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 Swim
Comments: I can't say enough about the swim....I absolutely loved it. One thing I would like to add as a bit of a PSA is that if you're ever in a race like this (mass in water start in crystal clear water) to take a second before the race starts and drop down about 10 ft and look around...it's amazing!!! This was my first mass start of this size, but I wasn't really all that intimidated. I love being in the water and even though I don't have a swimming background, I've spent tons of time in the ocean. That being said it was quite the spectacle trying to get swimming for that first couple hundred meters. It was almost all the way to the first buoy before I was able to take 10-15 strokes in a row without stopping. I took the inside line to the first two buoys, which was an absolute cluster, I actually ended up swimming under the second buoy. After the second buoy the swim was great, the water was smooth and it was a very comfortable swim. What would you do differently?: The only thing I might do different is try to seed myself a little further up at the start. I felt like I spent a lot of time early in the swim trying to get around slower swimmers. Other then that I came in right about where I expected and felt great.  Transition 1
Comments: Transition went pretty smooth, the only hiccup was the sunscreen guy was empty so I got a tiny bit of sunscreen but was pretty well unprotected at this point. What would you do differently?: put sunscreen in my T1 bag and make sure to get a good solid application on before leaving.  Bike
Comments: The bike portion couldn't have started any worse. On the road leading out of Chankanaab and onto the main road I crashed. Damage Report = Cracked the top tube of my bike (still rideable though), lost one of my armpads (my fault for not recognizing this till I was already moving again), and some good road rash and a slightly bruised hip) Got up, got going, and got to the main road, and at this point I realized I had lost one of my arm pads. <---NOT HAPPY AGAIN! I had to ride the whole ride on a metal arm rest for my left arm that was already a little skinned up from the crash....oh well, it could've been worse. It probably took me a good 5-7 miles to finally get my head straight and my HR under control, but after that it was a pretty smooth ride. I only stopped once, right around the midpoint of the ride, to refill my perpetuem, use the bathroom and finally get some sunscreen. Time for another PSA: Spray sunscreen w/ alcohol in it doesn't mix well with road rash!!! Rest of the ride was pretty uneventful, got to see the family a couple of times, the crowds and people of Cozumel were amazing and the scenery was fantastic. My splits were pretty even up until the third lap where I started to tire a bit and dial it back. What would you do differently?: I was hoping to keep a 20 mph avg for the ride, but I think I let my bike fitness slide a bit leading up to the race so I plan to really focus on the bike training leading up to my next IM race. Oh and I'd like to not crash next time :) Transition 2
Comments: Again, nothing much to mention....changed shoes, removed helmet, put garmin on, grabbed visor and was off. Oh and this time I did manage to find some sunscreen. Funny story though, there was a guy in the chair next to me when I sat down that had completely changed already and looked to be completely ready for the run, except he wasnt moving. I'm not even sure he was blinking. He basically sat there the entire time I was in the tent staring blankly ahead, not moving a muscle. I think the bike ride really got him and I felt bad. What would you do differently?: Nothing  Run
Comments: OUCH!!! So I realized really early on that the run wasn't going to go the way I had hoped it would. To me this was the first time in the race that I really noticed the heat, and it was HOT!!! Fortunately on the bike it really wasn't that windy, so we got a bit of a reprieve there, but now we were paying for it. I immediately noticed that my left quad wasn't happy and my stomach was a bit of a mess. This led to a bit of a run/walk effort for pretty much the entire race. The worst part was, since I don't get to train in that kind of heat/humidity, I had no idea what the problem with my stomach might have been. So I spent a large part of the run experimenting at the aid stations trying to make my stomach happy. It was a bit frustrating at times, because I knew that I had really trained my run well but it just didn't matter. However, that is the great challange of the IM distance, and once again I plan to go into the next one with a lot more focus on my bike fitness. Eventually (around mile 19) my stomach cramps finally went away and I was able to settle into a decent pace, I think from mile 19 on I was able to average right around a 9 minute mile. This felt great and I was able to regain a lot of places at the end of the run. Once again the best part of the run was being able to see the family so often and the crowd support on the route. I really can't say enough good things about this race. What would you do differently?: Not sure, I did everything I could with what I had. Post race
Warm down: Wasn't terribly hungry when I finished so I skipped the pizza/cup-o-noodles. The cold towel felt amazing! The line for the massage seemed to long so I skipped that. Didn't want a beer...yet! Took a while for my friend and I to figure out where the bikes were, then we finally picked up our bikes and started working our way back to our hotel. It felt amazing to get a nice long shower and head down to the buffett for a nice big meal. Event comments: Again, I can't say enough good things about this race...although I have very little to compare it too, I can't imagine a better run event. I would love to come back and do this again, although I think I have my sights set on IM Brazil next. Last updated: 2010-10-23 12:00 AM
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Mexico
82F / 28C
Sunny
Overall Rank = 465/2248
Age Group = M30-34
Age Group Rank = 90/285
So, it obviously took me a while to finally get around to this report, but here goes.
To make a long story short, this was my second triathlon ever and my first IM. I basically started cycling a little less then 18 months ago, started really running just over a year ago and started swimming a little less then a year ago. I decided to I wanted to do something big and signed up for an IM and started training. I enjoyed the training and really love racing and can't wait to continue competing in triathlons and pushing myself to find my personal limits. I chose Cozumel for a first IM because I absolutely love the island and the people (this was my 5th time to the island - previously as a diver).
My Dad and Sister made the trip out with me, which made for a great Thanksgiving and fantastic vacation. I had been in Mexico for almost a full week prior to the race and I think one of my biggest concerns was making sure that I got to the race healthy. So the week leading up to the race I was very cautious with what I was eating/drinking and doing. So I was thrilled when I still felt great come race morning. I didn't get a great night sleep (as to be expected), but got up around 4am ready to get the day started. We were staying at the Cozumeleno and I wasn't too impressed with their early morning breakfast spread so I just had a Clif Bar and a bottle mixed with some Perpetuem. Grabbed a cup of coffee on the way out and hopped on the bus with all the athletes. The energy that morning was amazing and I was really excited to get down to the race start.
Once I got to T1 I dropped off my last gear bags, got re-marked and met up with some people I knew to borrow a pump to fill my tires up. Afterwards I went down to the dock, talked with my family for a bit and waiting with my friend, who was also doing the race, until it was time to get in the water.
No need for any real warm up....aside from a few minutes of treading water before the swim start.