Whirlpool Steelhead 70.3 Triathlon - Triathlon1/2 Ironman

The swim time seems very fast and I'm not sure why. I was surprised to come to the finish so soon. I was mentally prepared for a long mental battle. I zig-zagged my way past the buoys which probably wasted a ton of time. For some reason, I just couldn't stay straight. The field eventually spread out, and I swam alone for most of the time. I pushed it and felt solid the whole way.

Apply boldyglide to my neck. I have a pretty bad wetsuit hickey which stung the entire race. Dumb mistake on my part.

I dropped my goggles and cap in the sand on the way to transition, but it didn't slow me down much. Everything was wet and sandy so there wasn't much to do. I threw on my helmet, glasses, and race belt and stuffed 3 Clif Bars in my pockets.

Nothing. Pretty solid T1.

I got up to speed and played it by ear for the first 30mins. It took until the first hour to get fully warmed up. I hammered the first 2hours (40 miles) and felt good. There wasn't much wind, and I took advantage of the downhill sections. The last hour, I was in a bad place. I kept looking at my comp hoping the end would be near. A headwind developed and I was no longer comfortable in aero. I was hoping that I hadn't gone too fast earlier so I decided to take it easier for the rest. I ate 2 Clif Bars in the first 2 hours in half-size portions and sipped my G-ade and water. I didn't eat anything the last hour in order to give my stomache time to settle. Finally the end came. I was very anxious to see how my legs would hold up on the run.

My goal wattage was 145-150 but during the first 40 miles that I hammered, I felt so good that I decided to just keep hammering. My plan was only to play it safe for the run.

Train more. More long rides. More long bricks.

Transition was still a soggy and sandy mess. My bike should were damp and sandy the entire ride. I knew my feet would suffer later. I rolled my Under Armour socks onto my pruned and sandy feet and threw on my shoes. I put my PowerBar bites in my pocket, threw on my hat, and swapped HRM straps on my way out of transition.

Nothing.

I started the run with a full bladder and heavy legs. I planned on keeping it steady the first few miles so as not to blow up later. I eventually found my rhythm and kept on pushing. I stopped to pee at the first aid station, but it didn't take long. I had about 3 PowerBar bites in the first few miles, but I stopped with those because my stomach was sloshing. At each aid station I drenched myself with several cups of water and threw some ice in my jersey. I drank some G-ade and water at several aid stations, but I wanted to consume the least amount of anything as possible. I wanted to keep my HR in the low 160s because I knew I could sustain that. Between aid stations I felt like I was burning up. My right foot went numb and it felt like the combination of water and sand in my shoes was creating many blisters. I refused to slow down and kept trucking. During the second lap, I had only slowed a little, but I was ready for the finish. I continued the same pattern of action at aid stations. My legs were really starting to burn, but I kept pushing it. The last mile seemed like the longest mile of my life. I sped up as much as I could for the finish, but I had truly burned everything in my tank.

Not much could have improved my run. I was surprised to have no GI issues. I controlled everything within my box and I held onto my pace. The miles that I have been putting in have really paid off, especially the long runs up to 14miles.

No warm down. Stumbling around after the finish to collect my goodies and then I sat down the a G-ade table for a few mins. I stumbled through transition and then made the trek to the car with my Dad.


Nothing. I raced to the fullest of my potential and I controlled everything I could. I executed my plan better than I though I could. My training paid off big time and I met my goal.


Awesome race put on by Ironman at a stellar venue. Plenty of volunteers and support. Many locals lined up on the streets to cheer us on. That really made me thankful for having the opportunity to race.