Ironman Texas - Triathlon

For a BOP tswimmer like me, this was a brutal experience. The first third of the swim, I don't think I went more than 30-seconds without being hit, kicked, or swam over. The worst part of the day was a *^$* breast stroker who kicked me right in the privates. AARGH! At one point I noticed another guy stop swimming and just SCREAM in frustration. For me, there was huge amounts of contact until the first turn bouy, and through the last section through the canal. I did notice people walking some in the canal, and at one point I was pretty close to the wall and my hand hit the sandy bottom. Water in Lake Woodlands is best described as "murkey". I'd describe visability at 1-foot, so you really can't see anyone around you until your on top of each other. Swim exit was great, very well built and easy to use with no delays.

I think I may have started a little further over, further away from the park. So many of the weak swimmers want to stick by the shore that it may have been a little less crowded in the back of the pack closer to the middle. I wore a sleeveless wet suit, and was VERY glad I did. I had no overheating issues, and I think I would have been much more prone to panic attacks during the full contact swim without the suit. One of the things that makes me reluctant to sign up for this race again is the thought of possibly having to do this swim without the wetsuit.

Also, keeping up with my gear would certainly reduce my pre-race anxiety level.

Wet suit "peelers" were great. Changing tents were extremely hot and muggy. Lots of people were just using the ground in front of the test. I went in and grabbed a chair. My T1 consisted of garmin and HR strap, race belt, shirt, helmet, and shoes. I also put two gel flasks into my shirt back pockets.

Nothing. Smooth transition.

Overall, a good ride for me. But I had issues. My stomach started to knot / cramp up about 10-minutes into the ride. It was annoying and uncomfortable, but I still seemed to process fluids and gels. I started the bike with an aero bottle full of water. Picked up either water or Perform at each aid station, which worked out great, and took a gel every 30-minutes. The aero bottle and one cage was an ideal set-up.

About 20-miles into the ride, I could feel that the cleat on my right shoe was moving. I have speedplay pedals and didn't bother to check either of my shoes before the race (big mistake). I saw a SAG scooter just North of Montgomery, and pulled over to ask to use a screw driver. When I unclipped, my cleat fell completely off the shoe. The four small screws that connect the cleat to the adapter plate were all gone. The SAG person looked in their bin, but couldn't find any replacements, so I borrowed a screw driver and took two screws out of my left shoe and reassembled the right cleat with those. After getting everything as tight as I could, I hopped back on the bike and took off. Not ideal, but both shoes held together to get me back to T2. I figure the stop cost me about 5-minutes.

Saw someone take a spill at the Mile 50 aid station before Richards. The person was behind me, so I didn't see what they did, but it didn't look good.

Tried to keep HR in the low 140's, which worked very well. I felt fresh and strong for the whole ride. I did notice the wind when we made the turn to head back South, but it wasn't nearly as bad as most of the weekend rides have been this Spring. I think we were very lucky to have great race weather.

I felt like I spent most of the ride working my way up through the field. It was pretty interesting to watch the officials, and some of the packs. I did see a few people who had obviously found a wheel to grab, but no one seemed to get any penalties. I don't think I saw anyone serving time in the penalty box.

My goal was to go under 6-hours. I ended up under 5:49, with the cleat stop and one stop to pee. The Garmin recorded my average moving speed as 19.8, whihc I was very pleased with.

Over the next year, I'm going to move to a more aero postion on the bike in an attempt to get a little more speed. Other than the obvious maintenance checks, I think was a good ride for me. With only a little more work, I should be well over 20-mph on this course (depending on the wind).

Nothing fancy. Bike handler took my bike and helmet. I plopped down outside the tent. Took off bike shoes, put on socks, run shoes, cap and took off.

Forgot to take gel flask out of my shirt pocket which was a little annoying.

I was hoping to run 4:30, so ws a little disappointed in this time. Started slow and walked aid stations, but got slower and slower and the first and second laps went by. My stomach cramp from the bike was still with me. A little before the end of the second lap, I switched from Perform to Water, and started a gel every 20-30 minutes. This seemed to perk my up, the day-long cramp disappeared, and my pace increased steadily on the third lap. Not sure if it was the change to water or if things had started to cool off. I got passed by the top 5 F Pros on my first lap (they must have been on their third), which ws kind of neat. Overall, I thought the course was great, the volunteers were fantastic, and the crowd support bordered on overwhelming.

No sure.....had no nutrition issues in training with Perform, so I really don't know if that was a problem for me or not. Bike seemed easy and relaxed, so I don't think that was a problem. Now, three days after the race, I've had very little stiffness or soreness, so I certainly didn't stress the muscles too much on this run. I slacked off on long runs towards the end of my program compared to Silverman last fall. For me, I think more and longer long runs would have paid off.

Got the shirt / medal / hat and hung out and Market Street for a while, then collected gear and headed for the house. Slept pretty good Saturday night.


Not sure......this was over an hour faster than my IM PR time, but I can see that I have potential to go at least an hour faster on a course like this. With some work, I should be able to shave at least 15-minutes off the swim, 15-minutes off the bike, and probably 45-minutes off the run. Losig 10-15 lbs would certainly help a lot.


Great race. Course is "easy", but race could be difficult based on heat, humidity, and wind.