An Ironman journal

By Daniel Muñoa

We arrived in Zurich early Thursday morning, Jerry Bueno ahead of me by four hours. I found him after only a few minutes of walking around at the airport, and shortly thereafter, our adventure in Zurich began. At the main train station, we started off by getting on the wrong train to Zug, a small, upscale, conservative suburb where our friend Barbara Winzenburg lives and where we would stay. We were to have waited for her at the airport, but Jerry and I had gotten impatient by mid-morning and decided to take the train to her house, using the directions she had provided in case something came up and she couldn't meet our flights. While we were traveling on the wrong train, which was not known to us at the time, a train concierge asked for our tickets and our destination. He quickly noted we had boarded the wrong train. When we got off at the next stop, he told us which train we needed to get to Zug. When that train arrived, we began loading our gear, but while I got off the train to get the last of it, the doors closed, leaving me stuck at the train station and Jerry on the train with all of his gear plus my briefcase and large duffel. We both pushed the open button from inside and outside of the train, but it was of no use. As I watched the train depart, I realized my directions and telephone address book were neatly tucked away in my briefcase, which was now with Jerry on the train. I knew at least the town I was supposed to be in, so I waited nearly an hour for the next.
Jerry had waited for me a half hour at the main station, but after seeing that I wasn't coming anytime soon, he made his way to Zug with his gear plus some of mine.
When he finally arrived at Barbara's condominium complex, he threw all of our gear on the ground and collapsed on the front lawn for a relaxing afternoon nap. Just as he was waking up after a two-hour slumber, some of Barbara's neighbors were entering the building and inquisitively asked Jerry if he needed help getting somewhere. He asked if this was where Barbara lived, and after confirming that for him, they let him into the main lobby of the complex. He brought in our gear, then headed back to the train station. He had only walked a block or so when Barbara spotted him on the sidewalk and picked him up. In the meantime, I had made my way to Zug and decided to patiently wait for Jerry and Barbara at the train station. It seemed shorter than a two-hour wait because before I knew it, Jerry and Barbara were running up the stairs in search of me. It was great to finally see Barbara again, for the last time I had seen her was when she left Laredo two years ago. After getting all of our gear into Barbara's condo, she took us out for a tour of the city.
Jerry and I slept close to 12 hours and woke up around noon the next day. We both needed to check in at the Ironman race site and decided that we would bike to Zurich. Before Barbara left for work, she left us directions on how to get to Zurich by bike.

The ride was wonderful. To begin with, traffic was always giving us the right of way wherever we went. There were several climbs and descents that we had to go through to get there on a ride that was very scenic at times and which allowed us to see parts of the snow-capped Alps. We didn't make it in time for the English pre-race meeting, but after bumping into fellow Americans, they filled us in on what we had missed. The race site was exceptionally well-organized into a small village designed and assembled for the Ironman event. The amenities included tents displaying and selling training and racing equipment and an "athlete's garden" which provided massages, showers, and hot tubs for the athletes. By the time we got back to Barbara's place, it was time to prep dinner and get another long night's rest.
We woke up late Saturday morning and headed out for an easy 40-minute walk-run around a nearby lake in Zug. It was the day we needed to take our bike and helmet to the transition area and finalize any pending matters for the race on Sunday. The race site was filled with people from all over the world. At the end of the day, there were 1,200 competitors from 32 countries who had checked in for the race. We ended Saturday with a huge pasta dinner, but had a hard time sleeping, thinking of the pain and misery that was to come the following day.
On Sunday morning, we woke at 4:30 a.m. Barbara insisted we arrive early so we could park easily. Our early morning rise paid off and we were able to park across the street from the transition area. At this point, Jerry and I were both visibly nervous as we struggled with last minute prepping and putting on our wetsuits for the swim leg of the race. The swim was a mass start, which meant that all 1,200 competitors were starting at the same time. Seconds before the start of the race, I looked to the sky and noticed it had become more cloudy and the wind had picked up slightly. About 20 minutes or so into the swim, water conditions became very choppy as the skies continued to darken and the wind continued to pick up noticeably. After the 2.4 mile swim, I prepped my gear for the bike leg of the competition, exited the transition area, and started the 112-mile journey of Ironman Switzerland. Weather conditions were worsening and it started to rain around mile 20 on the bike and didn't stop until mile 80. I actually enjoyed the rain because it was keeping me cool on the bike. I had prayed for rain on the marathon, but oh well, you can't ask too much of the earth on one day!

The bike course took competitors through several villages surrounding Zurich. At each town, all the villagers were in the streets cheering, yelling, and screaming as we pedaled through. At the hill climbs, villagers used cow bells and other large objects to clang and bang and would yell at us, "Up! Up Up!" I'll never forget one gentleman at the top of the hardest climb. He had a huge rope around his neck that was tied to a bell half his size! He would slowly swing it back and forth and was extremely loud. I was glad to see such enthusiasm for competition from a spectator, but wondered if he would suffer any permanent damage from the ringing of the bell. Toward the end of the bike leg the weather had begun to improve. The skies cleared and the sun shone bright and splendid; however, the wind kept up for the remainder of the day. The marathon was the most interesting part of the race. I started off at an okay pace, but began experiencing sharp pains in my left Achilles tendon around mile 9 of the marathon and had to slow things down. I finished the race jogging close to a 10-minute mile. Jerry crossed the line shortly after me and I could not believe the blisters he had on his feet. I told him he truly is a man made of iron to have walked-run a marathon with blisters of such size. At the finish line we were a bit tired and woozy, but felt confident and ready to register for another Ironman race.

Amsterdam
I'm sitting in Barbara's living room listening to an afternoon rain shower and Miles Davis on the local radio as I log another adventure to be told. After two days rest from Ironman Switzerland, I decided to put the little time I had in Europe to good use. I was scheduled to fly from Zurich to Athens, to spend my last days in Europe with Talia Varonos, a good friend I met during an internship at Texas A&M University at College Station in the summer of 2001. But before Athens, I decided to make a short trip to Amsterdam and so I made reservations for an express night train from Zurich to Amsterdam. The trip took 10 hours, which is great if you can sleep on trains. As soon as I got there, I began what would be at the end of the day a 12-hour walk that covered more than half of downtown Amsterdam.
I spent the morning trekking the streets of Amsterdam as shops opened and businesses were gearing up for another day of work. Things seem to start late in this city because even at mid-morning shops and businesses in general were empty. The first place at which I stopped was a coffee shop called Extase about a mile from the train station. I required a caffeine infusion. Aside from coffee, many coffee shops provide an extensive menu of marijuana and hashish for those interested in such substances. Mushrooms and other hallucinogenic compounds seemed readily available at shops commonly referred to as "smart shops." These types of drugs are legal in Amsterdam, along with prostitution.
I spoke with several local residents, including the guy working behind the bar at the coffee shop. I told them I was in town for one day and asked for their opinion on which museums I should make the time to visit. The Van Gogh Museum was a definite, but with so many other museums to choose from, I felt I needed local advice for which ones to visit during my day-long stay in Amsterdam. They suggested I start with the Rijks Museum because it is in close proximity of the Van Gogh Museum and focuses on a variety of artists from various time periods. After my coffee, I grabbed my gear and walking stick then headed across town for the Rijsk.
I grabbed lunch and a beer at an Irish pub before starting my tour of the museums. Upon entering the Rijks Museum, you are kindly asked to leave any bags you're carrying with you at the personal holdings section. Afterwards, you are given a map of the compound to begin your tour on the first floor. The works of art ranged from oil canvas paintings to old firing canons used on battleships during the 16th, 17th, and 18th centuries. I spent a little over an hour walking the halls of the Rijks Museum before deciding to head off to the Van Gogh museum.
When I got to the Van Gogh museum, there was a 20-minute line to enter, which I quickly joined, seeing that I had about four hours left in Amsterdam. There are three floors in the museum. The first floor has several exhibitions that display works of art by Impressionist artists inspired by Van Gogh. The other two floors are dedicated to works by Van Gogh. On the second floor is a small movie theater that plays a 20-minute video on Van Gogh's life. After a two-hour tour of the compound, I had a little less than two hours left to see Anne Frank's house before my train departed for Switzerland.
I grabbed my gear and headed back across town. I got to Anne Frank's house 30 minutes later, but was discouraged by the very long line at the entrance. At this point, I only had an hour and a half left. I took a few pictures of the line and what seemed to be a museum built around the original house. I started making my way back to the train station and stopped at a pizza parlor near the coffee shop I visited that morning. After wolfing down a few slices of vegetarian pizza, I went back to Extase and grabbed a triple espresso laced with natural cocoa and a bit of steamed milk. I said my goodbyes, took a picture with the owner of the coffee shop, and headed toward the train station. As I walked toward the station, the streets were filling with more and more people. Music of different genres could be heard coming from bars, coffee shops, and restaurants. The nightlife was definitely getting started; unfortunately, my train departed about that time. After boarding the train, I had no problems falling asleep and slept through the entire 10-hour train ride back to Zurich.

Greece, and return
to the States
I arrived at Flughafen, the train stop for Zurich's airport, with a little less than an hour to catch my flight for Athens. Fortunately, my flight to Athens was delayed close to an hour. Seeing there was no need to worry, I kept myself preoccupied reading a good book and sipping on a quadruple shot of espresso spiked with Kahlua at a coffee shop near my boarding gate. After boarding the plane and taking off for Athens, I was stunned with Swiss Air's economy class service for a two-hour flight. For starters, as soon as we reached cruising altitude, disposable hand wash cloths along with Swiss chocolate were given to the passengers. Twenty minutes later, lunch was served with a choice of beer, wine (red or white), soda, or just plain water. After lunch ice cream, coffee, and another round of wash cloths were distributed among the travelers. By the time our personal space was cleared of plates and trays, less than 40 minutes were left in our flight. As we approached the airport, the terrain below reminded me of landscapes I had seen in Mexico; semi-arid with sparse vegetation -- lots of sun and mountains on the horizon to conjure places such as Real de Catorce, Candela, and Cuatro Cienegas.
As soon as I got to Athens, I picked up my luggage and met up with my dear friend Talia Varonos, with whom I would be staying in Athens. With her mother we had a wonderful mid-afternoon Greek lunch that included lamb, goat, Greek salad, a few pitchers of wine, bread, and fresh watermelon. After we dropped my gear at Talia's house we began by foot my first tour of Athens. The first thing Talia wanted me to see was the Acropolis, but we got there too late and it was closed for the day. We spent the rest of early Friday evening walking the streets of downtown Athens. The subway system is impeccably clean and as hard as I looked, I couldn't find a scrap of paper or even a small smudge on the floors, which are made of marble. Artifacts from the Acropolis and other archeological sights are on permanent display at the entrances and exits of the subway system. They are well protected and under constant surveillance. After a lovely evening stroll, Talia and I went back to her house for a wonderful dinner.
We began the next day early. Talia had arranged for us to spend the weekend at Paros, one of many Greek islands. The five-hour boat ride was a bit bumpy, but fun nonetheless. A constant wind of 25 mph pitched the boat slightly to the right as it steadily plowed through five-foot swells towards Paros. Upon arrival, we made our way to Panoramma, a small hotel with a splendid view of the sea. Talia had made an excellent choice. The owner of the establishment, Catarina, was an attractive, middle-aged Greek woman who was not only an excellent hostess, but a wonderful chef as well.
After checking in, we promptly prepped our beach gear, asked Catarina for directions to the nearest beach, and set out for an afternoon splash in the Aegean Sea, which, unusually salty, made me feel a bit more buoyant, almost as if I was in wetsuit gear. The water was crystal blue and visibility had to be at least 20 feet, if not more. We had spent the majority of the afternoon at the beach and returned to the hotel with a little over an hour before sundown. Catarina's father, who likes to be referred to as the cowboy from Paros, brings a baby pig, goat, or lamb from his ranch every Saturday to the hotel. The Saturday we were there, he had brought a baby pig and was cooking it in a large outdoor rotisserie pit heated by a wooden fire.
After showering for dinner, Talia and I headed out for an early evening stroll. In Greece, dinner is rarely served before nine p.m. and on the islands, many restaurants don't get busy until 10 or 11 p.m. We returned to the hotel's patio at 10, and a little less than an hour later, the cowboy from Paros brought out the head of the baby pig on a platter, signaling dinner was ready. We had a wonderful feast, thanked Catarina and the cowboy for a lovely dinner, then rerturned to our rooms.
We woke early Sunday morning with the intention of traveling to the other side of the island to visit two well-known beaches, one of which is considered one of the best in the Mediterranean for windsailing. When we arrived, there were few people around us, but as we were preparing to leave three hours later, wind surfers abounded, eager to catch wind and surf the sea to their heart's content. The next beach we had in mind was the Golden Beach, but we decided to scrap the idea because the skies were darkening with rain clouds. Instead, we hung out in several villages, taking our time to get back to the hotel. It began to rain while we were on a bus traveling from one village to the next and continued for several hours on and off. We decided to leave for Athens on Sunday at midnight instead of staying until Monday morning's planned departure. With only two days left, I would have more time to see the great city of Athens before my departure.
We returned to Panoramma to shower and get our gear in order, enjoying a little watermelon on the patio before we departed for the city port. I took a family picture of Catarina, her three daughters, her mother and father, and the cowboy from Paros. After buying tickets for our return to Athens, we went in search of a good restaurant to kill the three-hour layover for the midnight boat back to Greece. After yet another lovely traditional Greek dinner, we sat close to the ocean and patiently waited for the boat. Once onboard, we had no choice but to sleep outside on deck. All of the indoor sections were taken up by people coming back from islands farther out than Paros. I had no problem falling asleep and awoke shortly before our arrival in Athens before daybreak.
Talia and I headed towards the Acropolis, this time with plenty of time to visit the archeological site. There are five other sites of interest in the immediate vicinity -- the Ancient Agora, the Theatre of Dionysos, the Roman Agora, the Kerameikos, and the Temple of Olympian Zeus. After a two-hour journey through ancient ruins, we spent the rest of the day trekking throughout Athens and saw the Temple of Apollo from a distance.
I awoke early the next morning with the intention of doing my first real workout after the Ironman. Talia took me to the track where she trains for track and cross-country running. After a good morning workout, we had a power breakfast. I packed the last of my things, said good-bye to Talia and her parents, then proceeded to the airport for my flight to Zurich.
When I got back to Barbara's place, I began packing all of my gear in preparation for my return to the States the following morning, which meant that I needed to be shakin' and bakin' by 04:30 hrs if I was going to get to the airport in time to check in for my flight. Barbara's condo is a one-hour train ride from Zurich International Airport. Needless to say I slept little that night, and arrived at the airport with five minutes remaining for baggage check in. Fortunately, the gods favored my return and the winds carried me swiftly, for the remainder of the journey went smoothly and without incident.