Ironman Florida - TriathlonFull Ironman

A rugby match in the water. Brutal and pretty violent. I had a hard time finding good clean water. People were everywhere. Constantly hit, punched, grabbed, and ran into. But it was fun and what I expected. My goal was to use the swim as a warm-up with a goal time of 1:05-1:10. I felt like I kept my heart rate low. Swallowed some water but no big deal. I grew up on these beaches so I am used to a little chop / wave action. 1st lap was a 28 minute lap. Second lap was in 31, I think.

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Changed into dry Bib cycling kit. Comfort over speed. Put on Garmin 305. Took a quick pee break, applied sunscreen and off. Volunteers are awesome and so helpful

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Felt great on the bike. The goal was to stay between 130 bpm and 140 bpm, which I did. The first 20 or so miles were fine. I finished the swim quickly so I was up with the big boys out of the water. They pretty much blew past me on the bike within the first 10 miles. I just let them go. The turn onto 20 and the ride until SR231 was not easy. We had a head wind with some small hills. Once onto 231, the speed picked up. Hit the out and back section - the road was pretty bad. My water bottle cage rattle free! Nutrition was right on. No upset belly. On the Perp every 8 min, chased with sips of water. A gel every hour. Salt / electrolyte pill every hour. Took 2 tylenol half-way through. I had 2 bananas and half a PBNJ as well. Once off the out and back, we had ~40-50 miles of super smooth and fast road with a tailwind. I was holding about 22mph on this section with no problem. Lots of blatant drafting, which is bothersome but out of my control. I race my race. It is important to me to know I completed this course within the prescribed rules. If someone else wants to cheat, they have to look themselves in the mirror.

Nothing. Hit the nutrition spot on. Stayed within my heart rate just as I trained. I was expecting a 6:00 to 6:15 bike. I was a little worried I went too hard but turns out I didn't.

Changed out of cycling kit and into Desoto tri shorts and top. Throw on visor, get more sunscreen, clean sunglasses and off.

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Great run for me after swimming 2.4 miles, biking 112 miles. I am not a runner. I had an IT band issue earlier in the year. My longest training run for the race was maybe 15 miles. So, I was worried about this. But I felt good most of the way. No dark times. Stayed positive. I thought about my 6 month old son and the sacrifices my wife made for me to do this race as motivation. The plan was to run 3 min and walk 1 min, which worked like a charm. The crowds were great and supportive. I never had any joint pain, which I attribute to the run / walk method. Because I did the run / walk method, I kept my HR lower, which I think allowed me to digest the nutrition I was consuming. No cramps, no nausea. I did feel some muscle spasm in my quads, etc. around mile 15-20, but they weren't too bad. So, my energy levels remained good throughout. Volunteers were awesome. Saw my wife, son, and mom at the turnaround, which was uplifting. So great to see their faces. I am not a runner at all so this marathon is probably my proudest achievement for this race.

Nothing. Maybe run for 4 min and walk 1 min next time?

Finish was awesome and a great relief. Got the medal and picture. Ate 4 pieces of pizza, orange slices, and water. I was cold. I found my family, rounded up the bike and bags, found the car and headed home. Incredibly sore for the next 4 days or so but still on cloud 9. Awesome family vacation.


Nothing. I executed my race plan to the best of my ability. Next time, I hope to get longer steady state bike rides in for 4-6 hours. I did the best I could with the time I had to train.


The beaches are beautiful. I prefer the low-key, mellow vibe of South Walton County to stay for the race. Some of the roads, maybe 20 miles or so, were pretty rough but not that big of a deal. Highly recommend.