5430 1/2 Ironman - Triathlon1/2 Ironman

I don't get it! This course was not much longer than the 1st tri I did this summer, and I actually put some time in the pool, but I swam worse! They shouldn't have told us we could hang on to the boats and rest if we had to - that's exactly what I did half way through. It was nice having a personal swim angel following me all the way to the finish, I knew I was safe at least. It was also nice having so many bouys, I was just doing one-bouy-at-a-time thing.
I just couldn't get in a nice sustained rythm with my breathing and heart rate, last time at lake-to-lake I had it, even though I went slow, but at least I was steady and I didn't struggle with finishing then.
I was really happy when I could finally stand on the bottom!

Everything, I guess: swim more, do more open water, relax in the water, not hang on to the boat, draft - all of those things.

It was kind of depressing to see about 5 or 7 bikes in the transition. Not only my swim was aweful, but I was in the last wave too, so the first people have left T1 about an hour before I got there, and most people have left it 30-40 min before I got there.
I was so spent after fighting with that water, I just wanted to catch my breath and get myself together. I had planned for under 2 min transitions, but I just wasn't there.
I think I was singing a song while I was putting my helmet and shoes on - coo-coo.
I tried to eat a pb&j sandwich, but it didn't want to go in, I made myself eat a gu and ran with my bike to the bike start.

Well, if I didn't feel like I was about to throw up and collapse, I would try to move a little faster. Put my gloves on after I started riding, eat a gu after I started riding.

I miscalculated. When I did my first triathlon (an oly) in June, my swim sucked (not as bad though), but as soon as I got on a bike I started passing people - all the fast swimmers who were not as good on a bike, finally, I was riding with about 10-15 people passing each other back and forth, it was fun and it pushed me.
I thought I could do the same here: get behind on the swim, catch up on the bike, get ahead on the run. I should have realized that in a HIM swim distance is relatively shorter to the bike and run than in oly, so just good swimmers wouldn't enter this race, they would at least have to be good at the bike too.
On my first lap I passed about 3 people and got passed by all the elites near finish where they were finishing their 2nd lap. It was kind of cool to look at them.
I thought once I start 2nd lap I will start seeing some people - I passed 2 or 3 more... Basically I was riding by myself for the whole time. It was just the most lonesome ride! I am not very good at going fast without competition. As a result my avg speed was below 16. It's 2 mph slower than my speed in Lake-to-lake tri, that course was harder too. :(
The only good thing I did on that ride was eating my gu's and drinking gatorade. I stayed well hydrated.

Swim faster, so I don't have to ride by myself.
Push myself harder, not try to save energy and fall behind.

It would have been much faster if I didn't have to go to the bathroom. Changing into running shoes and hat was good. Under 2min transition , but stomach issues made it 3.

I need to learn how to ride on top of my shoes.

Ran better than in my last tri - last time my legs felt like they were going to bend. A few bike-run bricks that I'd done must have helped. I wasn't fast by any means, but I felt strong going into the run. Finally, I wasn't so lonesome anymore - I was running with a bunch of people, of course for most of them it was their second lap, not first.
It was really hot! At every aid station I would pour water over my head, put some ice in my hat. I think it helped, a lot of people were suffering with the heat.
I drank gatorade, water or coke at each aid station, ate 3 gu's during run. I am happy with the way I stayed steady and strong during run. I wanted it to be at 2hrs, but in that heat, that wasn't possible for me.

There is not much I could have done differently for the run. I'd like to be faster and I think I can, just need to do more brick work outs.

I ate quite a bit of pizza, salad and ice cream. Drank tons of water and 2 beers, it was nice that they had unlimited beers, it was hard earned!
Hung out in the shade with Richard and some other BT'ers, watched award ceremony. I wanted to get a massage, but by that time it was too late.


My inability to swim, and not being able to push harder on the bike without other people around me. Of course, the heat slowed me down too.


I have a lot of work to do! Next time I attempt a HIM I want to be better trained. Swim,swim,swim! Also bike more! and get the running better too.
I can't really say I was putting enough hours in through the last few month before the race. The question is where to find the time to do it?