EagleMan Ironman 70.3 Triathlon - Triathlon1/2 Ironman

Lined up at the far buoy for the start to avoid the mayhem that I've read about. For most of the first leg I stayed to the left of the action and didn't encounter too many other swimmers until we came up on the blue and white waves. I rounded the first turn buoy wide to the left and could really feel the current start to push us off course. The next turn buoy arrived quickly and from there it was straight shot to shore. I sighted every 5 to 6 strokes, looking for the buoys and/or the lead orange caps.

I felt comfortable in my first OWS but I wouldn't mind swimming with a masters group to help motivate me to make it to the pool more often. All in all, a good start.

First transition so I am pleased to see I've set the bar fairly low. In my 'haste' I managed to lose a cap to my aero bars.

Ditch the socks, buy tri shoes, try running with my bike next time.

I started off strong (for me) and felt good for the first half of the race. I saw a crash victim in the first aid station that really spooked me so I steered clear of addl water/gatorade for the first 40 miles. The tailwinds picked up at ~25-30 but the section seemed shorter than I remember on the Six Pillars ride. I hit a wall (and some headwinds) around mile 40, just as the heat seemed to pick up and my 2 water bottles were going dry. I decided to risk using an aid station to stave off cramping and the closest I came to crashing was getting cutoff by a racer rushing for the port-a-potty.

The last few miles were tough, made tougher by the sight of so many runners struggling in the heat. The temps were really soaring at this point (heat index in the low 100's) and I could feel a healthy burn developing on my shoulders. I cruised it into the finish, not wanting to overheat any further.

Hydrate more, find a better nutrition plan (blocks worked well), buy a tri bike. This is my first season cycling so I expect to improve with more training.

I set the bar even lower on this one with my less than graceful dismount. Opted not to run with my bike for obvious reasons. After slipping on running shoes I grabbed two cups of ice water and walked it up to the run start.

If I continue to wear socks I would definitely change them during T2. Next time I'll also have a bottle of ice water to take on the run.

Brutal run. The heat and humidity normally do a number on my running but it felt 10 times worse today. I knew I was in trouble when the pre-announced 'shade' during the first few miles amounted to a handful of trees scattered on either side of the road. After the first aid station I easily dropped my goal of sub 1:45 to pure survival mode. I ended up trotting from aid station to aid station and savored the heat with longer and longer walks. Chewing on ice made the most difference for me but still not enough to keep my temperature down. My legs didn't cramp but that was probably helped by the walking.

Practice training in the heat, change my socks. At the time I was a little disappointed with my lack of mental toughness but I think I made the right decision to slow it down.

Went straight for the boat ramp and cooled off in the water. In a day of firsts I decided to get a massage which really helped with the recovery.


The heat, inexperience and inconsistent training. I improvised a training schedule week to week from prior marathon and swimming experience but had trouble with consistent workouts.


Incredible volunteers, especially during the latter stages (and hours) of the run course. This felt like an extremely well run race and I am ready to sign up for 2011. The heat is something they cannot control but I am glad to see the organizers were well prepared and made the right decisions where they could.

Also, the only thing that took longer than that run was the drive back to Baltimore. Next year I will get a hotel in Cambridge for Sunday night and let everyone else enjoy that Bay Bridge traffic.