Patriot Half Triathlon - Triathlon1/2 Ironman

Despite being poorly trained for the swim and having zero OWS so far in 2012, I went into this feeling good. I was just going to focus on being consistent and smooth. The first 1/4 mi went well. I seeded myself to the outside so I didn't get a ton of contact but the chop got to me. 1/2 to the first turn bouy I developed a pain right under my diaphragm. Felt like I needed to burp. Tried to relieve myself, couldn't, tried to keep going. The pain turned to seering, even started dry-heaving. First time ever in OW that I was worried for myself and doubted my ability to complete the leg. I had to stop for a while and kept trying to burp with no success. Finally, at first turn bouy I found relief. Oh my, that might have been heard on shore. The rest of the swim was uneventful but the damage was done.

way more OWS.

Still a bit burpie but the suit came off easy. I did forget to put my bento box on my bike and my shirt pockets were way to small for my solids so I had to stuff my bra with them. Just glad I didn't forget them but I bet that will make for some funny looking photos.

Nothing stands out.

Felt good to get on the bike. Held off til mi 7 or so on the water to let my tummy settle. Had water between the aero bars and 5 gu roctane in my downtube bottle with some solids stuffed in my bra. Planned on drinking water to thirst, couple sips of gu every 7 miles, and some solids every 45-50 min. This worked well for my tummy but the gu tasted awful after a while. I'm hoping it's just my flavor choice (cherry-lime).

Wind was ROUGH in a few sections. Made me very thankful most of the course was protected.

About 2 hrs in I developed a side stitch. Very weird. In all my years of cycling I've never had a side stitch from biking before. Went through the check list; legs feel good, HR good, water consumption could have been better but I did feel the need to pee so I think I'm good. Took my effort down a notch to get rid of it.

Really happy with how I felt just in terms of comfort level. I rode in aero for the majority with little argument from my shoulders and my semi new saddle (selle smp pro) felt good.

Side note: Tried peeing on the bike. Not a fan of how it makes the ladyland feel. While I had no issues develop because of it, I'll probably opt out for IMWI.

Execution wise I did well with my current fitness. Looking back I probably backed off a bit too much because of the side stitch.

1. As I started running I realized my toes were numb. Hmm. Never noticed anything on the bike. Ended up walking some to wiggle my toes.
2. Wow, talk about a super long run with the bike.
3. Got to my spot and noticed the woman next to me came to the rack on the wrong side. She trashed my stuff racking her bike. Grrr. Completely disoriented and took me a while to find what I needed.

Think about different shoes? and of course, get faster so I'm racked before everyone else. ha!

Plan was to run to each aid station and walk while taking in fluids. I did well following this plan (even if my run was just a shuffle) for the duration with the exception of walking a few "hills". First two aid stations I found out that the heed wouldn't take and pretzels were a definite no-no. By the third/fourth aid station I found that rotating between coke + ice and water + ice, + orange worked well for me.

First six miles went well. Not fast but consistent pacing. During the seventh mile my legs just started going slower. I tried every trick I could think of to try to get my legs back to the same pace. Nothing worked. Mile ten, hamstring cramp and my run became more of a shuffle. My right hammy has given me some trouble in the past. I need to be better with stretching.

Long loop to the finish once we turned into Cathedral Camp over some rough unpaved terrain. Was telling myself not to break my ankle this close to the finish.

I will admit that in the last three miles I thought long and hard about not racing IMMoo. Such a difficult time in my life right now. I absolutely know I'd be in a dark place without triathlon and this may turn out to be the only time I can do IM in for the forseeable future but I really doubted myself those last miles. Is 83 days enough?

Despite missing some run workouts, I am doubting that even just fitting those in is enough for me. Also, even with all the changes I've made, the weight loss isn't enough.

Sat for a couple minutes, grabbed a muscle milk, and headed over to get food. I'm typically famished after races so I wanted to grab food before getting comfy. Funny thing was, I wasn't hungry. I picked at the food and just sat there singing along with the band. Not sure what that tells me. Did I just do a good job of fueling myself during the race and I'm typically really bad at it? I do wish I had seen those ice baths.


um, fitness. ha!


Loved this race. Everything from the communication from the RD, the location, the volunteers, the post-race party. Loved every minute. Only negative... no beer! I will definitely do this one again.