Best Day Ever!!!!
12:14:15
That was my day...and here is the rest of the story
I woke up at 2am drank a Naked juice smoothie, went back to sleep. And yes, I actually slept a little the night before the big race, I also sweat through 2 t-shirts 
I woke up again at 4am, drank another juice smoothie and took a shower. I fumbled around and drank some coffee, got things ready, and off we went.
Tri-Sherpa(and wife) Lynde and I dropped off my bags, she watched me set up my bike and then took my pump and anything else I didn't need with her. After a kiss goodbye, I was on my own. I ran into Kona Girl (Jenny) and we wished each other good luck. I was really trying to steal some fast mojo from her...I think it worked. I got into the water, swam a few strokes, got to where I wanted to be and the cannon went off....BOOM 
The Swim.
I have been told about the "blender" or "washing machine" that is an Ironman swim...those are great ways to describe what was unfolding around me. I focused on breathing and counted my strokes. I found open water on occasion, but I spent most of my time in contact with another body in some fashion. Just before the 1st turn (moo buoy) I realized I still had gum in my mouth...so I chewed it for the entire 2.4 mile swim. Nothing spectacular happened during the swim...other than I survived it and was on my way up the helix.
Transition was just as I remembered it from being a volunteer. I went right to an open chair, put on my stuff and handed my suit and bag to a volunteer as I bolted out to my bike. I jumped on my bike and headed out.
The Bike Ride.
It felt good to be out of the water and on my bike. I was ready to ride smart and not kill myself out on a very hilly course. Other people made it very easy for me to just ride along for the first hour. I passed several wrecks and people who had flats on the way to Verona. The traffic was horrible. There were a lot of people faster than me on the swim who were way slower than me on the bike. I think I passed over 500 people on the bike, and most of those came in the first 40 miles. The bike went just as planned. I stayed glued to my power meter and was smart about my climbs. I could not have asked for a better bike.
The Run.
I got into and out of transition with minimal friction. I think I lost 2 minutes to a porta johny and the sunscreen girls (not at the same time...dirty) and I was off and running. The plan was to run 9:15 miles for the first 6 and then dial it down. I knew it was hot so I was going to shoot for 9:30's for the first 6 miles and see what happened after that. I felt like poop for the first 11 miles. My left Achilles and knee were on fire. It was a battle from the start, and I knew I had 4+ hours of this battle to contend with. I made a deal with myself at mile 2 that I would run the first half of the marathon and we would "talk" about it after that. So I just kept running and playing mind games to keep things light and fluffy, trying to avoid "the suck". Something great happened to me around mile 11 or 12, I felt great. Not the runners high or endorphin rush great, I mean I felt like a rocket. My stride was easy, I felt light on my feet, and I felt STRONG. At first I though I better slow down, and then I figured it couldn't last long so I should go with it. I remember passing the last aid station at the capitol and some lady was trying to cheer athletes up telling them it was their "best day ever". I ran past her and shouted out "BEST DAY EVER!!!!!", and at that time I was starting to believe that this feeling may last. I ran past the turn around point and saw the clock "10:05" I needed to run a 6 minute negative split marathon to come in under 12 hours. I knew that would be almost impossible, but I was going to run as I felt and see what I could do. (I think I ran nearly an even split on my marathon, the 2nd half was about 1 minute slower) I started on the back half of the marathon feeling good. I started passing my team mates and wishing them well. I ran through Camp Randal the 2nd time and took a pee while I ran and shouted out "GO HAWKEYES"...it echoed through the stadium, and It gave me a huge boost of energy. At mile 18 there is a set of hills. "Ob Hill" as it is known to the racers. This was the first place I walked outside of an aid station. I made a deal with myself that if I ran up the steep parts, I could walk 30 steps on the flats, and then start running again. It worked out great! I got through the hilly section and didn't lose too much time on the watch either. at mile 20 my quads were wrecked. It hurt with every step, and I knew I had a long ways to go. I made a deal with myself that this was not the "suck" and I would re-evaluate my situation at mile 23. At mile 23 I still felt bad, so I decided to walk a little bit longer at the aid stations, but to not walk outside the aid station. This worked for me and I kept on pushing. At mile 25.5 I was forehead deep in "the SUCK". My left knee and ankle were doing funny things and I thought I was going cramp and lock up my leg. I "speed walked" (I kept looking at my watch...14 minute miles is speed walking...for others it was running) for 30 steps, and then I made my all out assault on the finish line. I knew one of my friends was just up the hill, and I wanted to be running when I passed him. I ran past him to the final aid station, grabbed some water and walked a few steps and then ran it home. I had a clean shot at the finish line.
The Finish.
I have been dreaming of this for a year. The Ironman finish chute is the most electric place in all of sports. The fans line both sides of the chute, and they cheer for you like you are their best friend. I could hear Mike Riley butcher my name as I came down to the finish line. The pain was gone, and for that moment, everything was perfect in my world. I crossed the line and was escorted by two "catchers" who made sure I could walk. Coach Rich was there to great me and congratulate me on my finish. I hung out for a while, then went and found my family. The boys wanted nothing to do with my soaking wet body, but Lynde gave me a giant hug with tears of joy streaming down her face. I went and got some food and my finishers picture taken and talked to some friends in the finishers area.
The Numbers:
Swim 1:23:58
T-1 7:09
Bike 6:21:10
T-2 6:44
Run 4:15:14
Total 12:14:15
I had made these predictions a week or so before the race, and I think I had a good idea of where I was at before the race.
Swim 1:20
Bike 6:15
Run 4:05
That was my first Ironman. I had a blast 
For those who have raced before and read this, I left out a lot of details about the technical aspects of the bike, and how much the run truly hurt, but I think this is a good read for those who just want the cliff-notes version.
Thanks for reading this, and if you were there cheering me on, or watching my athlete tracker on-line, Thank You so much for the support, it means the world to me
Comments
Great job. That is a nice run split for what looks like a hilly course.
See William Jenk's race report for my ramblings / observations about the impact of the weather on that day, but that aside I thought you looked fantastic out there on the run. It seemed like everywhere I looked I saw super fast dudes suffering epically on the run. I saw a lot of guys who put up great bike splits then fell apart, and these were guys who know how to race too, not your typical first-loop blowout type of guys.
Yet, through all of that, you looked shockingly consistent each time I saw you on the course. You don't have to break any land speed records out there on the course, you just need to be consistent and keep running more or less, and you definitely did that and picked up a *ton* of people on the run course along the way. Not that I would encourage anyone to ever use me as the model for triathlon success at the rate at which I blow races, but you looked a lot better out there on the run than I think I did last year, so major kudos to you. My run definitely was a lot more lopsided in terms of pace.
Anyway, it was great to get to see you out there. Your enthusiasm on the course is legendary and your execution was just incredibly sensible and well done. It's a tough bike course and if you keep at it I'm sure there's some gains we could make there and you'd be well under 12 in no time.
Hope your doing something nice for the wife right about now
So when is the next one!
congrats that's an awesome time for sure...you nailed it.
---Ann.
@Will, I had my fastest speed ever on my tri bike at 47mph on one of the hills, 5mph faster than camp, the difference was the tire/tube combo I ran, so thanks for the free speed
@Matt, I had looked at your tables and run the numbers a with a range of high temps. I did not know how hot it was, but I knew my top speed should be around 9:30 pace. Thanks for saving me from imploding
@Trevor, If ever there was a gauge of how well I was doing, it was the look on your face each time I passed you...PRICELESS
@Christian, It was great to start the race (registration line) and finish the race (pic with coach) with you. I assure you that I was hurting way more than it looked out there, and you had a great race and were very hard to catch!!!
Watched your run down the chute from the bleachers and was so happy to hear Mike Rieley call "EBay Boettcher" into the family of Ironman finishers. Congratulations on a great acomplishment and a solid race.
It was a pleasure meeting you and your wife at the EN post-race.
-Dave
Congrats, it was great to meet you and track your progress throughout the year. Hopefully there will be many more of these years and moments.
DG