For the last couple of days I’ve been fascinated with watching Mike’s intense preparations for the Ironman competition which is tomorrow.
Last evening he attended the athlete’s banquet and meeting on the campus of Arizona State University. His best friend, Dan, was chosen to sing the National Anthem so they both got to enjoy VIP seating. The food was called “Dinner Impossible” and featured chefs who prepared dishes relating to swimming, biking and running since those are the Ironman events. Best of all, it was filmed for the Food Network and should air in January or February – and may include an interview with Mike!
He chose from the “swim” line where all the offerings related to fish – he said the “run” line featured things with legs and he never got near the “bike” food line. I’m curious what that was. Guess I’ll have to catch is on the Food Network!
Mike has been following a strict training schedule for 30 weeks which includes getting up at 3:30 some mornings in order to get in his prescribed event and time before heading to the hospital or clinic. He’s also been very diligent about his nutrition which is why his body fat is about 6 and Annie buys his slacks in the boy’s department at The Gap!
We knew that our opportunities to see him prior to the event would be limited but he’s been gracious about making time for us over the last couple of days and also answering endless questions from me about the whole process. In addition, he has watched several hours of Ironman competition that he taped. I find it grueling – he finds it inspirational. My favorite is a lady named Harriett Anderson who is 72 and recently completed her 8th event.
My friends need not worry – no way am I about to tackle that goal!
This morning Mike kicked his preparations into high gear. 
He laid out all his gear in the living room and double checked his spreadsheet which listed all his gear and nutrition.
Starting on the left in the chair, he had his wetsuit for the 2.4 mile open water swim that will start at 7 a.m. when the air temp will be around 50 and the water around 64. Brrrr! Even worse, they get in the water and have to tread water until the start gun goes off and everyone’s time clocks begin.
On the floor he has his triathlon suit which he wears under his wet suit and which will stay on for the 112-mile bike ride and 26.2 mile run too. The green bag is his Morning Gear Bag followed by a Bike Gear Bag and a Bike Nutrition Bag (blue bags) and then the Run Gear Bag and Run Nutrition Bag (red bags). He has prepared all his intake for tomorrow and through trial and error knows how many and what kind of calories to ingest and at what points during the day.
This event is not for sissies – it’s a true scientific endeavor.
Finally there’s his bike which was specially built for him. He will carry a spare tire on top of the crossbar in case of a flat. It’s a tubeless tire and he can change it in about 60 seconds. He had rented a back wheel for $200 and it was supposed to monitor his energy output – but unfortunately it didn’t work and so he’ll rely on his regular back wheel. I think Annie was secretly relieved!
So about noon today, he loaded everything into his SUV, picked up his friend Dan and they headed to Tempe where they will participate in a Fellowship of Christian Athletes event this evening and then spend the night close to the start line. Since it’s an hour away he didn’t want to take chances of anything going wrong in the morning.
His last act before he left was to send an email to the family letting us know we can follow him online tomorrow. If anyone is interested, his race number is 921.
He also publicly thanked his wife for her daily support and understanding. He calls Annie his IronWife and we agree – and when he acknowledges that she has sacrificed a great deal, she heartily concurs!
Paybacks may be tough, Mike!
It’s early bedtime for us tonight since we plan to be there for the starting gun at 7 in the morning. We’ll watch his transition to the bike about 1’15″ later and then come back later in the afternoon with Annie and Devin to watch him finish.
If it feels like a long day to me tomorrow, I can only imagine how it will feel to Mike.
