Ironman Texas - TriathlonFull Ironman

Started front and center and took off hard to avoid the mayhem. Worked out well and slowing worked left toward bouy line without too much trouble. Felt I paced well thru out but drafting was tough b/c water was so murky I couldnt see bubbles from the other swimmers. I liked that the course was broke into thirds as it was easy to know where you were. After the out section I managed to start bumping into the same person on the 2nd portion. I eventually tried to run them right into the shore and they proceeded to aggressively push me back. It must have worked b/c that person dropped back and moved over. Once we hit the canal for the final 3rd of the swim my right shoulder started to get sore so i tried to manage my stroke better which slowed my pace some. Swimming thru the canal was awesome as it was lined with lots of people for what seemed like 1k meters. Near the end I got a burst and dropped some folks only the get a foot cramp on the left foot. I was able to ward it off enough to not have to stopped but it slowed me over the last few mins. Coming to the end of the swim felt like you were entering an arena. It was crazy when you got out b/c people were everywhere!!!!

Move quickly out of the water and into the tent passing people along the way. Dumped all my stuff out and got preped quickly. Not many people in the tent so not chaotic. Feel the warm water and warm temps made this very easy.

nothing

Bike went really well. I started out with just a few people and after a couple miles I had to stop at an intersection for an ambulance. After that it was smooth sailing out of the Woodlands. The weather was cool and overcast and the wind light early on. I started to have a few folks catch me in the first 10 miles so I decided to push the pace. I figured if the weather doesnt change much the strong bikers will bury me and I won't catch them on the run. The bike seemed to really start moving and I overtook some folks and had only a handful catch me thru the first 60miles. The course was really scenic thru the Sam Houston forrest which made the bike course enjoyable. Once I hit the 58mile mark for the special needs I noticed i was going faster than expected and my legs were feeling heavy. It was at that time the headwind kicked in and I thought I was F'd for pushing too hard too early. However, I just continue to grind it out and don't recall more than 1-2 people passing me on the 2nd half of the course and I managed to gobble up 5-10 people. By mile 90 the roads got a little rough due to construction and the traffice picked up. By then it was flat terrain and you just had to hammer to keep moving. At the 100mile mark I had dropped a few guys hanging on the back and I had no one in sight in front or behind me. That kind of riding can suck b/c its hard to pace and focus when your solo. I thought that last 10mile stretch on Woodlands Pkwy would never end!!!!! I was so excited to roll back into the race site and once I came down the end of the bike chute people were going nuts.

One side note. I started to hear I knocking noise on my bike by the midway point that continued to get worse as the ride went on. I could never figure it out so I just kept riding. Today at home i went to take the skewer off my real disc wheel and the hub and bearing completely fell out on their own. Had I gotten a flat in the race on the rear wheel my day would have been done. Speaking of flats, I took another risk with the tires I used. My disc tire had signs on dry rot and a few gashes but I was too lazy to swap it. I lucked out with no rear flats. I also risked the front wheel as well. I borrowed a zipp 404 for the front from a friend who had not used it in 3-4 years. That wheel was sitting on the original tire that was 5 yrs old. Again, it looked ok so I rolled the dice. Thinking now, it was not the best choice and for Kona I will not take the same risks when I borrow the set of 404s.

Nothing.

Felt I could have moved quicker here. Tough to run at first and feel i burned at least a min in the tent just gathering myself. Tent again was empty so not very chaotic.

Need to get my stuff like swim to bike and move quickly!!!!

Entering T2 I didnt see many bikes in transition so i felt like I was really in contention for the top 10. However, I was not mentally ready to run. I started off thinking I was in trouble. Not sure why I felt like this but it was not a good sign this early. the legs felt blah for most of the first loop but I was able to motor thru the aid stations. Near the end of the first loop I really had some doubts b/c it took me 1:10 and I was thinking its only going to get worse. By now it was really heating up and people were flooding onto the course. To start the 2nd loop i was really taking my time thru the aid stations to get cold water on my head, coke and perform and water down, and a cup of ice for the road. By mile 9 Michael Lovato caught up to me and asked me about the helmet he sold me. He then pulled ahead and said to run with him. I picked up the pace significantly and I felt no different. We ran for a mile together before he peeled off for a bathroom stop. He was on his last lap and never caught back up to me. I think it was his help that got me back into the race mentally. My splits dont show a massive improvement thru out the run but with the big breaks I had to take at each aid station to cool off and hydrate, I was running close to 7min miles in between. I have a few more rough patches but the massive amount of J&A cheers was all I needed to keep running. At mile 25 I came up on a former pro in my AG who was falling apart so i made it a point to pass him with authority to avoid him hopping on my heals. I dropped him quickly and cruised thru town to the finish chute. I was never so happy to see a finish line as I was to see this one!!!!

avoid stopping at every aid station - its a time killer!!!!

Legs seized up good and felt very woozy so was taken to med tent for IV. Body temp was low at 96.2 and HE stayed elevated at 120 for over 30min so after the IV and lots of fluids i was back to normal. Late grabbed a burrito and hit the road for another stop at Chick Fila before getting home.


Awesome race and would recommend to anyone!!!