The Utah Half - Triathlon

With the course change the general consensus in talking with some of the top finishers was that the swim was long. Based off my training I should have been at about a 32 min swim... my fastest is a 28 with a wetsuit.

Swim went fine.... I would just be curious at the exact distance.

I taped 3 gels and a banana to my top tube. I still struggled getting a couple things in the tiny singlet pockets.

I think in the future, everything gets attached to the bike and I'll organize on the ride.

I felt like I hit my nutrition spot-on. Started with a banana about 10 min into the race. I had two disposable bottles of IM PERFORM on the bike that rotated with bites of heavy-salted baked potato.
I didn't even take any water until mile 15 at the first aid station. I've noticed that if I get too much water it sloshes around in my gut... and I just have to pee, and I fight both things all day long.
At mile 30 I ate the 2nd banana and took the last of my potato at about mile 40. From there on out it was water, Perform and the remaining GU.
My average HR during the bulk of the ride was 142-145 (taking out the first and last few miles). Normally that would be running it a little hot and I was worried how I would fair on the run. For the Bear Lake Brawl last year I ran into the 160's and was ok for about 9 miles of the run, so I figured I would be ok in the low 140's (during a full IM I try not to get out of the 130's).

I had been leapfrogging a rider in a relay team almost from the start. At mile 53 coming back into the congested part of town, we were cruising along at about 24MPH. He had just leapfrogged me and was passing through a busy intersection and the cop must not have seen us as he was waving cars through....... I could see something bad developing like it was in slow motion. I had come up out of my aerobars, but the kid in front was buried in the aero position and flying in zone. By the time he saw the car coming through it was two late. Both hit there brakes and the biker hit the car broadside.
The police were all over it in a second. as I rode by the biker jumped up so I figured he was ok. A few hundred yards down the road I looked back and he was back on the ground.
After the race I was checking around to see his condition but I was never able to find out.

I really felt good during the entire bike. I felt like I didn't push too hard or too little and good with the nutrition.

Decided to push it from the start and take advantage of the cool-shady first loop. Completed the first loop at 7:29MM. By about mile 9 I had dropped to a 7:39 avg, but felt like I could make it back up on the last 2 miles by pushing it to the end. Tried to maintain around a 7:35 pace from mile 9 to mile 11.
Once I hit mile 11 I really tried to push the pace but I was never able to get my time back.
I took in a total of 3 Gu's during the run. Took 3 or 4 salt tabs and other than that it was just water.
I never 'lost it' or had any cramping. Other than just the fatigue of a 1/2 IM, I felt pretty good through the entire run.

Training in sandals, my feet just weren't used to the shoes I wore, so I got blisters on the tops of my feet. I think I need to mix in more training with the shoes.

Great event. In the end I did get first place of all the old guys, so I won $150. Finally got a little back for all I've put into this crazy sport.
For future races: skip the early morning Ensure and coffee. Tape everything on the bike and keep things simple at transition.