Big Kahuna 1/2 Ironman - Triathlon1/2 Ironman

it was pretty rough on the feet to stand around in the chilly sand to wait for my wave to start. i wasn't the only one - there was a lot of hopping going on. i didn't envy the people who decided to venture out in just a long john. i didn't see one single person without a wetsuit. nevertheless i was looking forward to the swim. i keep wondering why i like it so much. the rougher the conditions the better. sometimes i wish the swim segment would be longer and the bike segment shorter...

i spent too much time making sure that my navigation was on spot. i don't need to check as often as i did. i used the position of the rising sun to keep my course and that worked out perfectly.

my transition spot was as bad as it gets. we got there pretty late and the best we could do was to put the bike in one really crammed spot and lay out the rest of our gear 5 ft away across a grassy area on some unused pavement. not ideal, to say the least. also, the transition time includes about a 1/3 mile run from the beach up to 'depot park', where the transition area was located. that might have worked out to my advantage, me being and accomplished barefooten runner. (rolleyes)

get there a bit earlier.

the bike segment is and probably always will be my weak link. nothing wrong with that - we all have a weakest discipline. i just don't enjoy the bike that much, mainly because i have to share the road with cars. i am MUCH more afraid of cars and their drivers than i am of sharks - therefore i don't spend as much time on the bike as the importance of the bike segment warrants.

that said - i had a good ride. no flats, no way to get lost and i finally got rid of the Profile Design AirStrykes clip-ons. ah- no more percussion effects from the elbow pads...

at about mile 52 i spotted a guy walking his bike. 'karma' i thought. 'this is my chance to repay the kindness of the people who helped me out on the Ironman bike course'. so i stopped and offered help. all the guy needed was air. but he didn't want my pump. i argued with him that a possible 4 min penalty was a bit less severe than the self-imposed 1h penalty of hoofing it. no dice. another Sadowsky in the making? at least i am not going to get reincarnated as a cockroach. i think.

try to worry less about drafting. the USAT goons were out in force, taking names left and right. i expected to get a penalty myself, as i go passed on an uphill and didn't fall back the required 7m within the required 15 sec. it sure earned me a stern look from the guy with the notepad. oh the humanity!

after that i got paranoid. i wasted some energy slowing down and taking an extra effort passing where i shouldn't have.

crappy transition. the place was a mess. wetsuits, swimcaps, helmets all over the place. one of my socks was missing. forgot to put on my race belt.

i don't know. i suck at transitioning. i'm a disorganized person, but i like myself that way :)

some Triathletes are assholes. my GF told me about a guy who snapped at a volunteer: 'pay some attention, dammit!' because he wasn't handed his drink of choice right away. as if he coudn't have grabbed it off the table. as if the volunteers got tipped. as if it would have made a difference in his overall performance.

i held back too much. this being a bit less than a month after my IM and me not having trained all that much in between i played it safe. i could have run at least 4 min faster. oh well. one of the benefits of endurance sports is that you learn to listen to and read your own body. i got lots to learn.

waded into the cold, blue pacific ocean.

i waited for my GF at the finish until my bladder almost burst. of course she came in somewhere during my run to and back from the nearest toilet.

as all you guys know - an almost burst bladder is no excuse for not being at the finish line. but she's a good gal. she got over it real quick.


my IM one month before.


1) no. absolutely no porta-potties on the bike course. this is the first time i had to pee my pants. gotta remember to give the bike a shower...

2) if we must run from the swim to the transition area please make sure there's no broken bottles left there from saturday night's orgies.

3) no porta potty at the finish is almost criminal.

but mostly - a fun event. i enjoyed it more than i thought i would. the hawaiian hula dancers were first class. wish i could have seen more of them. they were facing away from the finish chute.