Musselman - Triathlon1/2 Ironman

This was a good swim for me, particularly considering the distance. The OWS on Friday drove home the need for me to sight frequently, which I did. Started in the back of the wave to the right, took it out easy, found my groove and sighted. The water was like glass. Beautiful. After the first buoy I found a guy swimming at my pace and always breathing to the right so I got on his left hip and drafted off him for most of the way to the next buoy. Had to maneuver a bit here and there but I always got back on his hip. This worked great. Much better than trying to follow feet.

The shore is really shallow for a long way at the end of the swim, so it's easy to get tired out wading through thigh deep water. I actually dolphined for a bit. It worked ok.

Not much beyond learn to swim efficiently. I performed to my current capabilities here.

AG: 17
OA: 143

decent transition. Got on the bike and moving quickly. Took a few extra seconds to do an idiot check and make sure I had everything. Better than forgetting something.

Getting better at taking the suit off by stepping on the legs.

Lots of marshall presence on the course. Heat started to be a factor early. I started to feel some gastric discomfort about 10 miles in. Great volunteers at the aid stations. Except for maybe the guy who gave me Heed when I asked for water. I put it in my Aerobottle and got a nasty shock. I find the stuff undrinkable. Kept diluting it the rest of the bike.

Only saw one example of blocking ( and they were obnoxious about it) and one putz drafting. He'd stay on someone's wheel for a while, then bridge to the next person etc.

I had a real hard time keeping my HR down on this. Between the inclines and heat, I don't know if it would have been possible.

Sometimes when someone would pass me, I'd amuse myself by saying "What took you so long to catch me?". Most laughed. One guy just said "I had a flat".

I got in my long training rides for this but I think I was hurt by inconsistent shorter/intesity rides. Lesson learned.

Train a bit smarter. More volume on the bike. Other than that, I don't know. Given the hills, my slightly slower avg speed from FL seems about right.

AG: 11
OA: 116

decent T2. Unremarkable.

This hurt. The combination of heat and hills were brutal. I walked most of the aid stations and up parts of the worst hills. At each I picked a spot before which I would not walk. Mental games. At mile 2 I saw my friend Glenn limping back to the start. His back gave out. Shame, because he would have qualified for Nationals without a doubt.

The last couple miles were really hard. I passed I don't know how many people who were walking at that point.

The last mile was the hardest mile I have ever run.

Train on hills more. I didn't really do much. My distance running was mostly on the canal path.

after I crossed the finish line, I turned into the tent right there with the finishers medals and water and sat on the ground. Waited a few minutes then went to the medical tent and got a few latex gloves full of ice water stuck down my tri suit.

I really felt bad after this finish. Nauseous and spacey. I wanted to eat and drink but when I did I got more nauseous. Cherries and kumquats were all I could stomach.

rstocks was there and did the Aquabike. He is just a super nice guy. His son was doing the kids tri. They were calling for volunteers for the kids tri, but I was feeling horrible and wouldn't have been much use to anyone. I met mtimofeef too, also a very nice guy.

When I got to my car, there was a guy putting a postcard under my windshield wiper advertising the Cayuga Lake Tri. The postcard is a picture of me and 2 other guys on the run leg last year. When I explained this to him, he gave me a high five. Kind of an odd moment.


Heat. Lack of hill work in run training. Inconsistent training in the 6 weeks before the race (as usual).


If you're looking for a mid summer half iron distance race, look no further. Jeff Henderson and his organization puts on a fantastic race. Extremely well organized, the town supports it in a big way, the course is beautiful, the swag ain't bad, the lake is great and the details are paid attention too.

After doing an IMNA 70.3 race in May, I don't see why anyone would want to spend the premium for the MDot on this distance when this race is available.