Diary of an Ironman 21 weeks to go

This morning we all met for a two and half hour run at Brisbane’s bayside suburb of Wynum. Brisbane has the best winter weather. We started at 6.30 and ran along the foreshore as far north as we could, turned and ran back past the cars, following the bike path along the bay around to a bush walking path which led out to the other side of Lota creek. The temperature was mild enough to run in shorts and a light top. The sky was clear and the sun was warm when we finished.

We all went for a coffee on the wharf. The cafe was full of people out for breakfast. I’m sure they had no idea we’d just run for the past 2hrs 30min. The great thing about being fit, is even though we’re not in training for Kona yet, we can casually train for a marathon and run 2hrs 30min without any real impact on us. I’m sure running in the Compressport long socks helps limit the impact on our muscles.

Today, I’ve assembled my training bike. I’ve had the fussiest bicycle painter in the world do the paint job for me. Joe Cosgrove, the guy’s a genius. A bit of a mad professor. When I called him about the paint job. He spent 15min trying to talk me out of it. He told me he was just too busy. He had four months bookwork to catch up on. He just couldn’t do it.

I eventually said, “How about I drop it around and you get to it when you can”. When I called around, he talked to me for one and a half hours, I had trouble getting away. I gave him five weeks before I called in. I was in no hurry as I haven’t been cycling on the road anyway. It is my “off season”. I’ve only done one workout each week on the mag trainer with Power Cranks, just to keep my pedalling technique alive. He had just done it. It looked beautiful, we chose a “candy apple blue” colour with white stickers.

Even though it was done and I had the money there, he wouldn’t let me take it. It needed a couple more days to “harden” properly. I accepted his rules, he is the passionate genius. I love working with passionate people. People with passion shape the world I love to live in.

Well I have possession of the blue Pinarello now and have carfully and slowly assembled it. New bottom bracket, new chain, new cables, new handle bars, new “blue” tyres, new spares bag,  new head set and bar tape.  I’ve fitted two tail lights and my headlight, I’ll be training in the early mornings in five weeks when I start training for Kona.

I have thoroughly enjoyed assembling the bike. When I had a bike shop for ten years, I must have assembled hundreds of bikes. But this was not work, it was a pleasure. I think the fact that I had used Joe to paint it and he had put so much of himself into the job. It was like we were working together on restoring this bike back to it’s original form.

Just now, one of my sons called in for a visit with his little girl Charlotte. She’s eighteen months, and so placid. She doesn’t say much yet but explores everything. Under my desk, in my workshop, picking up all of the little things I’ve left on the floor. I have nine grandchildren now, Charlotte is the second youngest. On Friday night we had dinner with my daughter and her little girl of seventeen months, Sofia. My eldest grand daughter is eighteen now and training to be a school teacher.

When I was young, the image I had of a grandfather was not someone who got up at 5am, went running for 2hrs 30min, had breakfast then assembled his racing bike which he’ll use to train for the Hawaii Ironman. We really are living a different life to our grand parents.

I wake up each day appreciating what I have.