Like a slow sunrise.

Napoleon train spotting on our long ride. I think his shirt shrank in the wash ;)

As I sit her in Canada, watching Le Tour de France and sipping an English pint in an English bar, reflection is found in the irony of the situation. 

It seems only a short age ago that I first agreed to Ironman France with Napoleon and Victory. Now I find myself a meer 3 weeks from attempting my 3rd Iron distance event. 

As this third event approaches in the heady guise of Ironman Boulder, many familiar thoughts return to the clouded memory. However, they appear slightly clearer and far more familiar this time around. Like a familiar old friend strolling through the door and igniting good memories of times past. Yes, it always hurts, but so do many things. I remember Napoleon reflecting that his third Ironman in Nice (our inaugural attempt at the distance) was by far his most fun. There is a strong hope in the back of my tired mind that this too will prove to be the most fun. 

There is more familiarity to this event. Although my biggest cheerleaders in mum and dad won't be there, it sees the return of my wife to the sidelines which is a huge boost. It also sees the return of my great friend Neal who made the crossing to England at my last attempt and duly drank his way through the day. I trust he will do the same this time around. However, one of the stand outs for this years race resides in my friend and title sponsor Mitch (owner and founder of Imagewerx.us. Shameless plug!). This is the man who ultimately we can blame all this mess on. It was he, back in 2005 that suggested I give a bike and triathlon a try upon hearing my complaints about knee pain and subsequently offering me Midol! Once he had saddled me up to my first, and heavily undersized bike, my first Sprint Triathlon in Estes Park, Co appeared on the horizon like a slow moving sunrise. 

Once this easily sown seed sprouted the bug was well and truly rooted inside me. To have Mitch on the sidelines during this race and supporting me so well is simply a welcome twist of appropriately founded fate. 

In a total shift in topic, like Chevy Chase on a roundabout in England, I move to the topic of training. The volume is really hopping up, but the scenery is ever changing. Canada and the Saskatoon River provided the backdrop to a very pleasing short run today and swim today.

 Colorado Springs will add the high altitude spring in my training steps tomorrow. All good preparations for the high altitude racing slowly creeping up on the horizon. 

The big ride of the year is this week with a century of road cycling providing the entertainment. Hopefully the weather will behave and it will provide an enjoyable backdrop to the 6 hours in the saddle. Oddly enough, I find myself looking forward to it, which is a first. I'll report back on these shenanigans next week. 

Good luck to us all!