And on the 7th day God said ye shall walk

And that's exactly what we had to do.  A marathon is tough but a marathon walk is unrelenting.  My Achilles is pretty well fried at the moment.  I have it taped up and I'm icing it but it still has to be dragged 42 kms either way.

The food has improved and I've managed to sweet talk some of the other crews for extra stuff.  It's never going to be easy but I knew that going in.

It's 1:30 in the morning and I just finished, I have to be awake at 5:55 so it's lights out for me.

Who is that in the mirror

Just got done day six.  I'm trying to hold onto a 16 hour day but that's getting tougher and tougher.  My roommate has decided to sleep on the message table rather than come home.  He has been finishing around 1;30 or so.  By the time he gets home and come back its not a lot of sleep.

I had a shower and looked in the mirror, this skinny rough looking old dude was staring at me.  I'm gonna need a spa day when I get done.

Another person dropped out today, almost half the field have left.  The all have done Ironmans before and other ultra events.  They have never seem one as tough as this.

My Achilles' tendon is swollen and really hurts.  I had to walk much of the marathon today, it takes forever.  One a good note, every time another one drops out there is more food to go around.

Time to go to work

Mornings are tough thing around here, they come far too quick.  I set the alarm so I don't have a mad rush.  Still have to drive to the race site and set everything up.

My roommates wife is coming on Wednesday, he has been emailing her with a list of fattening dream foods.  I never knew how much food meant when there isn't enough or the stuff the have is crap..

Hoping for an uplifting day today.  Need something to keep me focused.

Helen, I plastered your butt paste all over my ass last night.  It is looking quite nasty down there.

Day 5and still alive

It's hard to believe that you can go to bed at 1 and get up at 6 and complete another ironman.  I think we may have had two more drop out today.  These guys do the ultra curcuit all the time and they have never seen a bike course like it.  It trashes your legs..  Wore my new Smith Cycle jerseyesterday, it looked pretty sweet and I noticed people chewing it out.  It happens to be the same colour of my race number.  Loved the picture with my well chosen words of inspiration from everybody.  How things come back to haunt you.

A car came so close tome that it left a smudge of dust on my black shorts.  That was an eye opener.
My brand new bike aero bars broke again.  The screw was sheared off.  Thank god for duct tape, last time it went on my ass, this time on the bike.

Just a weird observation, there toilets are just a whole in the ground,  if I bend down I may not be able to get back up.  They don't even have grab bars.  I risk falling in the whole every time I use the bathroom.

My Spanish roommate didn't make it last night.  He only had one hour sleep the night before and he was suffering.

Okay light out, need sleep.

Day four is done

What can I say, another hard day and the same hilly bike course.  Someone is testing me. We spend an extra 2 or so hours doing the hill repeats everyday, that means you have less time for the marathon which means late nights with little sleep.

My one roommate is Spanish and speaks little English.  He was tring to explain something to me but I couldn't understand.  He pulls down his pants ans his ass is red like a baboon.  One of the competitors  brought there wife and baby.  He asked them if he could use one of their diapers.   It's amazing how determined everyone is even with all the obstacles.  He also didn't finish til 5 am this morning, he got one hour sleep.  Speaking of which I have to go to bed.

Sorry it's short but I'm exhausted.

Time to put on the clown shoes

Pat Bobier ordered an E wide mans shoes by mistake.  She have them to me, they do look unportional but suit my feet just fine now.  Yes, my feet are jacked up, sort of expected it but not so soon.

Found out that one of the few helpers was hit by a car yesterday directing traffic.  Today's bike course was changed to minimize accident.  We are doing a 1 k loop with two bigs hills in it.   This is repeated 90 times.  Somebody said its 5000 feet of climbing.  Everyone's bike time went up an extra hour because of this.  I'm tired of going with the flow this was not in the program I signed up for.  7 people have already dropped out, the one guy has a broken leg from Monday and he still swam, biked and finished the marathon last night.  He dragged him and his leg for the whole 42kms.

I have made friends with a fellow Brit, we run well together and have formed an alliance or friendship.  Super nice guy, his name is Steve Harvey.

There is a stark difference from my last race in Italy.  Food was plemtiful and delicious.  Most of us are complaining about being starved to death.  In the morning they give you a small ass coffee and a croissant.  It's barely unsought to feed a bird.  We are on the course at 7:30 til 12:30, lunch is basically a Miccellinas frozen dinner.  It's small and taste like crap.  It almost feels like we are being used as some experiment to see how far you can push the human body and mind after depriving it of everything that you were told to expect.

It's 1:19 and I'm literally exhausted.  I think that this is going to turn nasty.

There is carnage everywhere you look

Two guys yesterday had accidents on the road, it was stinking hot then it rained.  I went head over my bike with my feet still clipped in and the bike following me.  The fil crew got it all on tape.  Carbon fibre brake pads don't work we'll when it's raining.  My shoulder isvrealmsore but it was more my pride.  The bike course is hear hell.  I would sell my soul for a granny gear on my bike.   My bike has not seen the big ring once.  It is draining, Italian car and small streets are not a good combination.   There are no signs saying bike race, no one at intersection, it's madness.  Today they put two volunteers at the worst intersection.  Oh and by the way, it wine making season.  Do you know how many tractors are on the road.  Yesterday I got off the bike a few times, I had a massage, I had lunch and I had to go to the bathroom two times.  No port a potty at the turn around, you have to go down a hill to the water park, then come back up with your bike.  I tried to stay more focused on the bike today, but its kicking my ass.  My left foot really hurt on the bike today.  i checked the pedal and cleat.  a big part of plastic is misjsing from the cleat, most likely from my fall.  my foot keeps sliding to the right.  thank god i brought another pair.  cant get to them today.  It's all I can due to finish it.  They said they may change the bike course because of its difficulty and it was advertised as a flat course.

Day two begins, it's like 95 degrees and humid.  My clothes are wet from the air.  I bet you I drank 15 bottles on the bike and only pissed out a small teacup all day.  One guy is out and another girl is laying on the ground severely dehydrated.  Others are suffering, it's was a tough day.   There was another bike crash with a car today.

My big toe and the one beside it are already black.  I have a blood blister on the side of my baby toe.  It's larger than the toe.
It 12:21 and I have to.be up early, can't talk anymore.