Firmman Half Iron Triathlon - Triathlon1/2 Ironman

Had a pretty good swim. There was decent size waves getting in and out which didn't help, but I handled them pretty well. Sighting was pretty good overall, but there was a little confusion at the end as the last buoy wasn't in line with the other ones (it curved in towards the beach some) so I actually got a little nervous I may have missed a buoy.

Have a better idea on the course/buoys. They were really late putting the buoys in the water so I didn't have a good scope of where they are were until during the race. Overall, it was definitely a great swim.

Great T1! It looks like I got 3rd overall time wise. They did have people assisting with taking of wetsuits which I intended to do, but there was a little confusion while I was approaching them so I just went to the rack and did it myself, which appears to have been the right decision.

Nothing!

Pushed it quite hard on the bike. I'd say my pace was good, but could not have gone much harder. There were more hills than I thought there would be, but I liked the course overall. Happy with my ride overall.

I didn't ride or drive the course at all before the race, which I think would have been beneficial. I also think I should have probably consumed some more fluids. I also will be getting a tri bike which will hopefully make me faster.

Had a decent T2. It actually felt like it was a little longer than that so I am happy with the time. Did pretty well getting on/tying my shoes quickly.

Forgot to ditch my sunglasses after the ride so I got about 5 feet from my bike and noticed that so I just tossed them back at my bike. Unfortunately I didn't end up finding them after the race, but that's why I only use $10 shades.

Had a decent run. I cramped up on the right side of my stomach a couple times, which I really had to fight through, but I did run the entire time. I started out with a 7:29-7:30 mile which was the pace I was hoping for, but I ended up slowing down a few miles in. Overall, I think my hydration was pretty good, but I think it may have been a little on the low end. Both my biceps were on the verge of spasming for the last few miles and there were a few brief points where my right calf felt like it was on the verge of spasming. When I tried to pick it up in the sand at the very end of the race, my right calf started spasming which sucked. I toughed it out and got over the finish line, but I need to eliminate that from happening again.

As I mentioned above, a little more hydration may be in order. With multiple muscle spasms, it appears I may need some more fluids. Also, I need to get faster! I cramped a few times, which definitely held me back, but I gotta get faster.

Did not do much of a cool down. I tried to stretch a little, but didn't do much.


Don't think I had any restrictions during the swim. Just more practice swimming will make me faster. Having a tri bike should improve my time on the bike, but time will tell. As for the run, cramps and muscles spasms did hold me back some.


As a lot of people told me while at the race, this is a great race for people doing this distance for the first time. It was definitely a challenging race both physically and mentally, but I really enjoyed it. I will be recommending this race to friends. Proud to now be HALF IRON!