Ironman Florida - TriathlonFull Ironman

The water was 10 degrees colder for the 1st 100 yards or so. Holy crap it was cold on the beach. I started on the far outside and made no hurry at all to get in the water. Stopped to take in the sight for a while during the rush to the water. Walked in the water quite a bit as I was in no hurry....
Going out on the second loop I saw a school of rays or skates swim underneath us. There were at least 12-15 that I saw. That was freaky.

I would have worn my fleece and some socks on the beach waiting for the start and then given them to MA right before the start. I was very cold. Other than that, the swim went well. I didn't get beat up. I probably should have drafted people more.

I wasn't prepared for the strippers right out of the water. Somehow they caught me off guard and my freezing brain had trouble figuring out what I needed to do. I hadn't even started taking my arms out the the sleeves....
The tent was a zoo. I eventually made a place to stand and started to get dressed. Wore socks, arm warmers, leg warmers & a vest. The extra time was worth it. I hate being cold.
I walked past my bike and fortunately a volunteer grabbed it for me and handed it off.

Not freeze my rear end off somehow. Certainly I should have been stripping my wetsuit, but at least that was WARM.

As is evident from my avg HR which only gets up into the 130s for 20 miles (I don't know what the second HR number is) I really took it easy on the bike b/c I was scared of the run. People passed me all day long. I passed a few during the middle of the bike, but mostly I just went really slow and easy.

Dunno. I think if I had gone harder and raised my HR up into the high 130s low 140s (as was my plan) then I would have died on the run. I just went on feel and this is what felt like the right pace. It was just damn slow.

Somehow this was faster even though I stopped for sunscreen and the potty. I was pretty brain dead and almost started to change to the run (change shoes & ditch the helmet for a hat is all I did) at the bag pickup before a volunteer corrected me. A volunteer even sprayed sunscreen on her hands and rubbed it on my face so she wouldn't get it in my mouth and eyes. Aren't the volunteers great?

I did a Gu every 30 minutes with water and gatorade (and sometimes water) at every aid station. I walked every aid station and stopped at the portajohn at least twice, maybe three times. Only had to wait once at mile 16.
Other than that, I didn't really walk, though I'm not sure you could call what I did a run. I started out OK but slowed the entire run which is why I don't think I could have successfully pushed the bike harder. I really wanted to have a faster run, but in reality I should be thrilled. I haven't run AT ALL in four weeks because of my bum knee, so to even do the run is a major coup. My knee didn't feel good off the bike, but wasn't getting any worse so I didn't grab the big neoprene knee brace in my needs bag. Somewhere between miles 12 & 14 it stopped hurting altogether and still feels OK. I was clearly favoring my left leg because my right quad and calf especially hurt.
I coughed a LOT during the first leg out to the state park. It only stopped when I consistently got my HR below 150. It came back anytime I had to breath deeply. Don't know why this happened.
I was not fully prepared for the mental challenge that this would be. I struggled to find things to focus on and couldn't even remember songs to sing in my head.

What can I say? More running and don't get hurt. I need a bigger running base in the worst way.

Walked around and had MA buy me a gatorade. Apparently there was athlete food on the lower level, but I never got to it. I walked around for a bit and then got a massage. I think they may have been concerned with me because I was just staring into space. They kept asking if I was OK. Eventually someone got me a slice of pizza but that didn't agree with my stomach. On the way out of the massage a guy got me some broth and that was heavenly. I wish I had that right after I finished. I started shivering uncontrollably and spilling my broth and MA took me in the hotel where I bundled up. Once I got warm we just picked up all my bags and walked back to the hotel room. I wish I could have stayed and watched people finish but I was just too cold and exhausted.


I don't know if this has just been too long of a season and I had already peaked or what. I just couldn't go as hard on the bike as I wanted and my running has just suffered for the last month. Somehow I'm finding fault with my race because deep down I really wanted to go about an hour faster. The logical side of me wants to slap that other side of me because I know that I should be super thrilled with following:
1) 13:40:43
2) Running the marathon

The second was a major goal since running is my biggest challenge.
So, well, it's all done and I'm looking forward to some down time. It feels a little bit like the day after Christmas now, and that's tough, but I'm super motivated for IMoo in September! Just please, please Lord, don't let it be cold!

Added 11/7/06 --
Ok, so I've given myself another day to reflect on this and get over the downer of being back at work after my "vacation." I've come to this conclusion:
I didn't go especially hard or fast, BUT I went at the proper pace for my level of fitness. I believe that there is absolutely nothing I could have done better during the race. I didn't make any nutrition mistakes and I don't think I made any pacing mistakes. I went at the pace that allowed me to run the entire marathon and finish the day with an empty tank. I left nothing on the course and I didn't blow up. What more could I possibly want from my first IM? I think this was a great success for me. And once again, thanks to all the volunteers who made that day so much better.