Beach2Battleship Iron Distance Triathlon - Triathlon

Had no idea what to sight. There were people everywhere and only one buoy (at the turn). By the time I got where I could see the turn buoy, I was way to the right. I was definitely holding back and taking it easy in order to be fresh for the B & R. I had to stop 5 times to either clear fog from goggles or try to figure out which way to go... with no idea what to sight, I just looked for where the most people were and went that way. Also, the sun was blinding me on the right sight about half way down the first leg. My toes got numb towards the end of the swim.

Try to scope out the course more in advance or ask around and get advice on what to sight during the first leg before the turn... there were lots of things to sight, just didn't know which one to use...

Temp was around 40 degrees when we exited the water. I probably spent 3-4 minutes in the hot shower just letting it warm my toes and rubbing them trying to get feeling back in them. It was a pretty decent run to T1. I was freezing cold and could not feel my feet. I was worried that the gravel might be eating into them and so I slowed down to a walk b/c I didn't want to risk foot pain the rest of the day. Every step was painful. Once into the changing tent, it was SO crowded. The ground was soaking wet. I couldn't even find a 3 foot space to get my stuff out and dry off and change. Men were shoulder to shoulder, naked, and everyone of them were shivering. After a couple mins I found a big enough spot to change, threw my foil heat blanket (that they gave me at the water exit) on the ground, dumped my T1 bag out, tried to wipe all the grass and debris off my feet, dried off, got dressed, put all my wet stuff in bag, hit the porta on the way to my bike, then took off on the bike course.

Probably wear booties to both help prevent numbness of feet during swim and help me on the way to T1. OR leave some shoes somewhere around the swim exit that I could throw on (I saw a guy do this). Other than that, not real sure. It was brutal.
If I had any idea of what to expect, I may have been quicker on my feet and found a quicker way to change... or be more prepared to adjust my plan. My plan started with finding a space big enough to lay a towel down and then change. When no space was available, I could have yelled out asking who was almost done or just gone butt cheek to butt cheek with someone... ha! I just had too much stuff (reg clothing plus cold weather, HR strap, socks, shoes, helmet... I needed some space

Heading out I had on bike shorts w/ tights over them, blue zoot jersey, thick arm sleeves, thick gloves. My legs were numb from the swim and T1, so it was hard to get a gauge on how they felt. I just went by HR and cadence and tried to keep what I thought was an easy effort (hard to do w/ numb legs). Temp + wind = pretty chilly for the first half or so. Most pplk I saw had long sleeve and leggings. About 1.5 hours in I started to regain feeling in my legs... but didn't fully regain feeling in my toes until 4.5 hours into the bike (have vented tri shoes but was wearing dry socks and toe covers). At this point, I could tell that my legs felt okay. I kept my HR in the 120 range the entire ride! Rode the first half about 1 mph faster than the second, but purposefully backed off wanting to save some for the run. Plus, I was passing a LOT of ppl on the bike and was not getting passed by many...
I wore leg tights, arm warmers and thick gloves the entire ride. Probably could have gotten away with shedding them towards the end, but it also wasn't hot enough to have to shed them.

Nutrition:
I started the race w/ 2 servings of infinit on my bike (put it there the night before). I stopped at the 2nd aid station (about mile 40) and mixed 1 serving of infinit. I stopped at special needs and grabbed a bottle containing 2 servings of infinit (mixed previously) and used the porta (pee) and was off. Then, I stopped at the 2nd to last aid station (around mile 90) and mixed 2 servings of infinit. Bike computer had an avg of 17.6 b/c it does not run when bike is stopped.

Not much. Having the numbness might have been a blessing in disguise... I think it forced me to go very easy and this really helped me on the run.

Not much to say here. Had a decent distance to cover to get to changing area. medic stopped me b/c of the irritation that my wetsuit had left on my neck. He put some cream on it. There was a female medic in our changing tent helping treat a racer, so I sort of waited a bit to see if she would leave. Eventually, I just turned my back to het, got naked and changed, used the bathroom quickly (pee) and took off. Ate a stinger waffle and drank some water right before leaving T2.

Not much. Could have been a bit faster, but didn't want to rush and forget something.

Legs felt amazing! Even so, I tried to stay easy with the pace. I decided to stick with the 4:30/0:30 run/walk. Managed to keep HR around 120 for pretty much the entire run! Ran the first 6 miles at a 10 min pace! After mile 7 or 8, legs started to feel it. I was worried they would cramp or lock up. I was also having some stomach issues (expected). But, I just stuck with the plan. It was grueling. Mental toughness paid off. HR was good the entire time. My only concern was my legs and whether or not they could do it. But, I just kept asking them to go and they did! I adjusted the plan just a little at around mile 14 and did a 4:15/0:45 run/walk. At aid stations, I either hit them during the walk or adjusted my time to reflect walking thru aid station (for example, if walked thru aid station, I would skip the next scheduled walk). I think the run/walk was very helpful in giving my legs just the right amount of time to recover and get some oxygen and also keep my HR down. Another huge plus was that it kept my mind busy b/c I was always watching my watch.
I made an effort to encourage people that I saw on the run. Even though it took a bit of extra effort, it made it more fun for me.
Nutrition:
Started off w/ a 3 hour flask of infinit napalm. Used this the first 13-14 miles and then just lived off the course. Took endurolytes off the course and sport legs at T2 & special needs. Around mile 17 or 18 I started taking in chicken broth and coke. Also tried a few cups of liquid heed (nasty taste). Ate a few little things here and there.

Even though my legs were feeling it, I feel I could have pushed the pace the last 6 miles. But I didn't want to be totally wasted at the finish and for the days to follow.

sat in the warm tent, ate some pizza


This was a great race. I did a HIM that was IM branded and it did have just a bit more fanfare. However, I enjoyed this race every bit as much, if not more. I would love to come back.

People that I talked to said that race conditions were better in years past (swim and bike). So I feel like I could easily go sub-13 hrs if I am able to give this race another go. Even though I could have done better, I did make a lot of really good decisions throughout this race and was pleased with my overall performance.

Interesting things I saw:
- A female squatting on the side of the road (bike course). Not sure if it was a #1 or #2... saw lots of men peeing on side of road, but just weird to see a female going squatty.
- A guy right in front of me on the bike sat up and let go of the bars to stretch. He totally lost control and went wide right and then wide left... I have no idea how he kept it upright. I pulled up to pass him and told him he scared me... he said he scared the crap out of himself!
- A lady right in front of me on the bike just fell right over. I think her pedal may have clipped her computer sensor. I stopped to help her. She was shaken but okay and bike looked fine, so I told her to get back on that thing and hold on tight and then I took off.
-On the run, with a porta in sight, a man run s over beside a bush (in clear sight of everyone) and goes squatty. Dude, c'mon, if you're back here w/ me you aren't going to podium... and what are you using to wipe?