Ford Ironman 70.3 California - Triathlon1/2 Ironman

My swim was somewhat of an adventure right from the start. Of all things I had some dude start off the swim with a breast/frog stroke. It took me about 100 yards to get around him. I then had by ear plugs start to come out a few times. The biggest obstacle is that the strap on my goggles came undone about a third of the way. I flagged a kayak down and swam to him. I explained that I was fine but needed to re-attach my strap.

After I took care of that it was the last obstacle before the swim exit. I felt comfortable the entire way.

I probably could have shaved a few minutes off my time had I trained for this race a little more. I am fine with my results.

Ok, this was a quick 7:26. I did not feel like I was goofing off. I did have some trouble getting my wetsuir off but not too bad and I was talking to Shelley while in T1. I felt good and ran throughout transition. In my defense I was at the end ot a long transition area which required a lengthy run with the bike.

get the wetsuit off quicker.

I took the tri bike to CA. I enjoyed the course. There was plenty to look at starting with the ocean and then the very large Camp Pendleton with some natural unspoiled scenery. Every inch of coastline has been developed with the exception of the Camp.

The ride was pretty uneventful except that the hills kicked my A$$. I rode up next to a guy around mile 12. He was cruising along and was a Marine. He told me that he has ridden the course and that there was a hill at mile 37 that I would hate. So I am going along the rolling hills and get to mile 32 and out of nowhere appears a steep hill with an ambulance in the middle of the road. I decided to climb as much as I could then walk. I figured why struggle at 4 mph when I can walk up at 2.5. I got about half way up and walked the rest. oh, The ambulance was simply there to slow down traffic coming down the hill. I then had some rollers until 37 when the other hill showed up. It was not as steep but was longer. I did the same thing and ended up walking. I knew that I would need my legs later. It's funny that all the women would pass me up going uphill and then I would fly by them on the downhills. At this point I was tired of the climbing and was told that there was one more hill. Same thing as the other two. At about mile 40 the hills were done. I then pushed the pace back into the harbor. I must have passed 20 people on the way. I felt good. Looking back at my first 70.3, I stopped 2x and struggled to get through the bike. This time I felt good and did not stop at all. It truely is a fun ride but a challenge none the less. I am surprised that my avg was only 14.9

Ride my bike more and ride it on some hills. Hill repeats.

I had a good T2. I ran with the bike and quickly found my rack. Chatted with Shelley while changing and attempting to apply some sunscreen. The time was inflated because I did stop to go potty on the way out.

Nothing

Throughout my run my stomach was a little unsettled. I walked a lot as frankly I did not feel like running. My HR was fine and for the most part my enregy level was fine. I was also distracted by the bikinis on the beach. I did mostly run the last 3 miles and was able to run the last 1/2 mile into the chute passing a few people along the way. The first loop was clear of non athletes but the second loop was filled with beachgoers. I found myself dodging several unsuspecting beachgoers unaware of the face that a major race was in progress.

As I started by second loop I saw Mirinda Carfrae walking her bike. So, I asked how her race went. She kind a shrugged her shoulders and said she won. She then asked me how I was doing. I explained that I still had one more loop to go.

Run more

I made my way to where Shelley and my friends were for a few minutes. I then made my way to the athlete tent for some pizza.

I waited in line for an hour to sign up for IMWI.


I am pleased with my time and performance. I was sick for half of the year and unmotivated for the other half. I still was able to get about a 20 minute PR.


I truely enjoyed this race and will do it again. It was good to experience this race with Dave who was completing his first 70.3. The race had plenty of volunteers many of them who are serving our country. Very organised.

Shelley was a big part of this race. It started last week when I noticed that her name was on the athlete list. So, I sent a note to explain that I was racing and not her. Upon check in, her name and info was on the waiver card. So, I corrected that. I almost left registration with a swim cap for the W40-44 wave until I noticed the error. I was the only guy in my bike rack and finally my results reflected a start time of 7:17 not 7:37.