Ironman 70.3 Miami - Triathlon1/2 Ironman

Great swim. Salt water created buoyancy. This race was wet-suit legal by one degree...
I chose not to wear my wetsuit because I hadn't trained in it. That would have improved my time, but I did not want to feel encumbered by it.
In water visibility was poor...
Out of water visibility was moderate. There was not a huge difference between the red buoy which indicated a "turn" (4 total) and the orange buoys which indicated the course. Swimming near the big cruise ships was pretty cool, seeing the sky-scraper buildings while swimming was also pretty memorable. This definitely would be the most memorable swim for uniqueness / experience for most participants.

Nothing really. Right before the horn went off, I told myself... "Relax... Just Have Fun.." and a guy next to me said, that's right. Let's have fun.
We're not pro's. I'm not a blazer. Just out there to have fun and not take myself too seriously.

Bad knees. Walked with bike with bike shoes on. Usually I keep them clipped in and hop on then put on my shoes. I hadn't practiced that so I wanted to be safe and was willing to sacrifice some time.
The ground here is concrete / marble / smooth and could have potentially caused people to slip in bike shoes or not. That is something to be aware of. Plenty of space to rack the bikes. Transition area had plenty of room and was not dirty / muddy at all.

Nothing. Maybe work on mounting the bike with the shoes clipped in.

Portions of the road were rough, but I wasn't really concerned about getting a flat other than crossing 3 sets of railroad tracks. These are at an angle to the road. Make sure you hit these right. They placed rubber-mats down this year b/c of so many flats last year.
The 30 - 35 age group that swam after me were in ridiculous groups on the ride. The slipstream and drafting was obscene. And, they didn't call out "Passing Left" and they really passed way too closely. That was the only downfall to the entire race.

Nothing. Had a great ride, eventhough I didn't set the world on fire.

Wow, the crotch gets beat up after a 56 mile bike ride. T2 went fine. I made sure to take more salt tabs which I've forgotten to take with me on the run. I tied my shoes properly, and got my hat.
I should've applied more sunscreen.

Not too much. Applied sunscreen.

I have bad knees, so I am a speed-walker. I am okay with this.
I held sub 13 or 14 minute pace the entire "run" portion which actually is not too much slower from the days I used to run these things.
Sunny, got warm. The bridge was tough... twice.

Not too much. Trained harder. Not drink 6 beers the day before the race.

Yea!!!! I completed my 5th Half Ironman!!!!
Oh wait, the wife is back in Orlando with the kids and I have to go to work tomorrow...
So much for celebrating. Maybe I have time for a quick shower before I get in the car for a four hour ride.


Me. I have not put the work in to perform better, but I am okay with that. I am still proud of my accomplishment.


I heard this race was horrible in 2010 or whenever the first year was. This was year #3, and it was great. Volunteers were great, race officials were polite / informed. Traffic control was excellent. Swim was organized and memorable.
My only suggestion would be to either make the waves larger or go from 4 minutes to 3 minutes between waves to get the people off sooner. Pros took off at like 7:20AM and I didn't begin until 8:39AM.
Also - they shut down the store after the race. Poor decision. I would've bought some stuff.