Ironman 70.3 Raleigh - Triathlon1/2 Ironman

The goal here was to survive and advance. I had pulled out of an open water race weeks before due to anxiety, so to finish was a win. I was very thrilled to have come in under an hour, and felt great out of the water, not feeling gassed at all. Speed was not a concern here.

Not much. I felt good and would do it about the same. I realize the times aren't fast, but this being my first 1.2 mile swim in open water, I was very happy with the performance.

I was not too concerned with speed, as i wanted to make sure i was comfortable and ready to settle in.

Not a whole lot. I stopped for sunblock, but would do it again because it got hot out there.

I probably didn't properly prepare for the bike, though I did stick to my training schedule fairly close. I overcooked it a bit on the front end, and that led to problems in the end. Once the hills started in the last 3rd of the leg, it was trouble. Although my total bike split was right around where I wanted to be, I may have set that goal too high for this course.

I would have done longer rides in my training, and taken in more nutrition. I had plenty of time in the early part of the ride to eat and drink more, and I should have. I never would have guess how I would feel coming off the bike.

My T2 was slow because I was fairly gassed at this point. I took my time walking it in, as well as putting on my shoes and getting an extra drink. And then I walked out.

I couldn't have done much better given the way I was feeling at this point. Differently? I would have trained more on the bike.

There wasn't much running at this point. The heat was coming down, and my body was shelled. I jog/walked the entire run portion, which was disappointing because I come from more of a running background than anything, and I wasn't able to give myself a chance here. So I did what I could just to finish the race.

I just needed a little more training under my belt. Again, I believe it all went back to the bike.

There wasn't much of a warm down. I grabbed a water and a banana, and embraced my family.


The bike. I needed either a flatter course or more bike fitness. I also should have eaten more and taken in more calories along the way.


I thought the city did a great job of supporting the race, and the race itself was very well organized. This race could be a disaster logistically, but they really have it down. I would do this race again.