American Triple-T Ohio - Race #4: Little Smokies Half Iron - Triathlon1/2 Ironman

felt pretty good considering I've only swam 5 hours all year

went home, of course food selection after race was terrible, some hard peanut butter sandwiches, pretzels, oily pasta salad, chips and cookies. Wanted a diet coke but no soda was left either.


I decided at the last minute to go ahead and do this race since my son would be playing tennis on Saturday at the District Tournaments I would still be able to be back home and make it out here Sunday am. I have only been on my bike for a 20 mile a 42 mile then I did TOSRV mothers day which was 105 miles and the week before this race I did two bricks but the bikes were only 15 and 11 miles long.....My entire past 7 months were spent training for the 50 Mile run I did in Nevada on April 21- you forget the biking muscle especially in these hills eat up your quads and you need those quads for the hilly run! I had a great day.....The swim was uneventful except for more contact then expected, I hadnt swam much at all either but felt relaxed and comfortable. The bike was more pleasant then expected, I felt my quads screaming a couple times but my head told them to be quite and just have fun! I refilled my water on the second lap. During the bike I ate a pb&j uncrustable and a waffer thing. I headed out on the run and actually spent alot of my training for the 50 miler on this course so I am very use to it. There is some great downhills but you gotta go up first :-) Once you turn around and climb for about a half mile or so it is all downhill and a gradual downhill to the finish/out and back turn around.....I love that part of the hill and mentally my mind knows I can go pretty fast for me on it. I walked up most of the hill with a guy from Cleveland on the first lap and when I hit the top I took off.....I saw him when I was on my way back out and he was like damn girl where did that come from? haha I said I just know the course. I slowed down a little bit on the second lap as the heat was really starting to fire up, they had ice at the aid stations this year and that was a blessing. The guy from Cleveland musta really slowed down cause I was on my way back from the second loop with about a mile left to go and he was just at a mile into his second loop, we gave each other a high five. I finished strong with a lady trying to run me down but I wasnt gonna have that. She did tell me nice kick at the end and she just couldnt catch me. I didnt stay long after the race as there wasnt anything inviting to keep you there. HFP use to have great post race food but hasnt for a couple years. I was pleased that the Little Smokies Medal did say the date on it! Again those that did the entire weekend received the same medal that has been given out for the past 3-4 years- no date nothing to let them remember when they did it....dont be so cheap HFP!!
Course record for me by 50 minutes!- only did the half by itself back in 2007 then did the entire weekend in 08 and 09 and ofcourse the times for the half ironman day then were much slower!