Timberman - Half Iron - Triathlon1/2 Ironman

This may have been my best OWS ever. 38 minutes was ~4 minutes ahead of my goal time, but I didn't push too hard. I felt great swimming - found my own space and didn't have too much jostling with others. Breathing was good and pace felt consistent. The wetsuit helped keep my balanced and improved how straight I could swim. No issues exiting the water and working into T1. Overall, I couldn't have asked for much more out of this swim and I have never felt better in an OWS setting.

Push just a little bit harder.

Got out of my suit without much trouble. I felt quick in transition. Taking time to put on socks didn't slow me down - I had a nice routine and went through everything well. I was a bit concerned about getting into my shoes after taking off, due to the relatively narrow chute. But, I had open space/room, plus having socks on made my feet slip into the shoes easier than in wet, bare feet.

Nothing.

Coming right out of T1 into a relatively long, steady uphill grade makes it hard to implement a pace plan that calls for dropping the HR the first few minutes on the bike. Ha! After spinning up the hill in the small chain ring, I settled in and got down to the business of riding strong. I felt so much better than expected. This carried through most of the race. Over the last 10-15 miles, I could tell I was losing a bit of steam and I recognized I probably went out just a touch too fast on the bike. But, not so much as to compromise the rest of the bike or my run. In any event, I loved the bike ride . . . the whole thing. My bike performed beautifully (after having some stress about it late in the week before the race). My new (used) Zipps and new (used) aero helmet made me faster (if only in my mind, but doesn't that help too?). At no point in the ride did I feel overly sapped, pained, improperly fueled or wanting to be off the bike. The bike is the part I trained the least for, with the least aggressive work. I learned that with a more focused training effort on the bike, I could really improve my cycling and bike splits. With that said, I was very pleased with how my ride went. I arrived at transition tired, but not overly fatigued. I was able to make a smooth dismount and get out on the run.

Ease off my pace a little bit at the beginning. I felt so good early on that I pushed just a touch too hard at the beginning. My fuel plan worked well and I wouldn't change the process or quantities. Going forward, I need to have a more strategic, focused approach to bike training. It's my best area so, it was the area I trained for the least.

I struggled a bit to get my shoes on, even with speed laces. Nothing major - maybe 2-3 seconds, but it was still not ideal. My legs were a big wobbly, leaving me a bit unbalanced. Otherwise, T2 was good for me. No trouble dismounting the bike and my legs felt OK as I ran the bike to my rack. I used something bright to mark my spot (the idea I came up with at St. Anthony's) and that helped a lot with finding my rack and spot quickly. My pre-race planning for the transition process in both T1 and T2 was well worth it, as I did not encounter any major problems or gaffes. I learned from my past mistakes. Overall, I don't think I slowed myself with inefficiencies in transition.

Practice a little more putting my running shoes on with weak legs from a long bike ride. The rubbery legs affected my balance, causing a tiny struggle with the shoes.

I have been good about learning from my mistakes in past races, but I have not yet learned my lesson about going out too hard on the run. I don't know why, but my legs feel strong right off the bike and in every race I have gone out too fast on the run. I made a serious and conscious effort to slow my pace down in this race, but I just was going as my legs wanted. My pace ultimately fell off, but not too bad. THe run course was beautiful - much of it shady; good views of the lake; lots of great spectators. At no point was I uncomfortable with heat. Plus, the out and back with two loops meant there were lots of athletes around at all times. Even when the run got hard, I never felt like quitting. I was afraid I might have to walk up the short, but steep hill on the return loop, during my second time; but, I managed to keep running up the hill (albeit slowly). No doubt there were times when my legs were asking me to slow down or stop, but my mind was able to override and keep me moving. In truth, I probably could have gone a touch harder. Not enough to make a major time difference.

Force my pace down a bit slower to start. I need to do more speed work. I was consistent throughout the run, but I need to be able to go faster, long and harder, on the run coming off the bike. That means more intense speed work and bricks in the future.

Hug from Jamie.


More strength (not fitness) on the bike. Better running ability. Better pacing on bike and run.

Nontheless, my time was well ahead of my goal time and my performance was much better than I ever hoped for. My training really paid off and I am thrilled with the results in my first HIM. I cannot wait to do it again . . . and do it better.


I agree with other comments I saw about the post race food being less than great. Otherwise, the race was awesome. The logistics were much better than I had read about. The "challenging" hill at mile 9-10 is tough, but not killer if you're trained up.

My training really paid off. My plan came from BT by signing up for a Gold Membership. I also got the online coaching. Coach Mike was awesome for me! He helped me modify the base plan built by BT and his modifications really helped me improve.

Overall, I felt the race was hard, but fair and, more importantly, fun . . . and, I was ready and properly trained. I was very lucky to have family and friends there to support me. And, Jamie, my girlfriend, was the best cheerleader of them all (for me and others). Plus, some people I know from Pittsburgh were up there, and I got to enjoy watching them race. I met some new, great people. It was a great weekend, in a great location, with a great venue. I am a very happy man.