LongHorn Ironman 70.3 Triathlon Festival - Triathlon1/2 Ironman

I got a great start. I was in with the group, feeling the draft, stroking well and then, just after I thought about how good this was going, wham! I got kicked in the face dislodging my right eye's goggle. It leaked a bit last year so I didn't want to go through that again. I pulled up and tried to reset it, but that didn't work at first. Of course, now dudes are pissed at me for stopping and the jostling kept me from getting comfortable again. After a bit, though the wave was gone and I was still bobbing around thinking about quitting. Really. I was looking for a kayak, canoe,the surfboard dude, anyone who would tow me to shore. My brain just freaked. Add to that I had a lake water burp that wouldn't budge and my suddenly constricting wetsuit and I was toast. I got claustrophobic inside my own damn wetsuit. Finally, I saw a couple other stragglers and talked myself into continuing. I was now in clear water, more like I'd trained in and I kept telling myself, if you quit now, you don't get to ride the bike or run. I really wanted to do those parts. Once I regained my composure (and mentally prepared to be swallowed up by the next couple of swim waves), I set my course and navigated fairly straight. I stayed right on the buoy line and turned the corners well. About half-way through the backstretch, the burp finally released. Man, that felt good. By the home stretch, the washing machine effect was in full swing as those other waves were cruising by, but by that point, I knew I was home free, so I began to mix it up with them a bit. The irony? I swam 2:30s which wasn't far off my "normal" long distance pace. The sad part? I really thought I could, and wanted to swim 2:10s or better.

Despite the fact that I put in a lot of time in the lake training, I didn't do enough in my wetsuit or with congestion. I have to swim 1-2 Olys to prepare. It was basically all mental, as I know I can swim the distance. So, get more race-like experience is all I can think of to help me improve this aspect of my HIMs. I am getting a full sleeve wetsuit and plan to train in OW more often this winter.

I wasn't as disoriented exiting the water as I thought I might be. The strippers were quick and efficient and I was on my way up the muddy hill to the bike. Having to fight off a nasty calf cramp while putting on my left shoe sucked, but it never bothered me again. Bagging the gear wasn't too bad, either. I'd been practicing in my mind how to get it all in, and my wetsuit folds up pretty well, so shoving it in and tying it up was not much of a problem. My pedals were not in the right position, though, and I was geared a bit low for quick take off (despite checking it out), so I was kind of rough there. But overall, being out of the water was such a relief that the rest just took care of itself.

make sure the pedals are set for a right leg first entry and that the gearing is in the right place.

I love to bike! I love my Kuota! I love this course! Sure it's breezy. Sure the roads are a bit rough, but it's the same for everyone out there. I had a helluva great time on the bike, despite the fact I had to pee most of the entire time. I don't pee off my bike, and I don't stop for anything (if at all possible) while on bike, so it was a long ride from my bladder's perspective. I hydrated well, though, and ate through the gel cubes and Gu as planned. Still need a better delivery system for the cubes, as the zip loc baggy method is lacking. I didn't need the jelly beans I'd stashed in the bento box, but I made good use of the salt tabs. I hit 2 of the 4 bottle hand-ups, the first and last (thanks volunteers - you were good this year getting bottles to us at high speed). Since it was cooler than last year, I only filled the aero bottle with my home brewed gatorade and took one extra bottle of Nuun. At the first hand-up I grabbed a Gatorade, for the second bottle cage. This combo lasted until the last station where I got a straight water. I was tired of sweet stuff by this time. I made sure to focus on passing my age group dudes whenever I could. I watched them swim away from me, so it felt good to be able to return the favor on the ride. No bonking, no muscle failure, and a great mental ride.

Maybe pee in T1, but I accomplished my goal which was a sub 3 hr ride. I think the 6 months of bike commuting to work, along with some pretty rigorous training really paid off. Of course, I'd love new, more aerodynamic wheels, but those babies are way expensive, so I'll just focus on getting even stronger legs and upper body for next year.

This transition was odd, as we had to get our stuff out of the bag first. I had put it in just as if it was already set up, so the socks were not balled and the shoes were ready for my, but it still was awkward. Fortunately, we didn't have to put our bike gear in the bag. I didn't drink anything, nor did I stop to pee. There was a really long run out of T2 and I started my watch pretty early, as I wasn't sure where the timing mat was.

I think this one went pretty well, so nothing, really.

Wow! what a run! I'm amazed at my AG placement. Ok, if you've read this far, you know I've really got to pee. About a mile in, I found an empty blue portapotty and dashed in. I couldn't believe how long it took to empty out! I was getting impatient, but I reminded myself that what had been held was a nearly 4 hours worth. That chore done, I was back on the course. I hit nearly every aid station and a pattern soon developed, a little gatorade at this one, salt tabs and water at the next, a sponge or two, some more gatorade at another, a blast of water guns from the orange cheering section at the turn, a cold towel, another water over the head, you get the picture. There was the one long stretch from the park to the top of the fairgrounds hill with nothing, but it worked out. The run was so congested that you never knew if the person you were passing (or being passed by) was on which leg. It was impossible to tell if I was gaining on any of my AG mates. Not having quadzilla was pretty nice and when Keith asks whether to bring it back, I'm not so sure I want to. Another element was that the spectators were more concentrated at the arena grounds which made for a awesome cheering section at the loop turns. The arena finish was also cool. The people in the stands ringing cowbells and just cheering for everyone coming in was really nice.

Do I have to? I can't believe I pulled off my goal of under 9s. I knew I could run that pace over that distance, but hadn't done it in conjunction with a long ride or swim at all. Finally dropping 5-7 lbs. in August didn't hurt, either.

more like hang on and not get sent to the med tent. The heat wave caught me at about the same time Jason and Kristene (who were cheering me on the run, too) arrived. I was at the beer tent just looking for a place to set down all the cool schwag. The only problem was that the towels weren't iced this year. I needed ice badly. The beer ladies loaded me up, and I proceeded to put ice in places where ice shouldn't go. Did the trick, though, along with a couple of gatorades. It took me a long time before I could even drink that beer. After a while, I was able to get in the food line and the chicken tacos were wonderful. I sat and watched for many minutes and consumed as much chow and liquid as I could.


my brain in the swim. The rest worked well.


I just love this race. It's been fun to grow as a triathlete along with the event. I already have several friends and training partners who want to do it next year. I'm ready to register.