Honolulu Tinman Triathlon - TriathlonOlympic

Hmmm... decent start. Started towards the back, on the far outside. Of course, by the middle of the first section, I was on the far left.

Seriously... I site well. I really do. I mean, I think I do. Every 10 strokes or so, I purposely site straight ahead, and it seems that I'm going the right way, but apparently not.

Unfortunately, I hit two separate people head on... one guy I really got tangled-up with. After hitting the second guy... I look up and i'm right in the middle of the oncoming traffic. I am WAY OFF COURSE! No way to get across, lifeguard blowing his whistle, my only option was to duck underwater and swim for about 15 seconds sideways till I surfaced on the other side of the lane line.

This has happened my last two races... I really can't blame any one else. Hmmm.. not sure how to fix this. I really do think I'm a slow, but reliable swimmer... just crooked.

I finished with the breast-strokers. So sad.

Ummmm... only sign-up for triangle swim courses. =)

I guess my times were pretty decent. I certainly was a little more winded than normal after that swim. I usually pass people in the T1 run shoot... this time I got passed. I just stood by my bike for an extra 10 seconds or so to collect my breath/thoughts.

Did the flying squirrel mount. Worked perfectly. Weird thing though... right after I jump on my bike I hear some lady go, "Oh no, his food". That's crazy talk, I don't know what that means. Did her kid drop his mac-n-cheese or something?

400 meters later, I look down at my top tube. My two lava gels that I taped down for easy access... my only salts/sugar on the bike... GONE. I had one bottle of water... well, guess I'll enjoy that Gatorade on the run a bit more. =)

It was my first race with "nutrition". You just don't need a gel for sprints.

Apparently I need to find a better location next time.

Bike felt pretty good. A little crotch burn... bad saddle + pad-less tri shorts. Passed by two separate groups of 4 riders. Both times, I made multiple attempts to re-pass and drop them... both times, I ended up winded and blown away.

That was stupid. I really should just race my own race. But I'm racing against these guys... and it just irks me a bit. I wanted to say something like "The tour is in france guys, not here", but instead I just kept my mouth shut. And of course, I secretly vow to pass them on the run. =)

Heartbreak Hill was actually fun. Two friends told me that they would be on top of the hill rooting people on. So... (don't tell anyone)... I soft pedaled for a stretch in Hawaii Kai to get my heartrate down... and when Heartbreak came up... I was out of the saddle the whole time passing people left and right! Of course... no friends in sight. Grrrrr.

The rest was a breeze. That lone water bottle... my free Tinman swag... I accidentally launched it on Elapaio. Maybe someone here picked it up for me? =)

Race my own race.

New bike... yep, Wife gave me the go ahead!

For the first time in my life, I actually followed the volunteer directions and slowed down at dismount. I jumped off BEFORE the red line, just like they say. And what happened?

Some volunteer standing right at the red-line says "Keep going, you're not at the line yet". What? Seriously? That's my reward for not going 25 mph into transition.

When I was pulling into T2 I asked "Where's the finish line, I'm done."

Along with a few blank stares, the only response was "You still have one more leg to go."

Apparently, I need to work on my humor. =)

I hate to talk this way... but.. was the run course short? I was seriously shuffling my feet, and I ran 7:15 miles? I call BS!

Couldn't seem to catch my breath... abdominal cramps/gas pushed up on my diaphragm. Short little breaths ruled the day for me. Definitely didn't feel normal, cause I even stopped to stretch a bit.

Aid stations were great. Sponges ice cold. Nasty blister from wet shoes (sponges and water cups overhead). But other than that... nice run. My first 10K in about 8 years... I definitely did NOT want to push it at the end... I usually sprint the 5K runs... no sir, not today, not gonna happen.

Its gotten to a point... I think that better bike fitness will not only help my bike times (DUH!), but also help my run. I'm planning on the Honolulu Marathon this winter, so I may need to concentrate on the run for a bit, but in the future, more biking, less running.

They told me at the finish line "Here's your pint glass, go grab a beer."

Woah! Really? I hear that happens at some indie long-distance tri events... that would be AWESOME!

I walked to the food stand, held out my glass and said "I'll talk a pint of Bass". The nice lady poured 16 oz of lime Gatorade. Nothing has ever tasted so good.

After three pints, two bananas, and a raisin bagel. I ran off to go find my wife finishing the course.


Gas. Cramps. GI distress.

I hate that.

I haven't solved it yet. I've been having diarrhea all day long.


The most organized, enthusiastic, awesome triathlon race I've ever been a part of. Volunteers were amazing. HPD kept things under tight control. Good bike coral security. Everything seem to go off without a hitch.