Enough rest and now it’s time to share my IM experience. Actually I am getting tired of telling the tale and figured posting the story is much simpler and a way for everyone to get the same version. Having said that, lets summarize with the following:
1. Days leading to the event were miserable as I was sick as a dog.
2. Swim: Huge swells, extreme current, some sharks were spotted in the area
3. Bike: Rain would not stop, wind constantly blowing people off the road, hills that never ended
4. Run: hills that never ended, freezing cold, not enough aid stations
5. Spectators: through tomatoes as you pass by
6. Almost did not make the finish cut off
Now that I got your attention let’s get a bit more on my experience.
Monday night the 3rd wheel team got on the direct flight from Tel Aviv to Sao Paulo. All seemed to go to well up till the announcement was made letting us know of the 2 hour delay due to a failure in the entertainment system. For a
normal passenger this is a well justified delay, after all this is a 15 hour flight. For a soon to be Ironman you don’t really care for entertainment during the flight as all you want to do is catch up on the much needed sleep. For us it was even worst as we had to make a connecting flight from Sao Paulo to Florianopolis. Our short connection became a very long one and we found ourselves stranded for 9 hours in an old airport terminal with not much to do.
Landing in Florianopolis we anxiously waited for our bikes and Endurance Sports Travel (EST) were anxiously waiting for us. Having booked all our travels with EST (through Issta Sport) all our hotel, meals, mechanic, and transportation were all taken care of. What was left for us to do was unpack in our ocean front apartment and stare out to the ocean to the sound of gentle waves. A sound that sadly disappeared as the race weekend approached.
The very next day, Wednesday, my pre-race relaxation turned hectic. Knee pains, fever, and sore throat hit me hard. Not leaving anything for chance, I found a pharmacy next to the hotel and got myself some antibiotics. Smart, not sure. Took care of the problem, it sure did. To top this, the mechanic that went over my bike informed me that the metal piece which connects the wheel to the frame was bent. Nearly 3 hours of stress and the problem was solved. Now came the next big balagan (mess in Hebrew). My trusted Garmin 310xt decided to play two tricks on me. The first was simple, my cadence sensor stopped working. The second was a bit more complicated, the hand strap broke. Without getting in to the drama I will just say that Anat came to the rescue and took matters into her own hands. She magically became a Megaiver and fixed the plastic strap. Finally we could all “relax”.
Thursday was a day for training. Jet lag helped us wake up early and get on our bikes. We rode for about an hour to make sure all is in order and check out the transition area. Most importantly we got to check out the short but steep wall we will be climbing during the marathon. Later that morning we put our bikes with the mechanic for a last tune up and went for a swim practice. The practice took place on the course itself with only one difference, there were no waves during the training. On the way to the practice we met some interesting people that stayed in the same hotel. Some making us feel completely unprepared (K-Swiss sponsored athletes who place in the top finishers) while others were building up our confidence (a Harvard & Stanford graduate who’s wetsuit looked like it was chewed by a great white shark and then spit out to swim an Ironman event). 
Later that day we hit the expo to pickup our race kits and spend some extra money. I was really impressed with how well organized everything was. We got a bag for each part of the race. White for prerace, black for the wet stuff after
the swim, green for the bike, blue for the bike special needs, yellow for the run, and red for the run special needs. The sponsors were generous and we got lots of goodies including race shirt, IM colon, deodorant, IM sun screen lotion, 
etc… To top this off, my parents and sister arrived in Florianopolis to be the best ever support/cheering crew.
Enough of the boring details. The night before the race we were in bed early and got a solid sleep of about 5 hours. 3:30am the alarm clock went off but its sound was muffled by the sound of crushing waves. All that was going through my head from this point forward is the countdown to becoming an Ironman.
At the transition area we changed into our wetsuits and Brazil colored wigs (so that my parents can identify us from the 1,650 other beached seals). Making our way to the beach the excitement and adrenaline grow stronger. Suddenly the sun was rising, the sky turned orange, Brazilian anthem was playing, and the gun went off. All 1,650 athletes hit the waves and we started our swim towards the first buoy.
I tried to remind myself of the tips I was told and staying in control. Not so easy. The water was murky and it was difficult to see the man ahead. I got kicked, punched, drunk water, and could hardly see the buoy. All I knew was to follow the crowed and soon enough I will get to the turning point. And so it was. I kept my cool and was not returning punches. I stayed focused and was soon enough out and back in the water. The half way point is marked by exiting the swim 
and then getting back in to complete a second shorter leg. After 1:11:00 I finished the swim. Waw, I was 15 minutes ahead of schedule, amazing, lets 
run to the dressing room and get ready to ride. Oh the wet suit. No problem, some hot Brazilian chick grabed me and yanked it right off. Wait, was it a chick or a chico? Ahhe, who cares, need to rush to change.
Arriving at the transition area all I could see is a million people and one angle running towards me with my ridding gear. I was planning on a fast transition but 2 major problems occurred. The first was the fact that I never put on my riding shorts over wet shaved legs. Definitely needed to practice that during training. It took me forever as the ridding shorts got stuck to my skin and almost ripped when I tried to pull them up. The second was the fruit buffet in the dressing room. I could not help it and had to eat some watermelon and orange slices on the way out. 12 minutes later I was on my bike. 12 minutes, my god am I going to regret this after I look back at the race clock when I cross the finish line.
Running into the bicycle parking lot I saw that my carbon horse had the company of only one more 3rd wheel bike, Raanan’s. This meant that Anat who made it with me out of the water was already on her bike, what a relief. I wondered if I will see her at all during the long day ahead. I felt very strong and was pushing my body yet keeping my heart rate at bay. During the ride all I could think about is how lucky I am to be participating in an Ironman……. 
“Lucky? Maybe a bit, mostly I was there because for all the hard work I put into my training over the past 8 months. Now it is time to enjoy the moment. Look around you, can you believe it? Amazing. Oh, here is Anat, say hi and bye, she is racing her own race. Why did I pass her? Am I going to fast? is my heart rate ok? Forget it, just stick to your plan, you will see her during the run. Was that a drop of rain or did a bird just pooped on me. Crap, its raining, but only 2 more hours to ride, enjoy the rain its better than sun screen. Opps I forgot to pose for the camera, hope there is another one soon”…. As you can see I was pretty good at entertaining myself.
I have no clue how I managed to ride for 6 hours with only one short stop to empty my bladder. I have no clue how I managed to ride so hard without elevating my HR to far. I have no clue how I managed to beat the hills, wind, and rain. I have no clue how I the hell I did it averaging 30km/hr, no clue! What I do know is that having my spectators (family) at the U-turn point which marks the start of the 2nd loop of 90km helped greatly. What I also know is that I probably paid the price for the fast ride during my run.
Getting off the bike at T2 was the best feeling ever. Even though it was still raining, I knew that there is no stopping me and that I will finish the race with a much better than expected time. OK, again, I took to long, 12 minutes, darned that watermelon.
Adrenaline kicked up again knowing that this is it, the final leg. I started the run a bit fast with a pace of 5:45 min/km. 
No more than 5 minutes into the run I felt my ITB (knee) hurting. This pain would last and get stronger as the run progressed. Running the first 15km was done gracefully. I was smiling, chatting, drinking without stopping, climbing the wall while running, I was superman. My stomach started to remind me of my sway away from the nutrition plan, darned that watermelon. I had shooting pain in my gut. No worries, the special needs bag packs pain killers. I kept smiling as I passed by my parents, after all they did come for a good show and not to see me sour. I got to the special needs back and downed the pain killers. Doubt they helped. My knee was killing and my stomach needed emptying. At the 30k mark I emptied my stomach but that did not help much. Shortly after that I saw Anat, she was looking very determined. We run together for about 3 minutes and then I decided to walk through the aid station, perhaps some soup would do good, and cake, and bread,… yes I know. I was happy to know that Anat will be at the finish line waiting for me. Oh the finish line. Crossing the finish line did not stop going through my head. To join that thought was how to carry the 2 bracelets which mark the final loop when I stand in the arch of triumph. I got my head together and said pain or no pain I must start running again, if not I will have to make another stop at the port-a-pody which I hate. The lights and sounds of the cheering crowd helped. I carried the flag which my parents handed me during the final loop and I held it up high as I entered the final stretch.
I looked up and saw 12:22:26. I’m an Ironman!
Thinking back, the day I bought my first bike marks the start for my Ironman training. The date is June 14th of 2009. Since that date I logged 160Km in the water, 5,589Km on the bike, and 2,106Km in my running shoes. That is 50 weeks of training with slight rest, no social life, and little time with the family.
Now I got my tattoo.
