Memorial Hermann Ironman 70.3 Texas - Triathlon1/2 Ironman

Improved this segment by over 5:00 from last year's time. Although the water wasn't as choppy as last year, it was still a bit of a factor. During the long stretch parallel to shore the chop was pushing us away from shore, so I had to angle toward the shore a bit.

There was a lot of traffic during most of the swim. It usually seems to thin out at the first turn, but even then there were quite a few bodies to contend with...and a lot of people that apparently really struggle with swimming a straight line/sighting. I had to dodge this from time to time but I don't think it adversely affected my swim performance.

The goal was to just remain steady and make sure I was setting myself up for a strong race after the swim. I took the first ~500 relatively slow to make sure I settled in and had the HR under control and the mind in race mode. I did pick up the pace the last ~300 and caught some feet to draft off of for a little while, but I still felt good coming out of the water.

Sighting was spot-on. I'm very confident in my sighting ability and still keeping to my "hug the buoy" mentality. Not a lot of swimmers seem to utilize this technique (to my advantage).

I did have a small issue with the wetsuit for the first ~1600...when Nik velcroed the neck of the wetsuit, some of the velcro overlapped onto the back of my neck and it was scratching and burning for a long time before I paused to fix it...I couldn't stand it any longer.

I also had some minor side stitches during the swim (and the run)...I had some gas issues...not sure if it was the nerves or the food that caused it, but it definitely affected me at least a little as far as comfort was concerned.

I probably could have pushed my pace a bit more. Even though I improved, I still believe I am a stronger swimmer than 2:00/100 pace. I hope at some time in future HIMs to get close to the 32:00 mark.

Overall, considering I cut back a TON on swim training this year, I'm very pleased to see such a big improvement in time. Glad that didn't come back to bite me.

Wetsuit stripping was not as efficient as last year. My strippers were a bit confused as to what I was supposed to do first...took a little longer for them to figure it out, but didn't cost me too much time here.

Did ok getting ready to go out on the bike, took some extra time to spray on sunscreen. Started to head out of transition when Nik caught up to me and reminded me I forgot my sunglasses. Left my bike at the fence and jogged back to my spot for my glasses...would have SUCKED to not have them...so it was worth a little extra time.

T1 was about 1:00 faster this year compared to 2010.

Not forget sunglasses. Hustle a little more.

Not sure what to think about this performance. On one hand, the time is improved from last year by 10:00. On the other hand, last year I had to stop for a restroom break and then a flat. I know the flat cost me 7:00 last year. So time wise, there really wasn't much difference. However, I did have a solid run following the bike this year, so I did see some benefit out of the increased bike-focused training.

The ride was uneventful. I found a good pace and cadence and tried to maintain it. I changed gears a few times to adjust for the wind, but not a lot of excitement. I took water at 2 of the 4 aid stations. Also had 3 gels on the course. The first one came at the 45' mark, the second at the 110' mark, and the third at about 165' (I think I took a third gel...not 100% sure though).

Also consumed most of my 24oz. Gatorade. I think I was good on hydration. I did feel a little bloated during the ride, but I think that was related to the issues I was having earlier in the morning.

I did battle some back tightness and some quad discomfort throughout the ride. I stretched as much as I could. Feet were also a bit uncomfortable toward the end of the ride and had a red rubbed spot on the outsideof my right foot...but no blistering. I think this all was a result of wet shoes.

More bike training. Ride-till-I-puke intervals...learn how to be a cyclist...and at some point a TT bike would probably be a benefit as well.

The only aspect of the race where I did not improve over last year. This year was :46 slower.

Got to the rack and the bike to the left and right of me were both racked where they took over my spot completely. Rather than move their bikes, I just racked my bike on top of theirs. The bike racks were really tight, so I don't know if I can blame them...but it was still annoying.

Got everything else I needed pretty quickly, except when I turned my race number belt around, my number ripped off, so I had to grab the second bib from my bag and put it on. No big deal. I also grabbed my sunscreen and ran out of T2 spraying myself. Somehow, I STILL burned again this year, Maybe not as bad as last year, but there's got to be some way to not become a lobster when racing. I don't like the thought of having an unhealthy sunburn every time I race a longer distance.

Not tear my bib. Hustle more.

I still have a long way to go to become a good runner, but I am ecstatic over my run performance today. Not only was this run about 41:00 faster than last year, this run is also my half marathon PR...I beat my Houston Half Marathon time by almost a minute.

Made the decision to run sockless in my Zoots. I was a little nervous about breaking down after mile 7-8, because in my longer runs my legs and feet would hurt some when running in them, but I also feel some discomfort running long distances in the Asics. Ultimately, running sockless and not having to run in heavy sloshy shoes like last year sounded much more appealing. I figured I could deal with the pain if I had to. The only issue I had for about the last 6 miles was some rubbing on the top/outside/right foot. I expected a nasty blister there when I took off my shoes after the finish, but nothing...very glad for that.

I felt good for most of the entire run. I had a few moments where I had some minor issues, but was able to deal with them rather well. First, I had some side stitches at the beginning of the run...probably because I went out a little to hard. So I pulled back on the pace and did some deep breathing, which helped.

About halfway through the run I had some leg tightness...the left leg felt like a muscle pull, but it went away almost immediately. Then I had a little right quad cramping that also went away.

I did start the "hurt" about miles 8 and 9 as evidence by the pace discrepancies. Luckily I was able to rebound in miles 10 and 11, hurting again in mile 12, but then committed to beating Houston helped get me through that last mile with a nice split.

I took water at every aid station, except the first one coming out of T2. I just went brain dead and forgot to get water...luckily the next aid station wasn't too far ahead. I also took gels at the second aid station on Laps 1, 2 and 3. I skipped the gel on Lap 4 because I was feeling good and didn't want anything else in my stomach at that point.

Aid station #3 on the first lap ran out of cups, but I got one of the last. There was also a lack of ice, so the water wasn't cold. There also were no sponges on the first 3 aid stations. I finally picked up a couple at the 4th station. I also was able to hoard some ice in my bra top, which allowed me to take a piece of ice out and rub it on my face in between aid stations. This was very beneficial. I'm sure I got a few looks from spectators and other runners for digging in my bra top -- haha.

I ran with my Garmin in a tri for the first time. Although I didn't rely on it, it was nice to see what my lap paces were as I was going. I knew I was feeling good and had a chance to beat Houston, but I was a little concerned if I could maintain it on the last 2 laps. I did slow down a little, but also was able to rebound and have some strong splits near the end. I kept doing the math in my head and I realized all I had to do in the last mile was sub-11:00 pace to beat Houston, and I did it. I also managed to have enough to kick to the finish at an 8:28 pace.

One of the fun things on the run was my mom ran alongside me on the sidewalk just outside of the first aid station. She kept pretty good pace with me...asking about my bike (thought I may have had a problem because I told her I expected to be finished between 3:15-3:30)...and told me I looked strong on the run. That was pretty cool.

Nothing. Keep running lots...an early season HM was the perfect jump start to training for this race. Hopefully I will continue to see improvement in my paces as the season and years go by.

Walked some, went to the lackluster food tent, then got out of there as fast as possible to get cleaned up and get some substantial food...chips just didn't cut it.


Not being a strong cyclist. I think I left about 30:00 out on the course just because I am not great on the bike. I put in all the training and long rides, but apparently I need to add somthing to see some time and speed improvements on the bike. And I still believe a new tri bike wouldn't hurt.


Pros: Very organized, lots of great volunteers and fellow competitors. Great camraderie on the course. The shirt issue was resolved from last year...this season's registration specified men's or women's shirts, so I was not left with a useless shirt like last year. Medals are nice...in the shape of Texas. Much nicer than last year's hokie looking Cowboy Hat. Course is great...love the bike course having a lane closed off for extra safety and the entire road closed from the San Luis Pass into Brazoria County.

Cons: Bike rack seemed to squeeze in a lot of bikes...don't recall being that tight last year. Post-race there was NO pizza and NO Gatorade at the food tent. All we had to choose from was potato chips, pretzels, and some fruit, plus Sierra Mist or water to drink. Even though I wasn't the fastest on the course, there should still be plenty of food available to accomodate all the racers. Considering there were at least 600 more people who finished behind me who found themselves in the same situation, this was an atrocity. I find it unacceptable when a race does not or cannot accomodate all of the athletes with substantial food after a race. Swag was also lacking. Last year we got a shirt and cap in the swag bag. This year we got a "finisher hat" at the end of the race, but it was the same hat we got in swag last year.

I wish I would have done this race once before it became part of WTCs 70.3 series, but then again, maybe I would be even more disappointed. Lots of folks I have talked to that did do it 3 years ago make reference to how the quality of the athlete experience and swag has diminished.

I hope the food issue was an anomoly. For location and convenience, this race is one I want to continue doing, so I will probably be back next year, but there will need to be some improvements to keep me coming back beyond 2012.