Ironman 70.3 Syracuse - Triathlon1/2 Ironman

Had done short w/u swim on Saturday WITHOUT wetsuit, which was strikingly cold, but not a disaster. Swimming with the wetsuit was comfortable, albeit with very cold hands and feet. Wearing just the race swim cap was fine. I wanted to keep the effort comfortable, but still push a bit for a decent time. Barely accomplished that with a slight improvement over my time from Musselman

Work on swim stroke in the off-season.. swim training just wasn't a priority for me this year. I've gotten away with minimal swim training and had some good overall results since my bike / run have been stronger this year.

Love the wetsuit strippers!! That's usually a part of T1 that slows me down. Tried to get through T1 quicker this time, but also needed to get on more gear to stay warm: socks, arm warmers, full finger gloves, wind vest.. so that added time to the process. Glad that I pre-rolled up socks and arm warmers to get them on easier. Also long run up to / out of transition.

I might've been able to survive w/out vest, but was worth playing it safe in case there were major downpours on the course. Didn't want to be shivering.

Wasn't sure what kind of time I would be able to do on this course. Pre-rode the first ~10 miles on Sat. so I had a sense of the early hills, which would be tough & slow. Once the roads flattened out, the course got pretty fast.. wind wasn't bad, visibility was horrible, however. Had to keep wiping off visor with my finger. Ended up ~.6 mph faster than Musselman, which made me happy.

Probably should've drank more in hindsight.. with the cool weather and rain, I didn't feel as thirsty and therefore only drank my 2 bottles plus one bottle from a hand-off. The Poland springs bottles really didn't fit in bike cages securely, so I guess I should've taken Gatorade instead?

Everything seemed like I could've had a quick T2, until the part about not finding my spot in transition for over a minute of hunting and cursing. Then I also ran off w/out my run number belt, so had to go back for that.

It was a little harder to find my stuff because I put my running shoes in a plastic bag to keep them dry in case the rains came. I should've just used my race belt at T1 and not have to put one other thing on at T2.

The run is my relative strength in HIM racing, so with the cool, overcast weather I was hoping for a time around 1:40 or better. Didn't quite make 1:40, but still improved time from Musselman by a couple mintues. I think the tougher bike course took some out of me and then the muscle cramping in my hamstrings and toes from mile 11+ kept me from doing a final surge to the finish. Otherwise passed a ton of people, only gave up a couple spots in my AG on the run.

Better nutrition / electrolyte plan earlier in race. Do more long training rides and runs in the month prior to the race... don't do any major house projects / lifting in the week before the race so I start w/out any extra aches.

Drink a bottle of Gatorade and search for family at finish area. Find a seat! Put name in for massage.


Muscle cramps late in run probably due to dehydration and/or lack of salts even though I drank at every aid station. Drink more on the bike even if its a cool day. I also was still feeling my sore lower back from lifting the gas grill out of the car for Mom the prev. weekend. No heavy lifting like that right before a race!


Second HIM for me, first WTC race and first year of the Syracuse HIM. On the right track for breaking 5hr next year if all goes well. Liked doing Syracuse since I got to stay with family (free!) which makes this event a relative bargain even with the WTC cost. Challenging bike course early on became a fast, fun bike for the rest. Weather is somewhat sketchy for a race in SYR this time of year... would be better if they did this one late August, perhaps. Probably will do this one again next year, unless I feel compelled to try Savageman.