Holy shit!

It is 1:50 Madison, WI time and I am rolling into town. I don't tend to swear a lot, but my title is my turn to let it go. This is such an awesome feeling, 361 days of fun, stories and training and I am almost at the event site. Yesterday was surreal, today is a damn cool reality. I kind of feel a little like a kid getting to the fairgrounds and about to get on a great scary ass ride! The line up is 3 days long but I am not moving at all! This looks like the best damn ride on earth. As I write this I actually giddy with excitement! I am going to bottle this feeling and use it on Sunday to finish this adventure in a fitting fashion. A fun filled, awesome, ball busting, crazy, emotional go like there is no more going party! Wahoo! This is a post that I will be writing over the course of the day as I soak this up. I will add photos after the weekend and in a full summary post of some kind. Stay tuned!
Lunch time! We bellied up to the bar for some lunch. Still no beer for me, but good food! I think our choice of places to eat is a good sign of the weekend. Beside us at lunch is a Swedish man talking about his race. Talk about an early inspiration, he is looking to podium at this event. His IM PB at this point is 8:16, WOW! That is insane! I am a bit of a kid when it comes to discussions with guys like this. It is cool to hear the perspective on the course from a guy that is probably going to seriously kick the crap out of the course. He will be a having a cold beer before I get to the stadium during the marathon! I look forward to seeing how he does. Only 1 hour in town and the vibe is already awesome. You can tell the IM geeks form the rest damn quick.
After some lunch, spent some time going to race site where the set up action is frantic. There are tents going up in every direction, barricades being set up, the IRONMAN marketing monster is in full force. It is fun to see the before shot, the scene before the crime is committed :)
Over the afternoon, visited a couple of bike shops to further get in the groove. I find if I am surrounded by racers, bikes and excitement it builds it up great for me.
The evening was spent at a friends parents where we crashed for the first night. It was a benefit to be able too save a few $ and to visit a friend. Had a great dinner along Lake Wisconsin enjoying the quiet and conversation.
The day was excellent, getting the vibe sparked and being here to get going. It was a long one though, so off to bed early to prepare for the one day sooner adventure! This is so cool!
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