Ironman 70.3 Augusta - Triathlon1/2 Ironman

Great swim. I love swimming with a current it helps us poor swimmers.... It felt easy the entire way. Though my shoulders did start to get tired near the end probably because I am not use to swimming in a wetsuit. Other than that I cannot complain at all. I beat my swim at New Orleans by 13 minutes.

Swim faster? Maybe swim a little straighter its hard to tell but I kind of felt like I was swerving just a tad.

Very long transition. Race had us run pretty much past transition and then back to our bikes so it took a little while. I was a little disorganized when I got started since I usually leave my shoes clipped in but didn't this time because of the rain. I had no trouble getting my wet suit off.

I was going to use salt tablets on the bike and had taped them to the bike stem to make sure that I would not forget them but somehow I must have knocked them off because when I went to reach for them on the bike they weren't there.... turns out I didn't really need them.

Run harder through transition. Practice taking suit off while putting on helmet. Overall just move with a greater sense of urgency.

Coach said to take it easy first 20, go a little faster next 20 then last 16 everything I had left so...

1st 20 - 20.7mph average
2nd 20 - 21.54mph average
last 16 - 23.8mph average

I would say that I paced it pretty darn well. I might have been a little faster if the rain hadn't been coming down so hard. There were a couple of down hills where I had to check up because I was afraid of losing control. It was funny. The AG female bike leader caught me around mile 37 and after a particular scary winding downhill. I go, " Are we freaking insane for taking that hill that fast?" and she goes, "Man I am glad I am not the only one that feels that way...."

Overall I could not have asked for a better bike. Even though the weather was really bad the temperatures were perfect.

I could have gone a little harder on that last 16. I checked up just a tad because I had flashed backs of New Orleans when I had horrible cramps and I didn't want that to happen again.

Decent transition. I could have been faster if I would have put yanks or something on my shoes instead of tying them.

Yanks!!!

Started out feeling great. I felt like I hit my nutrition just the way I wanted to on the bike. Plan was to average 7:15 a mile for the first 4 then average 7:00 for 4-9 and then try and get below 7 for the last 3.1.... It didn't go the way I planned.

I was good for the first two and then I started to fall off pace just a tad during miles 3-4 but I saw my support crew, Brandy, Jen and Dad and I regrouped through miles 4-7 and then after that it all started to fall apart. I felt a very very small cramp in my right quad around mile 7 and I stopped and stretched for 10-15 seconds hoping beyond hope that I could curb off the dreaded cramp walk. From that point on I was scared that I would cramp and I decided to slow my pace a tad. It felt like I was on a razor's edge.. so I went as fast as I felt I could without causing any cramps. Fatigue and cardio wise I felt like I could have gone faster through miles 8-10 but I was just too nervous that I would end up walking the last three that I kept my self in check. 11-13 was when the pain train really started to come to town my hip flexers were getting really sore and at mile 11 I had another small cramp in my right quad. I stretched it again only this time when I went to stretch my right quad my left hamstring cramped and.... lol I decided not to stretch anymore after that...

The last 2.1 miles were pure pain. I just kept willing my self to go on. Seeing the support crew at that point really raised my spirits especially when Brandy told me I was 4:30 at that point and I had little more than two miles to go. All I could think about during the last 2 miles was if I just hold it together I will break 5.

Splits:
1 - 7:11
2 - 7:19
3 - 7:26
4 - 7:24
5 - 7:12
6 - 7:18
7 - 7:20
8 - 7:46
9 - 7:48
10 - 7:57
11 - 7:56
12 - 8:05
13 - 7:50

Overall I cannot complain one bit. In the end I didn't end up cramping at all I wonder if it was just soreness and my New Orleans experience put some ghosts in my head but I ran a 2:08 at New Orleans so this is a 30 minute PR.

Next time I will try gatorade along with water. I drank some for the first time the last mile and maybe it was just in my head but I felt like that feeling of cramps coming on went away.

Last thing is get YANKS!!! At mile 2 mile my right shoe came untied. I ran with it like that until a very helpful fellow runner gave me the idea of getting someone at an aid station to tie it for me. Instead when I saw my sister at mile 4 I asked her and she was awesome. She double knotted that thing in under 5 seconds flat... Love ya sis!!

Message then laid on my back with my legs up on a fence.


Fear.... I want to say I should have just thrown cation to the wind and pushed through the "phantom" cramps but I am just not sure. This is only my second half. I think with more experience I will be better able to gauge what my body is capable of.



Overall a great experience. I love the medal its really cool.