunday, August 30th) via ironmanlive.com.
It's hard to believe it's been 363 days since I registered for this race, so it's been a long time coming and I'm ready! Since the beginning of this year I've logged 3,100 miles (168hrs) cycling, 738 miles (92hrs) running and 110,100yds (36hrs) swimming. That equates to just a little over 9hrs per week YTD and it's obviously been more like 12 - 15hrs/week the past few months during my ramp-up to IMC. And that doesn't include drive time to the pool, stretching after workouts, or any of the other activities required to just get out there and train. It's a selfish endeavor, there's no way around it, but that's what it takes to prepare to compete on race day.
Beyond my training the ones who have sacrificed the most are my family. Kyra and Liya have allowed me to spend many early mornings at the pool and a good part of our weekends getting in my 6+ hour bike rides. In doing so they've allowed me to chase my dreams and see just how hard and far I can push this body that God gave me. I couldn't do this without them and I'm so blessed for all of their support and encouragement along the way.
This will be my second iron distance race and without a doubt the biggest (in terms of both participants and stature) I've ever done. IMC is one of the grand daddies of all Ironman events (many folks think it's the most beautiful IM course in the world) and has been held an amazing 27 years in a row. IMC's home is the small town of Penticton, British Columbia about 165miles east of Vancouver and 165miles north northwest of Spokane, Washington.
It's located in the Okanagan Valley known for it's pristine lakes, fruit orchards, and increasingly it's vineyards.
So it'll be a beautiful place to race and hang with the fam. We'll spend a few days after the race in the region before heading to Vancouver for a couple of nights. My parents will also be joining us so it'll be a blast to have the extended fam in tow for the entire trip.
As far as expectations for race day, I really just want to experience the magic of this legendary race, take it all in, and leave everything I've got out on the course. If I do that I will be happy. And I wouldn't complain a bit if I finished in under 10:30 hours!
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