Ironman 70.3 Florida - Triathlon1/2 Ironman

Overall, I was pretty pleased with the swim. I had a bad experience with an anxiety attack in my last race, so I had to calm myself down for the first 300 yards as I found my groove. As I was the 5th wave, it wasn't too crowded so I lucked out and only had a few bumps- although someone did knock my goggles off once! I would swim for 3-4 minutes and then breast-stroke and sight, worked well. I started out on the outside, but somehow ended up o the buoy line. Whatever works I guess, right? The only complaint I had is that the water was "gasoline-y" and a few mouthfuls were hard to take!

Nothing. I didn't want to go out too hard and I feel like I had a lot left after the swim. I was pleased with my performance both physically and mentally.

Well, if you take out the 1/4 mile run to the transition area, my time would be a much more reasonable. I've never been great at transitions, but I was pleased with this one. I dried off, checked my gear and off I went.

Nothing. I liked my layout.

I liked the bike course. Fairly flat, but not as flat as I was expecting. I went out determined to average between 18-19 mph, which I was able to achieve. It was tempting to go out super-fast at first, especially as I was getting blown by, but I kept telling myself to stay at my pace and leave some in the tank for the run. I averaged close to 19.5 for the first half of the course, and as we hit the headwind at the end my average dropped to 18.5- the last 10 miles were rough! I was glad to return to Disney! My nutrition plan worked out perfectly, and the water drop-offs went much smoother than I was expecting. I had only done two 3hr rides in my training so I was anxious as to what my legs would feel like, but there is nothing like a little race day adrenaline to keep pushing! On a side note, I wasn't a fan of the buzzards that seemed to dot the route on the side of the road- anybody else see that?!?!

More long rides. I felt great until mile 45 and then it was a struggle as the headwind picked up...

The run to transition from the dismount line was a traffic jam which was interesting... but I was able to get my bike racked, drink some cytomax, and change into my run gear pretty efficiently. Surprisingly, I needed to stop to pee- I guess this means I was hydrating well?

Nothing. Stretch some maybe?

Well, this is what everyone talked about before the race - and let's just say it lived up to it's reputation! It got HOT!! The first mile I felt great - right on my dream pace to get 2 hrs even with a 9:07 pace... that didn't last too long though! My original plan was to run each mile and walk the aid stations... this quickly turned into running for 4 min/walk for 1 min which then turned into a mixture of walking and running... I did manage to run each time by my support crew and I got some good pics (that's what it's about right??) The volunteers were AMAZING! Seriously, thank you guys!! I met a few people along the way and would talk for a bit before we split up... it definitely helped to pass the time. The last lap was brutal, but I was way ahead of the race time I had expected and I tried to take it all in... I couldn't believe I was about to finish a friggin half-ironman!

More long brick workouts... I would only run for 3-4 miles after some training rides and it simply couldn't simulate the drained feeling my legs would experience the second half of the race.

Walked around... visited the med tent because I felt like I could go into a full body cramp at any second... got cooled off and then took down transition and went back to the hotel to SLEEP!


Weather... I simply couldn't train in the heat which definitely made this course tough. Other than that I was pleased with my training.


The race was great. A lot of people will complain about the run, but due to the location I think they have managed to create a decent course for what they are working with. The volunteers helped out big time!

For me, this represented a lot more than just a Half Ironman. Almost 2 years ago I underwent reconstructive surgery on my right hip, which effectively ended my college career after my freshman season... I got into the sport as a way to try and drop some of the extra mass as well as stay competitive. I set the goal of finishing a half ironman before I graduated and I soon found myself wanting to go the full distance! This was a step in the right direction, and definitely added fuel to the fire to one day try the real thing! The thoughts of the last 2 years hit me the last half mile and it finally became real.. It was great to have my support crew there and get to share it with them! My goal entering the race was to break 7:30:00 and I was able to go WAY lower! I'm falling in love with the sport, and hopefully I will be able to keep it up to try and go 140.6 in the future! Now, if only I could get some more funding...

For those of you that I was fortunate enough to spend time talking to it was nice to meet you and good luck in future races!!