Spirit of Racine Half Ironman Triathlon - Triathlon1/2 Ironman

First swim in bit body of water. The inland lakes are no big deal anymore, but this was the first time I dealt with real waves. It didn't impact me as much as I thought it would. The first leg of the swim was into the rising sun which made spotting a little difficult, and dealing with the rise and fall with the waves was a new experience. I managed to use the waves a bit, as when I felt a swell approaching I would plan to take my next breath at the top. I was successfull in focusing on the basics--count strokes, stay relaxed, spot effectively, and try to draft as much as possible. Still need to work on the drafting technique. Was pleasantly surprised with my time when I checked my watch going into T1, I certainly didn't feel that fast in the water.

Get to the start earlier so I can get my game face going more effectively.

I made a decision that I would not rush my transitions because of the length of the race. Wanted to be cool and collected heading out on to the bike, my favorite leg of the race. Unfortunately I ended up stopping about ten miles into the bike as I had a small pebble / large grain of sand on the ball of my right foot, and it hurt on the bike!

I've got the transition basics down pat, I think I could have pushed myself through this harder. Still feel walking fast out of T1 with the bike was a better strategy than running.

Having ridden this course four times prior to the race, it was cruise control all the way. Rode faster than I planned on, and I credit the perfect weather for this.

Push a little more.

Again took it easy, but jogged in to T2. Traffic jam at the dismount area, so I got off the bike a little earlier than I would have liked. My transition area was very close to the swim in and run out, but far from the bike in bike out. What can you do...

Running continues to be my downfall. That said, I feel pretty good about this performance--it is the farthest I have "ran" in one shot--ever! I didn't hit the wall, but the second of the two loops I was limited by the fact that my thighs were toast, and my HR would bounce up to the high 180's while running. Did lots of alternating between speed walking and running. I usually enjoy a good sprint at the end of a run, whether it be training or racing, but it was all I could do to simply run through the chute with what I'm sure was not a pretty expression on my face, and managed to throw my arms up in celebration at the finish.

Join a running club to improve my form and do more focused training, rather than just going for runs. I rate this run as average--it sure wasn't fast, but I'm still exstatic about it.

Walked a bit, but so tired I wasn't able to really cool down.


The swim start was attrocious. The actual start was not marked--we just waded in to what seemed like an appropriate place. There was no official at the start line, just athletes. The race PA was set up far enough away that we could not hear ANY announcements, only the siren. There was one race official standing on a pier within shouting distance of where we started, but he did not know anything that was going on, did not have a radio, did not know the wave start order. Lots of grumbling going on amongst the athletes. Simple solution: Give him a dry erase board to write down the next wave information, a radio to communicate with the starter, and a bull horn. Not rocket science here, I expect more from an organization like this.

After the swim, everything was great. There were well stocked and staffed refreshment stations every 10 miles on the bike, and every mile on the run. Plenty of volunteers and staffers in and around transition. Security in transition was great too, I was asked for proof that I was an athlete every time I entered and when I exited with my bike. If the start had been handled better, it would have been an overall fantastic event.

This was by far the most difficult physical challenge I have ever taken on. Glad it is behind me. The rush of finishing an Oly is much more enjoyable for me, but last night while enjoying a few beers, I was thinking about how cool it would be to do a full. The sky is the limit...