Well the 1/2 iron was a lot of fun...an absolute blast and I learned a ton. To start with it was perfect weather. cloudy and over cast and low 70's. There were about 1400 people I think that were racing. My age group had 110 people that finished. There were more dropouts than I thought and most of it looked like it was from 1)crashing on the bike, 2) not being prepared on the bike (flats etc) or 3) not being prepared nutritionally. Very interesting to be a part of. The swim was a lot of learning. I learned by the last 1/4 mile how to site. I was all over the place until I figured out a system. My method was definately slow and steady. In my head I broke the race into three parts. With the exception of conservation I didn't think much about the other legs until I finished the one I was on. When I got out of the swim I totally enjoyed the fact that I had done it. I could have quit right there and it would have been an accomplishment. T1 was easy because I was so slow that I pretty much had transition to myself. One hint I have that I figured out is: wear a pair of ankle socks on the swim. When you get into transition just pull off the socks after your wetsuit and put on your biking shoes. By doing this you don't have to worry about dirty feet. I saw an elite doing this at the last race and it works great. The bike for me was a very different. I spent most of the time on the bike just keeping myself in check so that I would have something left for the run. At mile 42 I cut loose for about 8 miles and just went for it. It felt really good to go fast and work hard. Then I reined myself back in so I wouldn't bonk. I know I was slower on the bike but Keeping in check here made for a very fun run. T2 was a little slow only because I had to make a potty stop. Oh well. Guess that means I was drinking enough. The run was a blast. Since this was the last leg I knew I could finish up with whatever I had left. It was 2 laps and hilly. I stayed reserved for the first lap then let go on the second. It worked out great and I had enough to finish strong. Post race thoughts: The single most important thing I did for this race was nutrition. I worked hard on eating and drinking enough so I wouldn't bonk. This made all of the difference in the world. If anyone wants a good nutrition plan I had one given to me and would be happy to pass it on. My other thought is this. I heard some people say I was a little off my rocker for doing this race especially in my first year. Well I have to say that it is intimidating but once you start it is much easier than you think and I recommend it to anyone. Pace and nutrition are the two most important things you can do for yourself. Yesterday is only the second time I have swam that far in my life. You can do it too. If I think of anything else I will add it later.

Nothing today except driving and resting for tomorrow. Sheesh am I nervous.

I had to horseshoe today and have a 5k tomorrow. so no workout today. My quads are tired and I need them to rest up. FYI horseshoeing is like doing a squat for about 30 minutes per horse and I did 5 horses today. I just don't know how to put that into workout minutes.

Note of interest. Yesterday I was stopped by someone who I barely know. He said that he had heard from someone else about the training I had been doing and how he felt inspired to work on getting in shape etc. I just thought it was interesting that we never really know who we are influencing by our actions (More so than our words). It is humbling to think that people are watching what I do and actually feel inspired by it. I hope you (whoever reads this) know that you may not know it but you are making a difference in someone elses life just by being you and doing what you do. Finish Strong!