IM Brazil 2007

It's done! One of the greatest moments in Ironman history..!

Here are the splits:

Swim: 1h 38' 45"
Bike + Transitions: 6h 32' 52"
Run: 4h 02' 01"

Total: 12h 13' 38"

More details in the following posts.

IM Weather Forecast

Take a look at this forecast from AccuWeather. They are predicting a cloudy day, with periods of rain; wind from SW at 20km/h that should increase to 35km/h on Monday 28th. High for Sunday is 18 degrees Celsius.

Strong Mind With a Mantra

The big day is coming. Did this morning my last bike workout before the race: an easy 60km leg on the road (29.2km/h avg.), followed by a "short" trip to Niterói in order to hand in my bike to the "IM Truck" that is going to leave Rio for Florianópolis on Monday.

I've been thinking about the state of my mind is going to be during the race. Normally, when good humor and spaciousness are present (such as in an IM Race), meditation raises effortlessly for me - a perfect time for a mantra that should be easy to remember and recite; that can establish the connection between body and mind with its rhythm; and also conveys a message that motivates you.

The message of some songs are growing inside of me on the last few days, as this one below. I am going to sing them a few times during the marathon hoping to get strength out of exhaustion.

A Kind Of Magic
(Queen - 1991)

It's a kind of magic,
It's a kind of magic,
A kind of magic,
One dream, one soul, one prize, one goal,
One golden glance of what should be,
It's a kind of magic,
One shaft of light that shows the way,
No mortal man can win this day,
It's a mind of magic,
The bell that rings inside your mind,
It's a challenging the doors of time,
It's a kind of magic,
The waiting seems eternity,
The day will dawn of sanity,
It's a kind of magic,
There can be only one,
This rage that lasts a thousand years
Will soon be gone,
This flame that burns inside of me,
I'm hearing secret harmonies
It's a kind of magic,
The bell that rings inside your mind,
Is challenging the doors of time,
It's a kind of magic,
It's a kind of magic,
This rage that lasts a thousand years,
Will soon be will soon be, will soon be gone,
This is a kind of magic,
There can only be one,
This rage that lasts a thousand years,
Will soon be gone,
Magic - it's a kind of magic,
It's a kind of magic,
Magic, magic, magic, magic,
It's magic,
It's a kind of magic.

Flamengo: Campeão Carioca 2007

1 - O gol de Renato Augusto tinha cheiro de título (Lembrou o de Pet no Tri)!
2 - Bruno é Seleção!

IM Training: “Top Off” Week + Last Impressions

There is a lot of wisdom in Balzac words: “Modesty is the conscience of the body.”

Yes, it truly is. The 180 km bike ride this morning was the first workout that made me really “afraid” of the Ironman Brazil on May 27th. Not because of the ride itself (which was really tough), but because of the run I did immediately after. It was only a 7km brick at 5’38”/km, but it made me aware of what the marathon will be on race day.

First of all, the run taught me the hard way to be easy on the bike in order to conserve energy for the run (seems obvious, isn’t it?). Second thing: I thought I was going to initiate the marathon feeling like I was, lets say, on km 30 or something, but it is much worse. It hit my confidence big time, since running is supposed to be my best leg for the race even after all that swimming and cycling.

Maybe 7km was not enough distance to adapt my body to the new effort, as I would feel better at km 10 or 15; maybe it was too hard a pace to begin with, who knows?

Anyway, it’s gonna be difficult to everybody.

There is only one workout ahead in this top off training week: a 3h run next Thursday morning. It is going to take place just 23 days before IM.

The bottom line? Be modest; be wise; and you shall succeed..!

Want some of this Irish Style Red Ale?