Musselman Half-Iron Triathlon - Triathlon1/2 Ironman

i started up front with tim and held on for ~50 yards, but he is too fast for me. i dropped back and settled in. it was pretty choppy, but it was also the least combative swim i have ever done. the inside line to the buoys was wide open the whole swim and i on;y made contact once or twice.

i felt great until we made the canal turn. it smelled and tasted like dead fish wrapped in dirty diapers. i started to heave a bit, but if i concentrated on taking clean breaths, i could continue on. there was also no chop there and fans lining the shore/docks, so it was a good place to push through and pick up the pace.
i made it to the boat ramp and started the sprint to t1.

nothing.

i used to be extremely marginal in transitions, but i'm starting to improve. i saw tim leaving as i came in, so i was motivated not to waste much time.

nothing

first 15 are slightly uphill and had a cross/head wind, so even though i saw tim, i knew i wouldn't catch him and decided not to hammer early. i've been racing without any computer, so i just set a decent pace until i could start nutrition.

i took a time check at 5 and then 10 miles, and was a little behind the pace required to hit my goal of sub-5, but i knew the back half of the course was faster so i didn't panic. i panicked a little when i lost one of my two gu flasks, but i decided to calm down and switch to on course hammer gel. it's not as good, but it won't ruin my day either.

the next section was fast and fun down to the other lake. the lake was ok too until we turned off into the climb and wind. the climb was fine, but after the initial steep part, was a 1-2% climb with a killer headwind that seemed to go on forever. i was glad not to know my speed and i assumed that i was doing alright as i was only being passed here and there. i was passed by the 1st female in this section and i was waiting for the usual stream of women to come by me, including laura or heidi since they are strong riders. with the 4-8 minute wave advantage though, i was able to hold them off.

i was happy to make it to the gravel-like road section at miles 42-44. the surface didn't bother me and it was excellent to finally be out of the wind. i rode that section really hard and went hard all the way to t2. i finished strong and had one of my best rides yet. i just wanted to come in at sub-3:30 race time with a shot to break 5 and i was ahead of schedule.

highlight: passing ~3 amish horse and buggies with weird al's amish paradise stuck in my head the whole time.

not drop my gu flask.

13th place overall in t2 and i didn't even take my shoes off on the bike. i did do a flying dismount at ~8-9mph and sprinted through with my bike tough. perfect.

nothing.

i started the run just like the bike. strong and steady, but easy enough to be able to start eating. the miles seemed a bit off as the first was fast and the second slow, but i pushed on. eventually i caught sight of tim earlier than i thought (i figured i would see him somewhere between mile 13 and the massage tent). i was very happy to see him . i could care less about beating him as long as we could work together a little for a chance to break 5 hours. he told me i didn't need to stay with him, but it was a great pace and an amazing distraction from the pain, so we pushed on together.

i decided to get through the first half and then see what i had left. at ~6.5 we hit a steep gravel downhill and i picked up the pace. there were some tough hills to follow, but it was net downhill for the second half so i was moving quickly.

there were some rough sections, but i got pick ups at the perfect times from seeing k followed by hearing/seeing dan and ally screaming out of the car, and then seeing nate. i also got some help from another runner as we worked together the last few miles to chase down a few people. it was just what i needed to hit the line strong and smash my pr. all in all a perfect day.

nothing.

i got light headed and stiff immediately. i ate enough for a 5 hour race, but i was downhill fast. i went straight to the massage table as my legs were locking up.

once i was under control, i grabbed some food and cheered on the other people. lots of pr's today, so fun to watch. there is nothing like racing with friends.


not sure. i've had sciatic nerve issues that hurts and limits my run training, but it makes me focus on the bike and hasn't slowed me down in races, so i'm not sure it's slowed my overall times at all.


great race. nice area, good giveaways, nice course. just an overall good experience. i definitely recommend it.