Bear Lake Brawl Triathlon - Half 70+ Course - Triathlon1/2 Ironman

Alot of the straglers from the first wave were still swimming toward shore when we started. I thought I would be more frustrated but playing our own version of "frogger" in a lake (as opposed to a street), actually made time go by quickly. Before I knew it I was rounding the buoy. I notice I was side by side with another swimmer in my wave and then no one else for a couple of hundred yards. As we started back we were now battling our own wave of starters.
We swam side by side on the first return until we reached the buoy. I then decided to get in behind and use his slip stream. It was awesome. I've never really successfully drafted in the swim.
It was nice but I felt like we were going slow, so I'd move out of the slip stream to pass but I felt like I was using alot more energy and I made very little progress on making the pass. I tried it twice then just decided to stay on his feet.
As we made our way back to shore the 2nd and final time he made the mistake of standing up too soon to run to shore. I kept swimming (mixed in some dolphin dives) until I was scraping the bottom then stood up.
There was about a 200yd run up to the transition through the sandy beach before we crossed the swim timing mat. Not sure what my real swim time was.

I was hoping to go under 2 min transition - so not too bad. I made the decision to leave my singlet at the bike loaded with my nutrition and put it on in transition.
I tried this once before with a singlet with a 1/2 zipper and it was VERY UNsuccessful. My singlet now, zips all the way down and it's much easier to get on/off when your wet.
It worked great. I would do it that way again.

With my running issues over the past month I've concentrated almost entirely on the bike and swim (mostly bike). I was fairly confident I could ride under 2:25, but was really hoping for a sub 2:20. As it turns out I missed it by less than a minute.
First out of the water and on to the bike was very empowering. I felt this need to ride hard to stay ahead of anyone behind me. The first part of the ride was very comfortable (although I could never get my HR down to my comfort level in the 130's) and I was averaging about 25mph. I knew that's where I needed to be to do a sub 2:20 because the east side has some rollers that always bring my average down.
At about mile 14 I began passing riders from the previous wave that had started 30 minutes before us. Each time I saw another rider I set them in sights and so went the ride.
I ended up riding past the turn around for the the little O/B (RD completely blew this one). According to my Garmin I should've passed it already so I turned around and rode back to find the RD had sprayed an orange sign on the road that you may have been able to see if you were walking but not at cruising speed.
I asked some spectators if this was the bike turn around.
Yes.
So who do I give my number to to verify I made the turn? Silence. I made the turn, slightly disgusted, and headed back to the start of the O/B.
About 1 mile heading back there was a sign that said HALF TURNAROUND. What???? It was supposed to be 3 miles back. I was so confused.
I yelled to one of the bikers that I guessed had completed the turn, if this was the turn around.
"Go back to the aid station" was his reply.
Made sense to me, but I knew that sign (as it turned out was for a 1/2 marathon ran earlier that day or the previous week), was going to be the turnaround for many bicyclists.
Oh well, I can't do anything about anyone else. By the end of the ride my garmin recorded 56.25, so that, along with slowing up through that confusing part of the course, I do believe I could've gone under 2:20.
Even though I was running my legs a little HOT, I felt pretty good at the end of the bike.
I figured my run would be garbage anyway, so if I was going to have any sort of respectable finish, it would come from the bike.

My nutrition went all foul. The web site showed aid stations at mile 14 28 & 42. I packed just enough fluid to get me to mile 14. At mile 14 there was no aid station.
Fortunately the day was still cool and so I was okay. As it turned out, the first aid station was around mile 20.
Then I lost my electrolyte bottle at the bridge so I had one H2O bottle to get me to the next aid station. It was supposed to be at mile 28 but I was pretty sure that wouldn't be. I was right.
By mile 37ish I was completely empty. The 2nd and last aid station was at mile 42 on a fast downhill, (really, Joe?) I slowed down as best I could, but at 20+ miles per hour I could only get one bottle of HEED. Drank the whole thing in about 2 gulps, I was thirsty (and I don't even like the HEED).
I don't feel I ever got caught back up on my nutrition the rest of the day.

Felt very good for the first six miles.
Heel spur or Plantar Fascitis (I haven't decided which I have yet) started to kick in about mile 6 and by mile 9 I was running on endorphins alone.
I caught B.J. at mile 9 (he started in the 1st wave) and we ran together to the finish. Each step was painful those last few miles and I was starting to show signs of cramping (my nutrition was way off today)I tried to hit the pedal at mile 12 and finish strong but as I made the turn back into the park with perhaps 1/4 mile left, I felt the cramps were ready to go into an all-out war with my legs, so I pulled back, kept my turnover quick and just coasted to the finish.

Nutrition

Hung around the finish for Kammi and Steffanie (both of whom completed there first 70.3's).


Nutrition was off


This venue could be a five. RD's have tried for years to get a race around the lake (years past the county would only allow an Out and Back) and Joe did it.
I think if he keeps pushing and refining he will have the best 1/2 in the state of Utah and now the only full for 2013 (since IMSG is gone).