Buffalo Springs Lake Ironman 70.3 - Triathlon1/2 Ironman

I did this race last year. So, I knew the swim start was going to be a washing machine. The course takes the swimmers out of a cove to a right turn out into the open lake. It can be pretty physical during the first 300 m or so. I started in front and to the right side; a straight line to the turn. I also breath on the left so I didn't need to sight; just used the pack for navigation. This worked well for the start. Once out into the open lake though, I had a couple of those anxious moments with my breathing. After the first left turn, the pack thinned out and I settled into a nice rhythm. I never did find any fast feet to draft. I was either passing slower swimmers or being passed by really fast swimmers. On the long straight-away across the lake, we had the wind and waves at our feet. This made for a fast swim. At the final turn for the swim exit I caught some feet and drafted for a couple hundred meters before we again ran into a crowd. I got kicked in the face by a guy doing breast stroke. I aslo saw a guy doing back stroke, which looked kind of wierd.

I exited the swim in 32 minutes, which is about 6 minutes faster than my time last year. My swim AG percentile improved from 27 last year to 48 this year. Some of the other guys said the course was short, but I think the fast times were due to the wind and the waves at our feet. That's my story and I'm sticking to it.

Spend more time looking for a draft. At Cap Tex I got a good draft and it was great.

Relax, get over the breathing anxiety I have at the beginning of every race.

I exited the water and looked at my watch - 32 minutes. Great! I ran up the transition carpet and saw my wife and Tracey (Sebastian's wife) sitting under a tree at my row. I was counting the rows as I was running and heard them cheering for me. Then I heard my wife say something about making me lose count. She could tell I was counting the rows. I was a little off balance trying to get out of my wetsuit and almost fell over into my bike. I think Tracey got a picture of that. T1 was OK except for my wetsuit getting stuck on my heels.

Need more (how about some) practice with transitions. I don't practice these.

I quickly got into a good rhythm on the bike. I tried to keep my HR in z2 except for the hills. I think I accomplished this since my AHR is only 3 beats into z3.

You know how they say "Don't try anything new on race day"? Well, I thought I would put my e-tabs and Aleve in a film cansiter. I hadn't done this before but it seemed like a good idea. I dropped the top of the canister on the Spiral Staircase. I didn't stop to pick it; just dumped the e-tabs and Aleve into my tri top and hoped they wouldn't melt.

Stayed in the saddle for most of the climbs, except to stretch out my legs. I think the wieght training and big gear intervals helped my climbing. At one point, I stood up to stretch and my bid number became stuck in my bottle cages behind my saddle. It ripped off but I caught it and stuck in my race belt. We had to where the bid numbers on both the bike and the run.

After about 15 or 20 minutes I started driking Cytomax. I really didn't feel like putting anything in my stomach. I think I may have eaten too much on Saturday. The routine was Cytomax on the 15s, GU on the 45s w/ water, e-tabs on the hour. Consumed 3 e-tabs, 1 1/4 bottles of Cytomax, 3 GU. That's about 500 calories. That's probably not enough, but I didn't feel like taking in more.

I felt good and strong through the whole ride; no real issues. I beat last year's time by about 6 minutes. Bike AG percentile went from 30 last year to 38 this year.

Not eat so much on Saturday so my nutrition would go down easier on the bike.

Find a better system for e-tabs.

I had two major things to accomplish in T2: 1) do something with the e-tabs so they wouldn't melt in my jersey and 2) grab another race belt for my bid number out of my transition bag. Got those accomplished, then decided NOT to use the port-a-potty. Big mistake. I thought I could make the run without peeing.

Use the porta-a-potty.

Mile Pace HR
1 10:11 150
2 8:13 154
3 8:52 157
4 11:07 154 hill
5 10:59 154 hill
6 10:03 155
7 12:59 145 pee
8 9:39 153
9 8:59 152 downhill
10 11:29 150 up hill
11 9:06 157
12 9:35 158
13.1 10:23 158

I started out easy. About a quarter mile down the course I ran into the BT oasis. Comet and Tri take me away had setup and were handing out cold towels. This was very refreshing. I carried the towels with me for about 2 miles and soaked them again at the aid stations. They also wrote on the road. The best was "Have you hugged your jock strap today?" I had to laugh. Thanks, ladies.

At miles 2 & 3 I picked up the pace.

My decision not to pee was about to become a huge problem. At the first hill, my stomach revolted. I had so much pressure. All I could think about was making it to the half way point and the port-a-potty. This is where the mental part of triathlon is key. I couldn't stay positive. All I thought about was how a bad decision was about to ruin my race plan. Made it to the half point, peed and felt 100% better. Miles 8 and on are my run potential.

Ran back past the BT oasis and toward the finish line. There were now more BT'ers there - jeepfleeb, coredump, dgunthert, Mike Ricci and the BT jock strappers.

Even with the problems I still knocked about 5 minutes off last year's run time. My AG percentile went from 18 last year to 34 this year.

Use the port-a-potty in T2.

Continue with the mental training.

More speed work and more running. Just need to put in the miles.

Walked around, ate fruit and drank water. Looked around for Michele. Didn't find her so decided to walk back to the BT oasis. She was there, just on the other side of the road. Sat in the lake. Felt suprisingly good, much better than last year. Last year I was completely wiped out. Went back to the hotel showered and got ready for the awards banquet. The banquet was really nice. We sat with Sebastian and Tracey. I enjoyed seeing the pros and the AG'ers getting their awards.


1) Better nutrition the day before. Big meal at lunch the day before and small meal at dinner.
2) Learn to pee on the bike or go in T2.
3) Run speed. I've never been a good runner, but it is getting better.
4) Mental training.


This is a great event. I really enjoyed staying Friday through Monday and taking in all of the experiences.