Ironman Los Cabos - Triathlon

The swim was very easy and fast. A lot of pros were out of the water in under 50 minutes. I was out of the water in the time expected, but still felt like I could have gone faster as I was in the middle of the pack. Swimming is by far my weakest event. I took it very easy because I knew it would be a long day.

Maybe be a little more aggressive on the swim. More master's swimming.

Right out of the water my calves seized up as I tried to run up the beach. Could already tell my perceived effort was very high running to the tent. Once to the tent I was very disoriented and tried to get everything out of my bag and all of my swim stuff back in the bag. Finally got out and to my bike in a little over 5 minutes.

Be faster and more aware.

A lot of people complained about the difficulty of the bike course given the wind, heat, and hills, but I actually really enjoyed it. I read about the previous year and trained in lots of clothing layers with lots of extra weight on the bike and over many hills. That worked out very well for me this race as I came in about how I expected and hoped for a first IM (under 6 hours).

Keep on the computrainer to develop power and endurance. Work on my saddle position or even purchase a new saddle to provide comfort on the long ride.

Flying dismount into transition and handoff of bike couldn't have gone smoother. Again a little disoriented in the tent, but was able to get everything on, take a pee break, and head out.

Skip the pee break and let it flow on the course. But maybe not. It would good to see that I was still hydrated.

Great start clocking off low 8 min/miles, even though I was hoping to be closer to 7:50. Felt good with the pace I had. Second lap began deteriorating and walking the aid stations, but when I was running my pace was still strong. Started feeling cramps toward the end of lap 2 and began taking in more salt. Beginning of lap 3 I was demoralized having to go out for a third lap. My stomach dropped at at around mile 19 which forced me to take a 4 minute porta potty break. The heat in there nearly caused me to pass out (which would have been a sad sight for some volunteer!). Once out of the potty I was reenergized and determined to finish strong with a sub-4 marathon. Got my pace back down to mid 8's and ran through to the finish. Throughout the third lap my math had become really poor and I was learning to live with the idea of finishing in the mid-11 hours. After I finished, I looked at the clock and saw 10:45. I asked one of the volunteers if it was accurate and in broken English he said "Is Almost". I took that to mean it was close enough. Awesome! All goals were achieved despite a tough run. It took everything I had to finish under 4 hours!

Don't know what I could have done differently to prevent the issues I had. I think I just have to realize that a marathon after a swim and a 112 mile bike is supposed to hurt and just harden up.

One thing I wasn't expecting post Ironman, especially after a hot one like this, was to start shivering uncontrollably. I tried to get some pizza and water in, but I was feeling nauseous and couldn't stop shaking. FInally had a massage which made me feel a bit better. To be honest, the walk back to the hotel is what really did the trick to feel much better.


Stomach cramps and strength. I think I need to work on some more strength training for the next one.


Great race with so-so organization. A lot of conflicting information, but still well worth the price of admission. I would gladly try this race again! My one year couch to Ironman training plan led to great success, not just in this race, but also in the quality of life. A year ago I hadn't even done a triathlon, and today I'm an Ironman. What an awesome experience!