12,000 in 11 Days .... that's some well deserved monkey butt Tom. I've never done an official "Iron Butt", but as motorcycle courier if nobody was paying to me ride 1,000 miles in a day, I sure as hell wasn't riding them.
A couple of years ago, after being told by 2 German BMW GS Adventure riders in Northern Thailand that such a journey would be impossible, I rode 1,000Km in 20 hours back to Bangkok on my tiny Honda C90.
Thankfully no Monkey Butt, but when I finally parked the scooter I cried like a baby and couldn't walk for 3 days....... never again.
Keep riding and smiling..... Geoff @poorcirculation
I understand the 'not able to walk' thing. Trust me.
I've never run the Iron Butt rally, but lots of friends have. Like anything else, there are 'tricks and tips' and a community of long riders that pretty much stick together.
I do try to make at least one nice long ride per year. Sometimes the hardest thing of all is getting back on the bike the next day...