Beach2Battleship Half Iron Distance Triathlon - Triathlon1/2 Ironman

I held on to the dock waiting for start. You could feel your legs floating down stream. In fact, very difficult to bring legs under and then behind you to start swimming. Very effortless going down the channel. I have panic issues about swimming. So I stayed over near the right side and the docks until halfway to the buoy. Good thing I have done lots of ocean swims. Chop was rough. Lots of mouth fulls of water. Also good thing I can breathe on both sides. I figured that out early on in open water swimming when I could only breathe on the same side (left) that the waves were coming from. Made turn in 9:30. Last year was a little over 12:00. I then tried to swim the tangents and cut corners as close as possible. Why swim farther than you have to right? Jeremy said we could swim anywhere we wanted just had to go around the orange buoy. So when I tried to go to inside of the right turn and was told no by the paddleboarders, I was not real happy. Still, I went back out with everyone else. Came out of water about 6 minutes faster than last year and my usual speed.
Water temp was about 6-7 degrees warmer this year. I was told about swim booties to keep feet warm and for run to T1. Glad I did that. Especially for the run to T1.

Swim where I know I am allowed to. I really appreciated the paddleboarders help. I had one shadow me all the way to the turn buoy last year. I could not have finished the swim last year because of panic issues. But this year, they made me swim extra distance.

The most time I have ever spent in T1. Not even close.
I put on socks. First time ever in a race. Not easy with wet feet. Last year I tried to put arm warmers on while riding. I learned to never do that again as I almost killed me and several others. Putting them onto wet arms is not easy. I also put on windbreaker. It acted like a parachute, but helped keep me warm. I had toewarmers because my feet froze last year. I had sock hat under aero helmet. Sock hat was last minute addition and glad I added it. I decided to put gloves while riding. Glad I had those.

I knew the course well. Was really looking forward to a great ride. Did not happen. Opposite of a lot of advice, I left my disk wheel on. HUGE mistake. As soon as we got on I-140, I realized how big of a mistake that was. I assume my jacket did not help. I like it hot. This was miserable. Last year was colder, but a lot less wind and sunshine the whole way. Last year I rode in just a trisuit. I would have ended up in hospital this year. Winds were relentless. Seemed to be in my face all the way up 421. No trees to buffer the wind. Also, no trees to use as port o let. I knew there would be port a let at 35 mile mark. I should have stopped at 21 when we got interstate. I would have been more comfortable. Blueberry road was a nice break from wind, but pretty bumpy especially when you are dying to pee.
When I stopped at 35 port a let, I was third in line. My legs were absolutely dead. I spent 3.5 minutes in port o let line. Every muscle hurt and I thought to myself as I waited in line that there is no way to ride 21 more and run 13.1. But the thought of tailwind kept me going. Tailwind did not materialize. Or my legs were too dead to take advantage of it. By 45 miles I was so ready to get off bike. I was willing to get off and run just to get off bike.
I got passed by more people this day than all the other races I have done this combined. I was expecting closer to 2:40 than 3:05 plus bathroom break. Glad for gloves, toewarmers and sock hat. I could not have finished with all three.
I am going to get my bike fit again next week, I hope that my setup was off or my brakes were rubbing to have a bike split 25 minutes slower than I was expecting. I was 15 minutes slower than last year despite being in better shape.

Ride more in wind and if possible even though I hate, ride more in cold.

Bike handing was nice touch. Since I had toewarmers on there was no way I way I was going to try and leave shoes on bike. Plus I figured it would not matter if I saved 5 seconds at this point. Having to run though the rocks entering tent would have hurt like hell. Changing tent was pretty full.
I got my stuff on and then stuffed all my junk into bag and off I went. Decided to pee and have bad transition time and hopefully a good run time. Glad I did, I seemed to go forever. Cold weather and no sweating means all the water taken in and to go out somehow.

I went out thinking that as bad as my legs felt on the bike I would have to walk like I did last year. But last year I had an excuse. I had a real bad ulcer from worrying so much about the swim.
I went out comfortable and started counting people that I was passing. I had to have something to occupy my mind. And to think of passing back some of those people that passed me on the bike. I knew that going with the wind for first half was pushing me, but l would take all the help I could get on way out and deal with the consequences on way back. I hit halfway mark in 48:35. That surprised me. I did not think I was running that fast.
I stopped and got water at most water stops and gels at every other one.
Then came the headwind. I just kept going tried and to pass as many people as I could and I passed 71 and got passed by 6. I swapped places with several people several times. My longest run had been 10 miles. At 10.5, I died. I had to stop and walk for one block. That was real hard to look at bridges and think about running up and over them when I was having to walk on flat roads. But I said that I could walk once and then run no matter how slow the rest of the way. I had gone from the first time over the bridges at 7:30 to now running closer to 9:45. I kept thinking that going down I would make it up. But too tired. Maybe 9:10 then.
I did not like running through the water in parking lot, but I guess that was the price we had to pay for the fast current on the swim.

I will do loner runs before the next one.

Went to warming tent and then ate pizza, donut holes, snacks and several diet pepsis after a bottle of water and chocolate milk. I wish I had gotten a massage, but decided not too. Big mistake.


Wind, wind, wind. Disk wheel, jacket. My stupidity. I learned that when more seasoned veterans tell you to do something, you should listen.


I would gladly trade the extra 15-20 degrees and sunshine so we can lose the wind. Last year was colder, but much easier. I want revenge next year.