02:26:15 AM: It's almost 2:30am... I'm starting to get a bit tired. Which is nice. I'm looking forward to a nap.
10:49:18 AM: Today is Ironman Hawaii! Coverage at ironman.com begins in 15 minutes. I'm rootin' for Macca today. Paid his dues and despite everybody saying he's arrogant I've just never seen it from him. Fine line between arrogance and confidence and I've never felt he crossed it.
12:36:10 PM: First time ever that skydivers have landed at an Ironman Hawaii. Apparently they pulled at 13,500ft and rode 210 sq ft canopies... jeeze... could we be a little slower please? I think the occasion calls for a 107 sq footer and a massive water swoop across the swim start.
12:42:44 PM: Faris Al Sultan's out of the race... stomach issues. And just last night Heather told me the goofy german was the one she thought was cute.
12:47:58 PM: They're off. Interesting note from the commentators. On the swim you want to find somebody who's about 30% faster than you to draft off of.
01:50:16 PM: They're out of the water. Most of the big boys and girls still in it.
02:03:45 PM: The ironman.com site is getting bogged down, as it does early in the race every year. Video runs for a few minutes and then crashes. Website is reporting "Unable to connect to database." They usually get things working.
03:38:17 PM: Live race coverage back up again... finally. Stadler is sitting in?!? Apparently he was up puking all night. Maybe he's pregnant? Lieto's off the front but other than that everybody's just cruising as it's still early in the bike.
On the women's side Leanda Cave is riding off the front in her first ironman. Everybody knows what happens next, of course. Explosion. Dede G and Michellie Jones are two and three.
So summary: no solid leadership anywhere in the race from the lead contenders.
03:40:10 PM: I've got the laptop on the deck and am just loving this weather. Saw a huge stork/egrit... blue with a six foot wing span. Also saw a number of fish in the stream... some five or six inches. Enjoying my recovery day.
Did get some bugs fixed on the latest skunkworks. So some work happening.
Terp and Aves napping right now. NASCAR this evening.
03:49:28 PM: If the pack stays together it's a good thing for Chris McCormack and his strong run. Beke said something interesting. He said that top five isn't compelling any more. He'd rather explode four times and win once than get five more top fives. Sounds like he's in the right mindset to win.
03:50:30 PM: Hillary Biscay's racing. She's not near the front but she's there. Neat because I remember her from last year at florida.
03:51:57 PM: Lieto has 4+ min on a pack of 16 riders. We're seeing guys near the front of that 16 sit up on their bikes to slow down. Somewhat bizarre. The commentators are wondering why nobody's going for it.
04:29:12 PM: Got the laptop hooked up to some speakers in the garage and I'm watching/listening while I do some garage work.
06:17:04 PM: Watching the ironman coverage on the road now. Terp's driving. Vinings has good evdo coverage. Getting some Mellow Mushroom.
06:25:50 PM: Sindbale's leading the run wearing a crazy looking outfit. White knee-high socks. Long sleeve white shirt. White hat. Etc. He's known for blowing up on the run and is trying to keep his body temp lower.
07:08:18 PM: Streaming ironman to the big screen now.
07:12:46 PM: Desiree Ficker, super runner, starts the run with a hefty 12 minute deficit.
07:23:11 PM: Macca, DeBoom and Craig Alexander are about 9 min back but storming through the field. Run race is getting very interesting. Lieto has a good lead over Sindbale already.
07:28:04 PM: Macca, DeBoom and Alexander are already only three to four minuted behind the lead. Could be Macca's year.
07:57:18 PM: Macca's in the lead. I think he's gonna do it.
07:58:22 PM: On the women's side I'm rooting for Kate Major. She's in third but moving forward well.
Date: 2007-10-13 14:47:00 Name: Stew GO MACCA!! Damn ironman site.. not mac friendly and slow, although i feel better that it's not just me who wiped a day to watch and cant.. what cables do you use to connect your PC to TV?
Date: 2007-10-13 16:40:39 Name: Brandon The lady far right sure likes to hear her own voice. Geez! Thanks for the heads-up. Watching now!!
Date: 2007-10-13 21:38:12 Name: Mom The view from your deck looks so nice...
And it's a Great Blue Heron, not a stork and not an egret...:-). I'll get you a bird book for Christmas...
The 15 Mile Half Marathon