So better get ready and set to enjoy the challenge of my first full Ironman.

How did we get to this crazy decision in the first place. Here a quick review of the process.

In a way, it all began at the Sado 210km Round-the-Coast ride with the gang from Half-Fast Cycling. A superbly well-planned trip to the island - thanks to Kelly, Kaz and Magic Mike - and many minor adventures en route (rom finding the best source of carbos on the island, a donut shop, to a wild ride along the fog-bound ridges atop the island) helped all of us enjoy the event despite the monstrous storm conditions that persisted till mid-afternoon when the sun miraculously came out to warm-up the finish line and dry-out the soaked riders. My own event gave me a taste for speed and riding at the front of the pack - the short 80 km sprint to the first rest area on the north coast, with the official escort motorcycle as my guide. Cool, I finished with an average speed of 32km thanks to the strong tailwind coming home and the windless burst through the tunnel.

Fast forward to the next event on the calendar, my first go at the Nojiriko short-course triathlon. Only 3 weeks before the event, however, near disaster struck - in the form of a careless trucking driver running me over in morning rush-hour traffic along the Inokashira Doori. I went down hard on the pavement, but managed a catlike flip to land on my bike, bike flipping harmlessly. Net result: two severely bruised ribs but no need to call in the insurance people Sumie was not so lucky - ony 10 days later, she was hit by a careless motorcycle rider and suffered a black-out and bent bike frame. Enough to knock her out of Nojiriko.

We drove up in several cars with several first-time riders in Team Friend Leopard and had a quick training ride around the 15km lap around the lake. Next morning I braved the cold lake water and managed OK along the 1500 meter swim, got on the bike for a medium fast 45 km and struggled up the first half of the 16 km run, clutching my ribs, but managed the turn and eventually made it to the finish.

That got me motivated for my third go at the Sado International Triathlon. Training was mostly on the bike, three weekends in a row doing double loops on the Aoyama Seven-Hills course. Great, good for the lungs and the legs.

That brought us to Sado where I swam a good 2000 open-ocean leg, swimming wide to stay clear of the pack of zig-zagging freestylers, and got on the biek after a fast T1. Felt good to be well into the pack at that point, and the legs were feeling good. A headwind to the turn at Ryotsu where the find gradually moved aft as we hit the coast road. Passed numerous riders on the way to the hard uphill right at Ogi port, and a steady zig-zag climb up the dread Oginosaka. I did not look at the watch till nearly done with the bike, having kept my eye on the average speed instead. Three kph faster than last year, so I knew I was well positioned for a strong PB.

Another quick T2 to the run, where I soon passed Carbon Ken Aoyama and managed to get Kojima-san in his Leopard team jacket in sight. The halfway turn at 10k and a hint I was doing well from seeing Fabien not far ahead. Never caught Kojima-san and Ken came up from behind, but still a fine effort, breaking 6:30 the way I broke 7:00 last year.

So what did we do in the flush of satisfaction that comes from putting a major race behind us? One by one we got on the internet at the Niigata ferry landing and registered our names for Zurich.

So here we come. Details to follow.