Ironman 70.3 Lake Stevens - Triathlon1/2 Ironman

the first couple of hundred yards were very rough - i didn't get kicked/hit in the face like i did in boise, just lots of contact. i was trying hard to get into some open water where i could just swim, but it took probably 300 yards to get out of the contact. there was fog hanging on the water (start was delayed 10 minutes because of it), so i couldn't see the buoys. i just followed the masses and it worked great! Out to the first buoy, i was feeling strong. i felt like i had a ton of energy and i was just flying through the water! after a while, i noticed a gap between me and the group ahead of me, probably 30 yards. i realized i had dropped the slower group, and i needed to work my way up to the FOP group. i focused on catching them. after rounding the 1/2 way buoy, i was able to reel one of the guys in. i sat on his feet and followed the rope under the buoys. this worked great. this is the first time i have successfully drafted for more than a minute! it was awesome. i even passed a female pro, who started 2 mins before me!! i was really happy about that.

nothing! great swim for me!

long run on crappy pavement. nothing i could have done to be too much quicker on that part, my feet are pretty pansy when it comes to being barefoot. it did take me a couple extra seconds to put on my arm warmers (just slipped over wrists), but i'm sure glad i had them!

nada

i got up to speed and got the flow of things in the first couple of miles. the course is flat for about 1/4 -1/2 mile, then the first climb hits. this was a good chance for me to eat some GU and get my arm warmers on correctly. this course doesn't have much flats, which actually benefited me, because i suck at staying in aero for a long time! i just can't get comfortable on my bike in aero (probably too aggressive). i drank about 300 cals of GU20 and ate about 300 cals in GU, so my calorie consumption may have been lower then ideal, but i really just focused on not getting too full. i felt fantastic until about mile 45-50, where i started to notice the fatigue in my quads. my toes were numb, since it was about 55 at the start of the ride. the out and back after the second loop was brutal, just because the ride was almost over, and i didn't know how long that section was so i just kept hoping i would make it to town and my split would be 2:40 or something. . oh well!

my speedometer never worked for the race. my cadence sensor was working, which was great, but my MPH was '0' the whole time. this was probably a good thing because then i never focused on my speed, and just went by RPE! a blessing in disguise i suppose!

ride 4k-5k miles/year so i can get faster on the bike :)
not be such a pansy on the downhills and try and hit 50+ mph.

long run in bike shoes with numb feet. . difficult! took my time and made sure i bodyglided my feet, got my socks on (tough with numb feet), grabbed 2 GU's and took off. could have been a bit faster i think

take off arm warmers while still biking
not get numb feet :)

first two or three miles were weird. legs felt funky w/the feet gaining feeling again, and quads switching to the run. there was also only a few people i could see on that section of the course, so that seemed odd. my first mile was right at 7 mins, second was around 14:14, then 22:15, so i noticed i was slowing a little bit. i was drinking at each aid station, and pouring water on my head. i felt like i might be too full, and maybe shouldn't eat my GU like i had planned at 30 mins and 1 hr. however, i started to feel better and ate as planned. i finished the first loop around 47 or so minutes, so close to plan. i was running calculations and trying to see where i would have to be to hit 5 hrs. i knew i'd have to step it up. mile 7 or so i cranked it up. a guy passed me and i thought ' you know what, i'm not letting this guy get away.' i cranked up my pace and hung with him for about 1-1.5 miles. then i passed him and didn't see him again! i felt like i was pushing 6:30's, and i was working hard the last 4 miles. i must have passed 100 people (a lot were on their first lap, so slower runners etc), including a few in my AG. it is weird looking at my time and thinking to my effort level. i felt like i was pushing harder the last few miles. it was a great feeling to be able to turn it up a notch and go harder towards the end of the race, as apposed to slowing down!

get new shoes in time - my shoes are worn out and my arches hurt pretty bad after the race.
run faster from the get-go :)

go my bottle of water and gatorade, poured about 1/2 a bottle of water on my head while i walked around to get my HR down. drank water/gatorade, changed into shorts/shirt and then ate some pizza/cookies etc


lack of riding



pizza at the finish line = win
soft sugar cookies at finish line = win
me having to grab my own water cup at mile 11 = lose