Ironman

It was pure coincidence that our third 100+ mile day was the same day of Ironman Texas. It was particularly interesting to see our milage for the day ended up being the exact distance of 112 miles. 

The best part? We actually found ourselves on the race course that morning. Rolling into Richards on Friday, we saw a few "race in progress" signs posted. We knew we were going to have a long day getting into Kountze, so with an early sunrise start, we didn't get to see any of the action, but I'm sure we entertained many of the volunteers at the water stations on the farm roads. 

Dawn at the ranch in Richards, TX

7am start, 20 miles to breakfast, another 50 to lunch, then 42 to the hotel for the night. Actual time on the bike: 8 hours, 13 minutes. 

I did some quick math in my head: you get 17 hours to finish an Ironman race. Mike and I just finished the bike distance in 8 hours on heavy, steel frame bikes with at least 20 lbs of stuff packed in the least aerodynamic way. 

2 hours would be generous for a 2.4 mile swim for me. 

That leaves me with 7 hours to do a marathon. 

Theoretically, I could finish an ironman triathlon. I mean, of course I knew it was possible, but now I had actual facts to back that up. 

That's pretty amazing.