Miami Man 1/2 Iron - Triathlon1/2 Ironman

What a swim. Clear cool waters paved the way for the confidence booster of the day. Coming out of the water, I felt invincible. The venue allows for the crowd to spread out so it was very organized in the water without the normal kicking and pushing.

Nothing!!!

T1 was good. The oveerall distance from the entry of transition to the location of the bike was about 500 yds. I was able to run on the grass as I deceided to to put on shoes at the swim exit.

Worked great. There will be no option next year to take shoes to the swim exit.

Nothing!!

Probably the best bike perormance of my life. The entire way I was monitoring nutrition, speed, HR and traffic.

I was chatting with many other racers- which i have seldom done. It was a FUN ride.

Not take in so much nutrition, just because the watch says so. Toward the end, it felt like I was forcing down Sustained Energy.

OOOoops! I forgot to pack socks for the 1/2 Mary. I knew this might be a problem but I felt good and was chatting to coach at transition. My water bottle that i had left in transition to wash up was still frozen in the cooler, as i forgot to take it out.

I cleaned the dirt and pebbles and rocks off of my wet feet as best i could, but this was DEFINATELY the turning point of my race.

Pack socks for any race longer than an OLY.

Bad things happend today on the run portion of this race.

Mile 1, I felt the naggging of the dirt and pebbles in my shoe. Mile 4 blister, Mile 6, I got a bad case of the runs, Mile 8- 4 blisters, Mile 9- another bathroom stop with the runs. The rest escalated into a BRUTAL afternoon on the punishing course.

The blisters forced me to change my strut which by mile 4 case my lower back to start hurting. This was not the main cause of my demise.

On mile ten, at the Team Hammerheads station, Janice was kind enough to facilitate band aids. I took off my shoes and cleaned my feet again. Man do they hurt. I sufferred 2 bad cramps when I lifted my legs to put the band aid on.

Thanks to an Inspirational coach Dirk and Frank and Jalaine Sanchez that ran the last mile with me, the pain slowly dissipated and I was able to cross the finish line with a bitter sweet feeling.



Add socks to my packing list. Wear socks and take more time in transition preparing feet.

Crossed the finish line and sat down with my family and friends.


7 blisters, 2 bathroom stops, lower back spasms


"Respect the distance"

No this is not a line from Field of Dreams. It is simply a phrase that FC and I discuss frequently when my mind wanders into Ironman 2007 mode.

Simply, it represents the ability of a race of this distance to go from full control to no control. It is evident in todays developments.

Today was not about lack of fitness, lack of perservereance, or lack of desire. It was about what the day dealt. Today it was blisters, spasms and Diarreah. Next time it may be wind or rain or waves or something else. What is certain is that I must deal with what the day hands down. That is racing. NO EXCUSES!

A HUGE hug to all Da Bitches (FC, Rafa, Ivanka, Jocy, Tony and R2) for a fantabulous 16 weeks of training. The teamwork got us here.

Big Bad Captain Dirk! A beast racing and coaching. He is a one stop triathlon oligopoly from coaching to mechanics to political enlightment. Disney 70.3 in 6:15? Let's go to work!!!