The ultimate pursuit

Friday, November 9, 2012

Ironman Florida Race Report

It wasn't pretty, but I'm happy to share the news of another successful Ironman completion, my third in three years. This one was by far my most difficult race, in large part due to a serious lack of preparation. My preparation was so poor, that I only decided to actually go through with the race last week. I needed to be in Tallahassee for business anyway, so I decided to not let good money go to waste. The overall event experience was great - another well run Ironman. Weather was perfect (low 80's) with minimal humidity. Unfortunately, I was solo this trip. My family wasn't able to join me given the last moment decision to do the race and none of my friends signed up for the race. So despite being all alone, I enjoyed being part of the Ironman atmosphere.

Pre-Race Preparation
As for my pathetic training, here are my workout numbers for the past six months (weekly averages compared to my 2010 Ironman St. George weekly averages):
Total Workouts: 76 (2.9 avg vs 3.5 avg)
Total Hours: 65 (2:42 avg vs 5:49 avg)
Total Swim Miles: 12 (.75 avg vs 1.5 avg)
Total Bike Miles: 487 (18.7 avg vs 49.7 avg)
Total Run Miles: 258 (9.9 avg vs 14.8 avg)
Total Bricks: 3 (.1 avg vs 1.0 avg)
Total lbs: (185 lbs vs. 172 lbs.)

As you can clearly see, my training this year has been extremely pathetic. My longest swim was 1.5 miles. My longest bike ride was 55 miles. And my longest run was 10 miles. In retrospect, the thought of doing an Ironman with such little training is a bit scary. I could blame it on my new job or move to a new city, but it was simply a lack of prioritization on my part.

Registration
As with all Ironman races, the activity starts a couple days prior with registration. I arrived on Thursday morning and made my way over to Athlete Registration to get my number, chip, bags, and swag. After registering, I went to a local bike shop and rented a new LiteSpeed road bike to use for the race (cost $200). I brought my own after-market aerobar. I was actually quite impressed with the bike. After this, I drove two hours to Tallahassee in order to be ready for my business meetings the following day. I finished those meetings on Friday around noon and then headed back to Panama City in order to turn in my bike and gear bags before the 3 PM deadline. I then shopped for some last minute items such as energy Bloks, Gu, Ensure, Gatorade, bananas and sunblock. I pulled together the rest of my support bags, ate a pasta dinner and went to bed around 9 PM.

Race Day Morning
The first thing you should know is that Panama City, FL is on Central, not Eastern Time zone. So when I woke up the next morning at 5:00 AM, I was really waking up at 4:00 AM. Needless to say, I was one of the first to arrive for body marking, tire pressure check, etc at around 5:00 AM (race starts at 7:00 AM). I had a banana and drink of Ensure Vanilla shake for breakfast. My hotel was just one block away from the Start/Finish Line. Despite having completed two Ironman races in the past, I was genuinely nervous about this one. I hadn't swum for over a month. I truly believed the likelihood of DNF (Did Not Finish) was high. Of course, then I would have to face my wife, Camille, who would surely break out the "I told you so" response to my lame excuse for an effort.

Swim (2.4 miles) - 1:47:50

The two-loop swim takes place in the Gulf of Mexico. It is a beach start which requires you to make it through about 30 yards of waves before getting into a swimming rhythm. Fortunately, the water temperature was perfect and given the vastness of the ocean, it didn't feel as compact as other 2,500 person mass swim starts. The sun was blinding as it started rising above the water. Fortunately, I had dark tinted goggles. As you can see by my time, I went extremely slow. I don't think that this had as much to do with my lack of training, but more about the beach start (wading thru the surf), gulping down salt water, large swells, difficulty in straight-line sighting, and the fact that we had to do this twice (short beach run in between laps).

Bike (112 miles) - 6:50:44

The bike was quite enjoyable, at least for the first 70 miles or so. Probably the most flat course on the Ironman circuit. I spent 95% of the time down in aero position with minimal gear changes. My legs and feet became extremely tired and sore and the last 40 miles were a bear. This definitely had to do with lack of training. I simply haven't been out on the bike for any long rides and I paid for it.

Run (26.2 miles) - 6:00:49

And this is where things started to fall apart. I knew after the bike that I was in for trouble on the run. I started out relatively well over the first few miles (9:00 min/mile pace) but ended up hitting the wall at mile 5. I was exhausted! I ended up walking most of the next 18 miles of the marathon. And not only was I tired, but I was becoming sick to my stomach again. Race Day nutrition is something I just haven't figured out. I don't eat a lot of crap. I use Bloks / Gu / Bananas and mix of water and Gatorade on the bike and then shift to Gu and water on the run. By the time I am at the half-way mark on the run, I feel like yakking. Despite feeling exhausted and sick, I knew I had to finish. My single goal was to complete the marathon in 6 hours so that my overall time would be sub-15 hours. In order to do this, I required myself to walk a 15 min/mile pace and intersperse with running. I ended up running most of the last 2 - 3 miles.

FINAL RESULTS (Time - 14:58:16) - 2,049 out of 2,506

Post-Race
Similar to Texas, I could not stomach any food until nearly two hours after the race. I ended up stopping at Wendy's for a single hamburger and large Sprite, taking it back to my hotel room. I ate half my sandwich while taking a hot bath and then ended up falling asleep in bed without finishing the rest. The next morning (Note: daylight savings - yahoo!!), I was sore, but feeling much better. After a hearty breakfast, I checked out of the hotel and returned my bike, then I began my six hour drive to Orlando for another business meeting.

Conclusion
I have mixed feelings about this race. Florida is probably one of the easiest/fastest courses on the Ironman circuit, yet this was my slowest time by nearly one hour. While ashamed at the training effort I put forth this year, I am pleased with my ability to simply finish another Ironman. I'm happy to have kept my continuous string of 1 Ironman race per year alive and commit to never approach an Ironman so unprepared again. It proves that the Ironman endurance sport is almost as much mental as it is physical. I have already signed up for my next Ironman (IM Coure d'Alene, Idaho) in June 2013. I will now take a break from triathlon training for the next couple of months. I have recently started with the BeachBody Insanity workouts and will continue with these throughout the winter season before gearing back up with triathlon training in early Spring. Until next time . . .

Monday, April 2, 2012

Ironman 70.3 California Oceanside

I just returned from So. Cal where I was able to complete the Ironman 70.3 California in Oceanside. It was another well-run event put on by the WTC and a good "opener" for this year's triathlon season. I was fortunate to achieve my best half-ironman distance time (PR) by nearly 30 minutes. Despite this accomplishment, I would say the overall headline is "overweight and underprepared."

Similar to past events, we built a fun boys' weekend trip around this event. My longtime friends, Matt Perkins, Stan Hansen, Rich Goode, Rich Cornia and Greg Hoole flew or drove into San Diego where we hooked up with Chris Rich and stayed at his house. Greg Hoole joined me in participating in the Half Ironman.

Preparation:
I didn't do as much preparation for this event as I would have liked given my new job, move to Columbus, winter weather, trip to Europe, and a host of other lame excuses. In the last 13 weeks (starting Jan 1st), I was able to complete only 40 workouts (avg 3.3/week) equating to 38 hours of total workout time (3.5/week). This breaks down to 11.5 total swim miles (avg 1.0/week), 330 total bike miles (avg 27.5/week), and 90 total run miles (7.5/week). Pretty pathetic! Needless to say, I was downright nervous heading into this event.

Swim (1.2 miles):
The water temperature was a frigid 57 degrees (not quite as cold as the 53 degree swim at IMSG two years ago, but still very cold). My swim was an extremely slow 47:53. I didn't realize I was swimming so slow until I saw my time. I was trying to save plenty of energy for the coming bike/run. Overall, the swim was enjoyable. It was a wave start with minimal chaos/bumping and I didn't have any anxiety/hyperventilation issues at the start. The swim was mostly smooth except for a few major swells at the turn when you were out from the harbor protection. Again, slow and steady was story.

Bike (56 miles):
After exiting the ocean and transition (10:57 T1), I headed out on the bike course which took us through Camp Pendleton. The bike course was deceptively challenging with three monster hills. I ended up using my friend, Stan Hansen's bike for this event so that I didn't have to fly my bike out to CA. Fortunately, I didn't encountered in mechanical issues. There was a slight drizzle of rain for most of the bike section causing messy and slick conditions. I ended up with a time of 3:21:18 (16.69 mph average).

Run (13.1 miles):

I felt good about my run. My two prior events (IM Texas and Vegas Showdown) were dreadful due to GI and dehydration issues. Given the cool weather, slow and steady swim/run approach, and plenty of water, I felt strong on the run. My knee started aching on mile 8, and I wish I had some ibuprofen, but I was able to finish with minimal damage. I ended up with a run time of 2:02:29 (9:20 min/mile average). I was hoping for a sub-2 hour run, but couldn't quite make it.

Summary:

I wish I'd prepared more. I came into the race weighing 185 lbs which is 15 lbs more than where I want to be. And as mentioned above, my level of training was pathetically weak. Despite all this, I'm satisfied to have completed another half-ironman distance and to have even set a new PR (Overall Time: 6:28:26). I'm also happy to have had this "training day" as I start to gear up my preparations for IM Florida in November. Until then . . .

Tuesday, November 8, 2011

Ironman Florida 2012

I have selected Ironman Florida as my 2012 IM event. Registration for IMFL sold out this week in 16 minutes (record time). Ironman Florida is one of the most well known races on the Ironman circuit having been around for over 10 years.

Swim:
The two-loop swim takes place in the Gulf of Mexico with a short beach run in between laps. The chop can be strong and tinted goggles are recommended to block out the rising sun. Water temperatures should hover near 70 degrees Fahrenheit.

Bike:
The single-lap bike course is flat and fast. The highest point on the course is only 161 feet above sea level, and the wind tends to be light. Expect a fast bike split, and be prepared to stay in your aerobars.

Run:
This is one of the flattest runs on the Ironman circuit. Spectators fill the roads on the two-loop course, which parallels the shoreline through local neighborhoods to the turnaround in St. Andrews State Park. The sun sets early this time of year, so you may want to toss a long-sleeve shirt into your special needs bag.

Unfortunately, I wasn't able to convince any of my friends to join me this year so I will be going down to Florida solo. I do look forward to this race and plan to prepare much stronger this year in hopes of achieving a faster PR (Goal: sub 13 hr).

Stay tuned . . .

Thursday, May 26, 2011

2011 Ironman Texas Race Report

I'm happy to communicate the successful completion of another Ironman. After last year's great experience in St. George, I was eager to try out another Iromman. This time, I chose IM Texas (another inaugural IM event) for it's flat course, Saturday timing, and proximity to Dallas where my co-Ironman friend (Rich Goode) lives. The event was held on Saturday, May 21st at The Woodlands, TX (just north of Houston). Overall, it was a great experience with a few bumps along the way. As with many epic events like an Ironman, it is more about the journey (training) than the actual destination itself (event). And while my training wasn't at the level I wanted it to be (see prior blog), I still managed to "eek out" a PR and not kill myself in the process (although it was close). The key headlines for this year's race are as follows:
1) Poor preparation
2) Easier Course
3) Tougher Conditions (heat/humidity)
4) Flat tires
5) Dehydration

Pre-Race Preparations
Similar to last year, we had to arrive two days before the event to register and pick up our bags, gear, etc. I flew into Dallas and drove down with my friend, Rich Goode. Ate dinner and went to a movie (Fast Five). We met up with our friend from Salt Lake City, Stan Hansen, on Friday and spent most of the day getting our bags together. There are five bags that need to be prepared for any Ironman: 1) Bike Gear Bag (Transition 1), 2) Run Gear Bag (Transition 2), 3) Bike Special Needs Bag (set out mid way thru Bike), 4) Run Special Needs Bag (set out mid way thru Run), and 5) Morning Clothes Bag. In each of these bags you need to ensure you not only have the right gear (shoes, helmet, gloves, etc) but also misc items such as sunblock, towel, additional energy food, and so forth. I also had to pick up my road bike on Friday. Most IM triathletes (especially those doing this year's course) have a Time Trial (TT)/Tri bike. I would definitely recommend this for those considering IM Texas next year as the course is very flat, windy at times. TT bikes definitely had the advantage. My wife and two oldest kids (Emilie and Jonathan) flew down on Friday and we joined up for dinner that evening. Ended up getting to bed around 9:00 PM.

Race Day Morning
Woke up at 4:30 AM and got ready. Bagel with peanut butter and banana for breakfast. Headed over to event (20 min drive. Final check on bikes. Walked over to swim start (15 min walk). Cloud cover morning. 75-80 degrees. Very humid. T-minus one hour until official start at 7:00 AM.

Swim (2.4 miles)

Water temperatures were between 76.1 and 83.8 degrees which meant triathletes could wear wetsuits if they wanted but would not be eligible for awards/Kona slots if they did. It appeared that apx. half the participants chose to wear wetsuits. This included me. As with all Ironman swims, the professional athletes start at 6:45 AM and then the rest of the pack (apx. 2,000) started at 7:00. The swim course (Lake Woodlands) was very tight which meant a lot of bumping/kicking with other swimmers. The difference with this swim was that it never let up (usually spaces out after the first 100 meters or so). It was a tight pack swim the entire course. The end got particularly tight as we were funneled down a canal towards T1. Unlike last year's swim, I felt very comfortable this year. While still very slow, I was able to cut 7 minutes off my swim time (Time - 1:24:44).

T1 (Swim to Bike) - (Time - 8:45)

Bike (112 Miles)

The bike leg started off great. The course was so much easier than St. George's course. It was actually quite scenic as we biked through farm country and even part of the Sam Houston National forest. At mile 15, I noticed my rear tire was going flat (apx 50 psi vs 120). I pulled over and inspected it, even got assistance from the official Ironman Bike Support crew who pulled out a small nail and pumped up the tire. It appeared to hold the air, so instead of changing the tire, I opted to continue riding. After another 15 miles or so, I noticed the tire pressure was once again low. For the next 3 - 4 aid stations (every 15 miles), I would stop and take 2 - 3 minutes to fill up my tire. In retrospect, I should have simply changed my tire at mile 15. Even with these stops and riding on a lower than recommended tire pressure, I felt good with my 1st half (56 miles in 3:00:00 /18.7 mph pace). I started to get excited about crushing my IMSG time. However, my tire was completely flat and I made the decision to finally change it. Unfortunately, I am not a fast tire-changer having only changed maybe 4 or 5 tires in my life. I rode to mile 57 (Bike Special Needs Bag Stop) on a flat tire and then took 15 - 20 minutes changing my tire. My CO2 cartridge didn't completely fill up my tire so I had to stop again at the next Aid Station and use their pump. After that stop, I had no further bike issues. However, I did use up plenty of nervous energy with all these stops and changes. The 2nd half of the bike was much slower with the final 2o miles or so being painful. I was so glad to be off that bike and start the run. Again, despite all these issues, I was still able to cut off 38 minutes from my St. George bike time (7:23:00). Frustrating, as I feel I could have biked closer to 6:15:00 without all these problems. Shows how much easier this bike course is versus St. George. (Time - 6:45:12).

T2 (Bike to Run) - (Time: 8:06)

Run (26.2 miles)

The run was a three-loop course in and around The Woodlands. While it was nice to run along the waterfront and through the town center, I'm not a big fan of a three loop course. Makes for a long painful run. It was about 3 PM when I started my run and the temperature had shot upwards to over 90 degrees with 80% - 90% humidity. The cloud cover was now gone and the heat was almost unbearable. My goal was to run the first 5 miles without walking. I had to stop, however, at each aid station and load up on water and ice. I would drench myself and then put ice cubes in my shirt, under my hat and then hold in my hands as long as they lasted just to keep my body temperature down. I saw multiple runners on the side of the road getting medical care. They would wrap these runners in silver insultation blankets filled with ice and give them IVs. I thought I was taking in plenty of fluids; however, I definitely felt the effects of dehydration. In last year's race, I urinated (TMI?) 6 or 7 times during the race. In IMTX, I didn't go once! Around mile 12, I became sick to my stomach and vomited several times. I ran/walked the next 12 miles, getting sick anytime I exerted too much energy for sustained periods of time. I couldn't stomach any foods or liquids. With only a couple miles left, I realized I could still possibly make a sub-14 hour time so I tried to pick up my pace. Unfortunately, I could only do so much. I did turn it on the final half mile, sprinting most of the way. I got to the final chute where thousands of people are lined up cheering for you only to double over with dry heaves. This was a completely different experience from IMSG where the final 100 yards were complete exhiliration. Here, I could only think of making it across the finish line so that I could throw up. My run time ended up being 37 minutes slower than last year. (Time - 5:34:56)

FINAL RESULTS (Time - 14:01:43) - 1,291 out of 2,160

Post-Race

I told Camille right after the race that this was my last Ironman. Not sure why anyone would subject themselves to this kind of punishment, especially if you've already completed the goal. I couldn't stomach any food for 3 - 4 hours afterward. Camille bought me a Jamba Juice, but I ended up giving it away to my kids. Stan, Rich and I returned to our friend's house and took a hot tub. I was able to get more and more liquid in me. Finally, around midnight, I had my appetite back so we headed out to a local burger shop that was still open. Slept well that night and felt pretty good on Sunday as we headed back to Dallas.

Post Race with Emilie and Jonathan (still holding my throw-up bag)

Post Race with Rich Goode and Stan Hansen

Conclusion

I have already gone from "no way am I doing another Ironman" to "maybe I'll do another one next year if my friends want to join me." This has evolved even further to "can't wait until next year." I think I'm going to return to The Woodlands and take another crack at this course which I feel got the best of me. I honestly feel I could get a sub-13 hour time if I had a bike leg with no mechanical issues and a better run thru proper training and hydration. I want to thank again my family for all their support over the past several months and for allowing me to continue to pursue my crazy goals. Stay tuned for more fun . . . .

Monday, May 16, 2011

2011 IM Preparation . . . Not good!

The week of the Ironman Texas has arrived. I leave on Wednesday, flying down to Dallas and then Rich Goode and I will be driving over to Houston on Thursday. I'm excited to have Camille, Emilie and Jonathan join me this year. They will be coming down on Friday.

The question that everyone is asking me now is . . . Are you ready? The short answer is "NO!" I have only myself to blame. I certainly had the time to train and prepare, but just didn't put in the number of workouts and hours that I probably should have. I'm placing a big bet on the fact that this Ironman course is not suppose to be as difficult as IM St. George. The major challenge with IM Texas (and the big X factor) is going to be the heat. Right now, it is predicted to be 90 degrees with scattered thunderstorms. I'm sure the heat and humidity are going to play a major part on my race, particularly since I've been training in cool New England weather.

As for the numbers, here are my results for the past 20 weeks of training compared to last year (2010 full year averages used) . . .

Total Workouts: 67 (3.5 avg per week) vs. 5.5 last year
Total Hours: 116 (5:49 avg per week) vs. 7:09 last year
Total Swim Miles: 30 (1.5 avg per week) vs. 2.6 last year
Total Bike Miles: 994 (49.7 avg per week) vs. 57.3 last year
Total Run Miles: 297 (14.8 avg per week) vs. 16.0 last year
Total Brick Workouts: 19 (1 avg per week) vs. 1 last year
Total Lbs. Lost: 10 (185 to 175) vs. 38 last year (210 to 172)

Now I certainly had a better foundation this year to begin my training, but you can see what a pathetic effort I put forth this year. I do plan on completing the race, but not sure about my time. Originally, I was hoping for a PR on what is expected to be an easier course. I was hoping to shave 10 minutes off the swim (Target 1:20:00), 25 minutes off the bike (Target 7:00:00), and 10 minutes off the run (Target 4:45:00), resulting in an overall time of around 13:30:00 (includes transition times). Again, given my lackluster preparation, I'm hoping now just to finish this thing. Stay tuned for my post race report in a week . . .

Tuesday, April 19, 2011

Boston Marathon

Ever since I began running, I've wanted to qualify to run the Boston Marathon. And after living here 5 years, my interest has only increased. At my current age (40), this would require me to run a qualifying marathon in 3:20. And next year, this will get even more difficult as they make the times even more stringent (3:15:00). My fastest marathon was a 3:38 in St. George. I've thought that if I train hard enough, I could take off 18 minutes. Well, it's hard to train for triathlons, especially Ironman triathlons, and improve you marathon time (for me at least) due to the competing priorities (swim vs. bike vs. run) for your time. I really don't put in enough run time, including speed work, to improve my time. So, I'm not sure if I will ever qualify. However, this didn't stop me from running anyway. I was able to get a number through a friend of mine who has contacts within John Hancock (primary sponsor of the Boston Marathon). Last week, he informed me that he was able to get me a number. I paid the $300 entry fee and was assigned Bib# 26791 (out of apx. 27000 runners). This placed me way in the back (Last wave (Wave 3) and last corral (#9).

We had a perfect weather day yesterday. Temperature was around 60 degrees with a slight tailwind. Camille took me directly to Hopkinton and the start of the race. I had to walk 1/2 mile to the start/athlete's village due to road closures, but that was okay (although, it took Camille two hours to get home). I got there around 8:45 AM - two hours before my start. At 10:30, I made my way over to the starting line and ran into Nate Van Duzer from my church. He and I ended up running most of the race together. Wave 3 started at 10:40; although, I didn't cross the starting line until around 10:50. The first several miles were slow due to the mass of humanity. Things began to thin out slightly; although, it was crowded the entire 26.2 miles - very similar to NYC marathon. The crowds were fantastic. We spent much of the race running along the side of the street giving the little kids "high fives." The Wellesley College section (all women's college) was interesting as most of them were holding up signs labeled "kiss me" or "let's make out" or "I won't tell your wife" or "females only" and so forth. For the record, I just kept running.

Around mile 17, I started feeling some aches and pains in my kness and quads. This caused me to slow down considerably. The last 5 miles were a bear; however, the crowds were so huge, loud and motivating, it kept me going. The finish was amazing with hundreds of thousands of people lining Bolyston Ave down to the finish line. I ended with a 3:56:21 (9 min/mile pace) which was slower than I would have liked, but respectable. Overall, this was a great event. Very well supported, great food, give-a-aways, great crowds. Definitely worth the $ and effort. Everyone should try and run Boston at least once in their lifetime. The race was won by Geoffrey Mutai from Kenya with a course record of 2:03:02 (amazingly fast).

Although I missed my family on the course (they were waiting for me in Wellesley), they did give me a warm welcome when I got home.

This was also a great training run for my Ironman which takes place in less than 5 weeks. Now, I need to rest a bit and then get back at it.

Tuesday, March 29, 2011

Showdown at Sundown Half Ironman

I just returned from Las Vegas where I participated in the Showdown at Sundown Half Ironman along with my friends Stan Hansen, Rich Goode and Greg Hoole. We were joined by Matt Perkins and stayed at Rich Cornia's home in Summerlin for a fun Boys' weekend. The weather was actually unseasonably cool and windy, not ideal for a triathlon. In fact, the race organizers actually ended up canceling the swim portion due to water temperatures (52 degrees at Lake Mead) and high winds (20 - 25 mph). A group of us (~15) decided to swim anyway prior to the Bike/Run. I opted to swim along the coastline in case I got into any trouble. Not only was the water freezing, but the white caps made it difficult to breath. I think the race organizers made a good decision to cancel as there certainly would have been swimmers in trouble. I ended up swimming for just under 40 minutes. We then had a longer than usual T1 (apx. 15 minutes) before the start of the race. For official race time tracking, I used a swim time of 44:24 and a T1 of 6:36, which is consistent with last year's Pumpkinman race which was held at the same location. I actually added in 1 additional minute to my time. The bike portion of the race was a bear. Again, same difficult course as Pumpkinman, but with significant winds. I did okay for the first 30 miles or so, but then fell apart. My time was slightly better than Pumpkinman (3:59 vs. 4:06), but not much. And I was completely spent by the time I got to the run. The run course was different and better than Pumpkinman; although, slightly more difficult as the first two miles were down hill meaning the last two we all uphill (out and back course). At mile 5, mile quads began to seize up. I took some salt tabs and walked a bit and they eventually did okay. In the end, I finished the run in 2:03:44, which is 30 seconds slower than my run at Pumpkinman. Overall, my official time was 6:03:12; however, if you add in the swim/T1, my time was 6:54:12 making this my fastest (although still very slow) Half Ironman. I felt very sick post-race, even throwing up several times. I need to figure out the nutrition side of things better, particularly as I head into the Full Ironman down in Houston. The temperatures/humidity are going to be a challenge. Nevertheless, I'm glad I was able to participate in this race as a good tune-up and gauge for where I'm at in my training. I think we all agreed that we are done with these shoe-string Triathlon operations and will opt to pay more and go with an Ironman sponsored race in the future. The support is better, the experience is better. In Showdown at Sundown, they only had one water exchange (mile 25). Their t-shirts are terrible, never to be worn. And they gave out a beer glass as a momento instead of a medal. So as a race, I give it a major thumbs down, but as a training day, I was happy to have done it. Now onto IM Texas - 8 weeks and counting!