Vineman Ironman 70.3 - Triathlon1/2 Ironman

This was a beautiful spot for a swim race. The shallow areas are no big deal. The tall trees along the shoreline make navigating easy.

Last race I had a poor swim. I did more open water training. I don't know if I was faster than last race but I was very comfortable. I will continue OWS and work on more speed. I figured about 40 min for the swim and came in at 35:42 the second half was faster by over 3 min

The last two races I did a step over mount shoes on the bike. This has worked well. Had the bike in an easy gear for the hill.

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Fueling and hydration and a moderate pace was my goal. You can find the rough spots in the roads by all the gear (water bottles, gel flasks, tires,gel packets and Co2) The sun broke at about 45min into my ride.

I wanted to go under 3 hours but had no course knowledge. Finished at 2:43, very happy with that. Next year I will push at little harder knowing the course is not that difficult.

Between the dismount line and the transition area the chute is to narrow to pass and everyone was walking (like this is not a race??). Once I got to the lawn transition area I ran to my rack. Had to put on socks but all went smooth. Saw Joyce said hi, but had to run.

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My legs felt great, I paced well in the beginning not knowing how I would hold up. My plan was to hydrate well, keep HR in check for the first ten miles then increase speed miles 11 and 12 then drop the hammer at mile 13, Well there was no hammer after mile 10 so I dug deep and held on.

My run training paid off. I will not dump as much water on myself on the run as my shoes and socks got soaked and this caused some blisters.

Drank lots, ate some. Did not hang around long as It was heating up and my family hungry


I will work on strength training this winter and continue speed training in running.


This was my first 1/2 Ironman. What a great experience. Having no course knowledge I estimated a finishing time of 5:30 and a best case scenario of 5:15. I am very proud of my 5:05. I want to thank my sherpa and love of my life Gina. Thanks Dad, Joyce, Uncle Butch and Mary for being there.