Timberman - Half Iron - Triathlon1/2 Ironman

The swim start was like WWIII. I can't tell you how many times I got elbowed. But I was able to take a good line on the inside close to the buoys, and felt really good. I had barely swum the two weeks prior to the race, so I think I slowed down on the last stretch, but overall the swim was a great start to the race

Stay to one side at the start. I got caught in the middle somehow and couldn't move at all

Was concentrating on taking my time and drinking my gatorade after the swim, and forgot all about the wetsuit strippers. Two were free however, so they ran over to me and helped get my suit off.

Remember to get my suit down to my waist

The bike was what I was most nervous about. It was a hilly course, I hadn't done a ride this long without stopping, and I hadn't been on my bike much in the last 2 weeks. I had practiced the course a few weeks earlier, but they changed it, and added more hills! So a lot of the course was new, and I was using aerobars for only the 2nd time. I started off the leg by not remembering to turn on my Garmin, and by shifting into a harder gear to climb up the hill. I told you I hadn't been on my bike in awhile! By mile 10 my back was killing me. Then I hit the big hill and wanted to cry a little. I was able to hammer pretty well on the middle flat section. And on the back half, there were some big hills (both up and down). After another nasty uphill, there was a payoff of a couple of big downhills, and I was able to get up to 48 mph!! It was awesome. I had to laugh because the speed limit on that stretch was 35 mph - I was speeding on my bike, lol.

Not take 2 weeks off before the race. Get more comfortable on the aerobars (and have a straw long enough to drink out of in the aerobottle).

Had to stop at portajohn before the run. Switched socks because mine were soaked, and was trying to prevent blisters.

I was so darn happy to get off my bike and get my running shoes on! I'm a runner (albeit not super fast) so this is usually the leg that is like autopilot for me. Unfortunately, that was not the case this time. It was so hot and humid (it was ~2 PM by this point) that it was hard to run. Plus, my knee was really hurting and kind of felt like it wasn't attached to the rest of my leg. The course was two loops (so two out and backs), and the first "out" felt like it took forever! At the end of the first loop, you actually go by the finish line, and can hear other people finishing, but then have to turn right and keep going back out onto the course.

I was crying when I had to turn away and go back out. I was telling my friends/teammates that I wasn't sure I could make it. A man I was running near calmed me down, told me to slow down, and I regained some composure. But I was HURTING and was honestly not sure that I could do it. So I decided to walk the uphills and through the water stops (thank goodness there were a lot of water stops, I can't believe how much Gatorade I drank!), run the downhills, and shuffle through the flats. Had to stop again to use bathroom. Was SO hot and humid, was starting to cramp and could barely move my legs anymore. R knee was really bothering me as was L glute. At the second turn around, my friend/training partner Kate had pretty much caught up to me. We high 5'd, and I continued on. She pushed hard and caught up to me a short while later, and then we finished the last of the race together. It was awesome because she could have gone on and beaten me, but we'd been through so much together this summer that we really wanted to cross the line together. She almost literally was pulling me at some times because I was in so much pain, and I was saying "I can do this, I can do this" during each walking section to convince myself to finish.

We crossed the line holding hands, and were given our finishers medals. I was given mine by Chrissie Wellington!! It was amazing when I saw her. I told her it was my first 70.3, and she told me I should be so proud of myself. What a great couple of memories!

I had only run once in the 1.5 weeks before the race due to knee pain and moving. Definitely not take time off!

Heat, feeling stale before the race (next time go for rested instead)


Accident on bike course, so start was delayed