Iron Star Triathlon - Triathlon1/2 Ironman

Everything felt right on this. Went out at just the right speed and held on to a good pace throughout. I did'nt walk through the shallow parts though I saw a few people doing it. I saw that it was a running start into the water and knew that I wouldn't be able to relieve myself in the water...so I let it go in the wetsuit. Well the nether region got warm and nothing leaked onto my frozen feet. Bathroom breaks would be the name of the game for me today.

Got a good start and by the time we hit the first turn, I was probably in the top 6 so I had no bumping, hitting, etc. Once you turned the corner though, the fog hadn't completely lifted and the sun was pretty bright so there was a glare that prevented you from seeing much of anything. I wanted to take a harder right but saw some people in front of me so I kept swimming out towards the middle of the lake. A little past midway point I had people walking next to me and they were walking faster than I was swimming. I kept swimming but at one point stood up and dived forward. Figured I shouldn't break stroke and plus running through mud might get my HR up higher...not something I needed.

Nothing. The swim was the high point of the race.

Not bad considering the clothing but not great. 17/63 AG.

Wetsuit strippers are too close to the swim exit. By the time you get out of the water, there is hardly enough time to get your wetsuit down to your waist before you hit the strippers. I would have pushed the strippers about 20 yards further away from the swim exit.

Arm warmers definitely helped on the bike but they took forever to get on. Plus putting on socks and liner hat, glasses, etc. I waited to put on gloves until I was out of transition to save some time.

Probably not much....sit down on the grass sooner instead of fumbling around while standing up. Dry off my arms a little better.

I felt good on the bike except that my toes stayed cold the entire ride despite having wool socks and toe covers on. The rest of the body was fine. Took it out pretty good averaging 21.2 on the first 30 miles and then slower on the back side. This is pretty much how it went in my training rides. Partly this was the SW wind but I also think the uphills on the backside were less dramatic but longer with fewer steeper downhills to pick up speed. Either way I came in about the range of my "B" time. The "A" time would have been sub-2:40.

I drank 3x 22oz bottles of EFS (700kcal total) on the bike spaced evenly out, 1/2 bottle of gatorade (150kcal) in the last 30 minutes, 1X EFS shot (400kcal) split at 45 minutes and 1:30 and a clif kidz choc brownie bar (120 kcal) at 2:15. Stomach felt great the whole time and no cramping. However, my hydration plan from Saturday along with the fluids on the bike might have been a little overkill. I ended up going to the bathroom three times over the course of the 2:45 ride. I managed to go while on the bike and didn't have to stop but not something I'd like to make a habit of doing. If it had been a training ride I would have stopped.

Rolled into transition at 3:25 feeling great. 1400 kcal ingested (400kcal/hr) in the first 3.5 hours. Last year, it was poor hydration/nutrition (and maybe traning) that killed me on the run last year. This year, no cramps. I thought the run is mine and I can go 1:42 and go sub-5:20.

Revisit my hydration plan...maybe drink less? Learn to properly use the bathroom while riding. Is that possible?

Everything good here. 6/63 in AG. The feet finally were nearly normal temps once in transition.

Run went pretty well but my foot pod was out of wack and had me running at a much faster pace than splits based on the course markers. So while it looked like I started out at about 8:10 pace, it was probably closer to 9:00 pace. Highlights were that I kept an even pace throughout and finished the last two miles at 8:08-8:10 pace (based on course markers. Lowpoint was stopping twice at the port-o-john/bathrooms to drain a full bladder, which took at leaast :45 seconds to 1:00 each time. All clear.

Switched between drinking gatorade and water at each aid station and poured cold water on my head at every other aid station. Had an EFS shot with me (400kcal) that I drank most of on the run. I didn't feel hungry or full, except for the bladder.

I think I was 5th in my AG going into the run and got passed by 6 people. My AG ranking on the run says it all. I need to get faster on the run...try to speed up the last half of the run

Finished strong and felt good but tired. Sat on the ground with my wife for a few minutes before walking around and getting some pizza, cookies and coke. Ran into Jonathan from swim class and David from masters, who competed in the aquabike and won.


A tiny bladder maybe? 200-lb of body mass? Over-hydration? Not being more aggressive on the run? Not enough run training? Still an improvement over last year's 5:53.


Great race. I like the run course much better this year though wasn't a big fan of the cross country/uneven terrain on the backside. Having cheering crowd was good. The race was much larger this year, which added to the excitement. I would definitely do the race again and would recommend the race to friends. The after party seemed a little better than 2009 as well. I would probably stay at the resort next year too.