Beach2Battleship Half Iron Distance Triathlon - Triathlon1/2 Ironman

Swim was super fast-- nearly 5 minutes faster than my International lake time 6 weeks ago, also with wet suit. I heard that the faster current was in deeper water on the left middle of the channel, so i 'attempted' to stay left, but navigation was difficult due to wind, fog and my inability to swim straight. The wetsuit i rented also is a little too short in the torso, so it hinders my ability to fully extend my back while swimming. Breathing was tougher, as i breath on the left-- which was the windward side of this course-- meaning i got several small waves straight to the face/mouth.

Rent different wetsuit. Learn to swim in a straight line.

I obviously didn't push it here. As my first half, my goal was to be comfortable-- so I took my time in the changing tent to completely dry off, put of dry bike shorts, CEP compression sleeves, L/S running shirt, L/S jersey, full finger gloves, neo toe covers, toboggan under helmet AND a fleece neck gaiter-- while normally reserved for skiing, i think, the Turtle Fur gaiter was easily one of the best decisions I made all day as I faced brutal winds and mist later on the bike. Overall, I was happy i was able to hold down 16 mph with all the stops, in those conditions.

I would have worn the knee warmers, and tried to cut my time down to 8 minutes from a leisurely 15. Also, would have brought all clothes into the tent, rather than changing mostly in the tent and then putting shoes on over by the bike, all before stopping to pee before taking off. Why did i do this? Not sure, really, but its all a learning experience, right?

This bike ride should have been named, The Good, The Bad and The Ugly. I started off easy, with high cadence. The plan laid out by my coach was to start off easy, high cadence, to save some for later in the ride, and ultimately to be able to perform on the run. I felt pretty good on the first 10 miles going NorthEast, but was surprised by the wind gusts. Turning onto 440 for the 10-mile highway ride, however, was brutal. I remember a review from a previous year where someone commented on how fast this stretch was.... but I'm guessing the wind wasn't blowing 20 in their face that year! This was tough, and i was averaging 13-15 mph, trying to stay in Aero, and grateful i'd decided to wear the Turtle Fur! 421 North was a little better, but still tough. Then, we made the turn onto 421 South, the sun was out, and I absolutely SAILED home. I stopped 3 times to stretch overall, the final time at the 45-mile aid station. From there, I made it the last 11 miles in 28 minutes! My legs felt stellar, and I blew by many riders. I had done well to eat a gel every 30-40 minutes and supplemented that with 3 scoops of Endurox between minutes 60 and 180 on the bike, and 3 bottles of HEED (nasty, but necessary). I think i actually went faster sitting up than being in aero, due to the wind/sail factor....

Besides buying an actual triathlon bike, I'd probably have worn the knee warmers. Also, my toes go numb, so i had to stop a couple times to work some bloodflow back in, so I don't see myself stopping less unless I find a cure to that problem... I don't know what i could have done differently that wouldn't have hurt me later.

This was the fluke of the day. Since I forgot to put my race # in my T2 bag on Friday night, I had to carry it in the Bento box during the race so i would have it at T2. However, I forgot to get it out of the Bento box upon dismount (I completely forgot that someone else would be racking the bike for me), so i had to go back and get it after i got dressed. Then, my bike was racked in the wrong place, so it took me and 2 volunteers several minutes to find it. This cost me at least 5 minutes.

Get to Wilmington earlier on Friday, and get my T2 bag to check-in well before dark, with a list to check. I had things pre-organized in bags to go in the Tx bags, but forgot to get the race # out of the packet for the Run bag....

Amazing. Everyting I did prior to the run, apparently, worked. I was able to maintaing a pace comparable to what i trained for. Running through downtown Wilmington with crowds of people cheering me (by name, due to my name printed on my Run #) was exciting. I saw my Mom and girlfriend and gave them a hug/kiss about mile 3. I drank HEED at every stop, and eventually switched to chicken broth and then Pepsi. I realized, "I'm actually going to finish this race!!!" It was a moving experience, with most miles around 11 minutes, a little slower toward the end, but then ran the last mile as faster, sub-10.

Nothing.

Ate pizza, got free massage, put on warm clothes, took pics with family, REJOICED AT THIS MONUMENTAL ACHIEVEMENT!!!


Wind/weather, general level of fitness at this point (novice). This was definitely a learning experience.




Alternatively to the above quesiton, the things that ENHANCED my performance were: Nutrition, prep, coaching (Insert shameless plug for Studio 7 Multisport), the support of my family, and the unwavering support and logistical management of my girlfriend!!