Timberman - Half Iron - Triathlon1/2 Ironman

I feel like I can set my watch to my swim times. Unless I screw up royally (I'm looking at you Eagleman), I always seem to be in the 38 to 39 minute range. This swim felt good. I tried to keep the effort consistent and strong but not push too hard. The course was laid out very well with buoys every so often. As I would reach one, I would find the next and continue on my way (this is in contrast to some other races where there are fewer buoys and it can sometimes be a little confusing). I drafted when the opportunity presented itself (more in the first half than in the second half of the course). I was happy with my time and think that if I keep training and practicing consistently I can gradually improve my times.

I'm happy with my swim performance given my current skill level and fitness. As those two improve I expect my swim times to come down. The swim has become one of my favorite parts of the day.

Good transition. They had wetsuit strippers so that helped (as opposed to the stomp wiggle shimmy shake dance I usually have to do). A little dizzy from the swim but the feeling faded quickly. Got to my bike, got my shoes, helmet and sunglasses on, and was on my way.

Nothing. I've thought about practicing transition techniques (flying mounts, etc.) but my time is really better spent elsewhere (training).

Very happy with my time. After Quassy I wasn't sure what to think about my bike ability. After Timberman I'm confident that my time at Quassy can be written off to it being an early season race without much time to train on the bike after my marathon training and the difficulty of the course. My power numbers for Quassy and Timberman were pretty close but my time for Quassy was almost an hour slower. The Timberman course was very nice and scenic. I spent 90+ percent of my time in the aero position really trying to maximize my speed for the effort expended. I think my efforts paid off. I hit 53.3 miles per hour on the big decent thanks to the trispoke up front, disc cover in the back, aero helmet, and my (let's say) above average body weight. I used an 11-28 cassette and was able to spin up the hills without burning too many matches. I was happy with my nutrition choices, going with Gu's and water and Gatorade. The day wasn't too hot so I was able to skip a couple of aid stations which also saved me some time. I came off the bike feeling ready to run which is really my goal.

Nothing. A 2:54 split on this course is something I'm happy with.

Good transition. Bike racked, helmet off, hat on, shoes switched, Garmin started and I was off.

Drives me crazy when the Garmin can't find the satellites.

I think I've proven that I'm just not a runner. I felt pretty good for the whole run and really only slowed down or walked toward the end (and even then only up the steep hills) or through the later aid stations. I started at a moderate pace and was able to hold it through the first loop of the course. I started to feel the heat and fatigue during the second loop but really tried to push myself (this was my A race for the year). I'm OK with my time knowing that I gave it everything I had. I guess it's back to the drawing board to try to figure out how to get faster on the run (lose weight).

Lose more weight. Let me correct that - I was the same weight I was last year for Lake Placid. This year I'd like to not put on weight and then have to take it back off to get back to the same point. Putting on 20 pounds and then losing 20 pounds is not a recipe for a successful race season.

Three time Ironman World Champion Chrissie Wellington put my finisher medal around my neck, said "good job", and then, after I thanked her for handing out the medals, said, in her English accent, "I assure you, the pleasure is entirely mine", which is a pretty classy thing to say. I then met up with my wife, took a seat in the finisher area, drank some water and tried to cool off. I was pretty hot and it took me a while to cool down with water bottles. After I felt OK, I headed over to the lake with my wife and kids and played with my kids in the lake for about half an hour, got some food, and started packing up. We headed out right as they were announcing that a big storm was about to hit and then drove back to the hotel through the rain (it did a good job of cleaning my bike).


We all face limits. The trick is to push those limits. I'm happy with the progress I've made over the past four years in progressing from the back of the pack, to the front of the back of the pack. I'm already looking forward to next year and how I can improve.


From start to finish, from packet pickup to post race food, this race was top notch. For all the complaining people do about Ironman-branded races, this is a perfect example of why people keep filling up their events and coming back year after year. The course was beautiful, the volunteers were fantastic, and the race a real delight.