Ironman 70.3 Austin - Triathlon

I am not a great swimmer. I just try to maintain good breathing and not over do it. This became a very crowded course after the first and second turns. There was plenty of jostling when the waves of swimmers merged together. I know for certain I goosed another swimmer, and swam over a few peoples legs. The water visibility was poor, but I felt good with sighting. The swim felt fast considering it was 44 min long.

I would really like to learn to draft.

This was a long run out from the water to the bike, about 1000 feet or more. Had a hard time getting my watch off, but the wet suit strippers helped. I am glad they were there. I did runr up the ramp with the wetsuit to the bike. I was thorough on getting the bike equipment, having a GU, and getting on the bike. Making sure I had my HRM on, and ready to go.

I am not sure why I was so much slower than the pros who did this T1 in under 2 min. Maybe not dwaddle as much?!?

I was hoping for under 3 hours, and came close. At the last two miles, it was crowded and a more narrow road, which made passing difficult. This dropped my pace considerably.

I did a cliff shot at the right time on the bike, before the run at mile 50, but could have done one at mile 40 as well.

Drink more on miles 25-40. Remember a variety of foods that work for me, when the bonk breakers failed. Hammer a little harder on miles 40-45. That would have made a little difference and led to a sub 3 hour performance.

I waited in line for the two porto potties that had a short line. I really needed to pee, so I decided to wait.

My right thigh seized up before mile 1. Not sure if it was a pull or what, but it made for a tougher run than I wanted. I knew with the limited amount of running I had done in preparation it was going to be tough, but I was pretty happy that I made it through the day.

There were certainly issues with my legs, and strength throughout the run course. I felt pulls in both legs over the course but kept powering through it. The other thing I noticed was that I was dehydrated from miles 5-8. I had to work hard on hydrating with water the rest of the run.

Focus on a single source of hydration. I used sponges to keep me cool which was helpful, but at one aid station I took on water, poweraide, and coke at once. That created a toxic mix in my stomach. I wasn't thinking clearly when I did that. Next time I will focus on one source of liquid per station. I think my body would like that better.

The two things I want to work on are run conditioning, and practicing my hydration for race day.

Walked around for 5 min. I could barely stand by the end of the race.


Better technique on the swim. I felt happy with the bike. On the run, I really need to log more miles, that are injury free. I had no issues with shin splints on race day which I was happy for, but I felt unstable in my shoes.


I enjoyed this race. It was my first Ironman production and it was a much larger race than I expected. It was great to see so many volunteers and I am looking forward to doing another in the future.