Gulf Coast Triathlon - Triathlon1/2 Ironman

Last year's gulf coast swim nearly retired me from the sport. I didn't handle the rough waters very well. This year was a little calmer than last, but it was still a challenge. I certainly didn't score a swim PR, but I did remain relatively calm - especially after the first few hundred yards.

Little bit of a beach hike up to transition. I really didn't stress over transition times. I just went quickly and methodically.

I had planned to race by HR and speed, but my HR monitor flaked out. My previous best average at this distance was 22.6MPH. I wanted to better that and was shooting for 23MPH.

The wind was at times your friend and at times your enemy. I knew when I was cruising along over 30MPH and a low heart rate that there would be hell to pay at the turnaround, and I was right!

I consumed only about 400 calories on the bike which might have contributed to my subsequent run issues.

I was trying a new pair of running socks to prevent blisters. It was those socks that fit like a glove over each individual toe. This took a little time to wrestle onto each toe, but it was worth it. I drank some calories here because I was afraid that i was in deprivation.

Ok, this was by far my worst 1/2 IM run. Due to injuries, I haven't been able to train like I would have preferred. In any case, I was happy in the sense that I had no pain on the run - none of the usual suspects showed up.

However, I was not ready for the heat. I'm not sure if it was my effort and nutrition on the bike, but I just couldn't move. I never stopped except at the aid stations, but it was a battle of the mind.



Work on my overall nutrition strategy. Heat train a bit more.

Water.


Heat and nutrition.


The organizers did a great job with the race and the events surrounding the race.