Waterman's Half - Triathlon1/2 Ironman

I was just happy to finally get in the water because my feet were so cold. I was the thrid wave to go, so my start was actually at 8:06. My shoulders were hurting in the first few 100 but they finally settled in. I had to re-adjust my goggles several times during my swim, which can get frustrating. I finally gave up and swam with one eye for the last 400 or so.

I would buy new goggles a week or two before the race. This was my first HIM, so I really wanted to conserve my energy. In retrospect, I should have pushed harder on the swim.

My transition was fine. I was so worried that I was going to forget something, I slowed down and took a few deep cleansing breaths. This helped me stay focused and organized. As a great added bonus, my wife and kids were there. In fact, my 7 year old jogged next to me as I was running into T1. I wasn't expecting to see them later in the day, so this was a great boost.

Nothing....

I am not a strong biker, so this was my biggest fear during this whole race. This was hands down the longest I ever spent in the saddle. I am from central PA so I ususally need to come out of the saddle for climbs. I am seriously considering getting a tri bike, since I plan on doing more at this distance. I did a good job with my nutrition and had a gel every 30 min and a cliff bar every hr. I picked up water at mile 30, but lost it within a few minutes because it didn't fit in my holder.

Train more in my drops, and race more in my drops.

This was a good transition for me. I took my feet out of my shoes WAY too early. I still had a good 1/2 mile but judged the transition to be closer than it was.

Remember my sunglasses. Not worry about taking food or water. There was plenty on the course.

I ran great on the first 7-8 miles (for me). I started to think I was going to be able to break the 7 hr mark, which was actually an hour less than my 8 hr. goal. After I climbed the hill leaving the park on the seocnd lap, I fell apart. There was another racer in front of me walking the entire hill. I told myself that I was not going to walk, but soon realized that the other person in front of me was walking faster than I was running I decided that it was time.

Train more...train more...train more

I crossed the line and walked with my wife for a while. I hugged my boys and ate pizza. I then headed back to my transition area and started cleaning up my mess. I didn't realize until later that night that I completely forgot to stretch.


My weight is the biggest factor.


AWESOME!! Set-up knows how to put on a race. This was my first HIM, and I couldn't have asked for a better experience. I will do this race again!