I’ve been meaning to fix the deck at the cabin since the summer of 2012 but something always kept coming up…in addition to not knowing if I wanted to repaint it or sand it down. The redwood deck boards have been covered by layers of paint over the last 20+ years, beaten by the elements, and warped by the southern exposure – but I kept wondering if restoring them was a possibility. The easier option was to slap a fresh layer of paint and kick the can down the road for another couple of years. So obviously, I took the harder route.

Here’s the before & after deck railing board:

A quick mid-day coffee break & back to work:

Eight hours later – the before & after deck boards (though still unfinished):

So having spent 8 hours sanding in the 85+ degree sun, I figure I burned at least a couple of thousand calories (minus the three beers) that should amount to a 3+ hour bike ride that I skipped to get this done.  So when I get asked one of the three most common questions about preparing for the Ironman: “What do you do to train?”  The answer is almost always: “Whatever works?”

And finally a long awaited reward after a hard day’s work…a smile that fills my world with happiness:

Stay tuned for day 2 of more sanding, staining, and finally finishing deck #1  I figure that’s going to be my “swim” workout : )

Thanks again for reading, for your ongoing support and encouragement.

Cheers!

Roman (aka SmileyRunner)