How does it feel to finish your first Ironman?

Well, for me:

I felt the excitement of the challenge, the enjoyment of a solid workout, the sense of being alive, while running in a thunder storm in a foot of water, the dismay of knee surgery, the exhaustion of a category one bike climb leading to a sense of awe at the cyclists in the Tour de France that can only come from completing such a climb, the fear of failure or crashing on a long descent, the disappointment of a poor performance, the nausea of bonking, the anxiety about being twice the age of almost everyone else in Ironman training camp, including the coach, the anger of hypoglycemia (low blood sugar), the pride of a better swim time in the pool, the wonder of swimming with dolphins in Hawaii, permitted by a high level of fitness, the confusion of a problem unsolved, the delight in finding the answer, the trepidation of that first race-day morning on the beach, the happiness of hearing my family and friends supporting me from the side-lines, the relief of reaching the finish line, the pain in my thighs as I struggled back to the hotel, the explosion of flavors in my mouth from the best pizza in the world, the satisfaction of a well-earned beer handed to me by a friend, the appreciation for my support team and great coaches, the gratefulness to my son, Nigel, for introducing me to this fascinating sport, the calm of a good nights sleep, awakening the next day to the anticipation of planning my next race.

Wishing you happy trails,

FitOldDog aka The Ironman Mentor