Ironman Florida - Triathlon

Pretty big waves at the start of each lap. They weren't intimidating until the wall of people came up at the start. This was one of the busiest swims I've been in. That could be due to the self seeding, the chop, or everyone being a little more nervous because of the chop. Came out of the first lap right next to George. Second lap was more open, just the occasional zigzagger to avoid. I had some chafing around my armpits, but not due to the wetsuit. Must have been the salt water.

I seeded myself toward the back of the 1hr-1hr10min corral. I guess that ended up being accurate, but I probably could have been more aggressive in my seeding and start to avoid some of the traffic at the start. I would have loaded up the vaseline in my pits if I new the water was gonna chafe.

Uneventful transition, which is good. We had to sit in the sand to get our wetsuits stripped, but then there was a shower that helped get some of the sand and salt off. The changing room was packed, so I didn't get a seat, but that probably helped keep me moving.

Nothing really. Just keep moving a little faster.

Followed food and hydration plan very closely. Stopped to pee once. I came up out of aero quite a bit to stretch my back. Pushed hard while keeping HR around 130. Lack of hills helped my speed and HR stay steady. There were lots of packs on the way out, but most seemed to be trying to avoid drafting. I would hang back to avoid drafting, and then pick a good time to pass a pack and break away. The ride back in was better as packs got more spread out. There were plenty of officials on the course, and just about every penalty tent I passed had at least one person in it. I don't know how they decide who to penalize. That must be a tough job.

It all comes down to training, so the only thing I would have done differently is train more.

Great volunteer helped lay my stuff out. Slammed my Campbell's Chicken Noodle, grabbed my food and got going.

Nothing.

Focused on food, hydration, and heart rate. Mentally, for me, that meant pushing my pace a little bit and ignoring the heavy legs, then form fell in line. I felt cramps coming on in my quads around mile 5 and started taking lava salt tabs, 2 or 3 per hour, maybe more. They helped the most when I stopped at aid stations, set my food down, and emptied the capsules into water. Around mile 16, I forgot to pick my food back up, but that was okay because there was plenty of Gu, Coke, and chicken broth the rest of the way.

I saw Doug on the bike course and figured I started the run 15min ahead of him. At the first turn around, he was 10min back. After one lap he was 5min back. I figured he'd catch me, but I kept watching my heart rate and figured I could push it in the last couple miles if he still hadn't passed me. Raising my effort at mile 13 would only hurt in the long run. At the last turn around, he was 4min back. I knew I had a chance to beat him, so I started skipping every other aid station, and when I did stop it was for coke and broth, one more Gu, and I tried to get back to running as quickly as possible. In the end, I held him off by 1:53!

Mmmmmmaybe I could have pushed a little harder, but I was focused on keeping may heart rate down because I didn't want to spike and be unable to recover. The flat course definitely helped with this strategy! Considering the risk of exhausting myself if I pushed a little harder, I don't think I'd do anything differently.

Waited 1min53s for Doug (profile Slink). Had a little water. Walked back to hotel. Showered. Went to Waffle House, but only finished about half. My stomach wasn't ready for any more sugar, but the bacon was good.


Training was the main limiting factor this year. This was probably my smartest race in terms of pacing, picking spots to break away, stretching my back on the bike, nutrition, everything. Nothing on race day specifically held me back.


Typical Ironman extravaganza, and I mean that as a complement. The only unique thing here was the self seeding start. It worked fine. I think most people would have seeded themselves in the exact same spot without the signs showing expected swim time, but the signs did provide a better idea of where to be. This keeps the appeal of the mass start (which I love) and helps people get themselves in the right spot. I would much rather have this than get split into waves.