Beach2Battleship Half Iron Distance Triathlon - Triathlon1/2 Ironman

Overall, I had a good swim. I actually tried to use tactics this time, sprinting out of the start and trying to maintain a draft. Well, we got spread out pretty quickly, so I swam alone most of the time.

I think I got off course a little towards the end. I had difficulty seeing and the chop got worse during the final 300 meters or so. Still, not too shabby, considering the help of the current

Bodyglide the back of my neck. I know better than this, but just forgot. The chafing + salt water = ouch. I have a huge scab at the base of my hairline.

Also, I really should join masters swim. I'm a pretty good triathlete otherwise, and I think I could do alright if I got off my lazy butt and learned to swim really well.

Okay. It was frikkin freezing, Mr. Bigglesworth, so I didn't care about a slow T1. I knew it would be slow. I pulled on wool knee socks, arm warmers, put a bike jersey over my tri top (with gels already in pockets) a beanie, and wool gloves. Pulling tight wool over wet skin takes time. Turns out, if I'd hurried up a little, I could have placed in the top 5. Oh well.

Not race in late October during a cold front.

Damn, I love the bike! Yes, it was windy, yes, it was drizzly, but the miles just melted away. I was able to maintain focus and hold my pace. I went a little conservatively because I really, really, wanted to have a successful run split, but I still passed and passed people the whole time. I treated the headwinds like climbing a long, gradual hill. My power really helped me out here. I am so happy with having the fastest bike split of the day for women :)

Drink more than 1 bottle of fluid. This is my weakest point of cycling. I get so driven to maintain my speed that I get stubborn and don't drink enough. I ended up okay, but it was a big risk to take.

I was treated like royalty in the changing tent! The volunteer tied my shoes and put my cycling crap back in my bag. She even gave me a Pepsi! This was such a nice suprise.

Nothing at all.

I went into this race wanting to run under 2 hours for the 13.1 miles. I have been working a lot on my running, doing a decent bit of hillwork and speedwork. I went in with a plan to run the first 3 miles easy and relaxed, and then pick up the pack to a "moderate" race pace for the remainder of the split. However, about mile 3 I starting chatting with a relay runner who'd run with me the whole time thus far. She said we were doing 8:19 miles. I was surprised that this pace felt so good, but also knew that it was faster than I intended. Therefore, I changed my goal to hold this pace until mile 10 or so, when I would then pick it up for the rest of the race.

However, I hadn't realized we'd been running with a pretty hefty tailwind on the way out. At the turnaround, I knew I was in for a challenge. Also, by mile 7, I was about to puke after consuming my 7th gel of the day - I'd reached that point where anything sweet would result in my decorating the Front Street cobblestone with my vomit. By mile 10, I was tired, and got passed by a woman in. Mile 11 brought the worse of the headwinds as I ran up the first bridge like I was standing still. By mile 12 I was about fried, but I have a "no walking the last mile of a race no matter what" rule, and I knew I was running well, so I stayed focused and finished out the run. I even found a kick at the end and sprinted ahead of one man, finishing the race with a 26 minute PR!!!

Nothing.

Stumbled around, got a space blanket, got a massage (the therapist took one look at me and told me I looked like I "had just kicked my own ass." Yep, pretty much.


Weather? But that's a lame excuse. Everyone had to deal with that. Drink more on the bike. Drink more on the bike. Drink more on the bike.


Setup does a great job. This was by far the largest race I've done, and I couldn't have dreamed of racing so well. I truly had the best race of my life. The crowds on Front St. were so uplifting; there were even a few cars full of "woo girls" that cheered as I rode passed. The course is fantastic, the organization and volunteers top notch, and the atmosphere awesome. The worst part was that the awards ceremony started 90 minutes late and we were frozen and sunburnt and exhausted. Then, we waited over an hour to get on a bus back to town. I hope they provide more busses/trolleys in the future, but still...great race production.