Ironman North Carolina 70.3 - Triathlon

Cry Havoc and Let Slip the Dogs of War..

I always try to maximize the benefit of the current by getting into the middle of the channel but the wildcard year to year is the placement of the buoys. I think I overcooked the middle of the channel gambit because I wound up swimming slightly against the current to get aligned with the buoys.. In any case, another fast swim at NC, water temp felt perfect to me, and minimal contact with other swimmers. After the usual pre-race nerves, it's so great to be in the water and making quick work of the first part of the day..

Not swallow any salt water. None. Yuck..

It's a bit of a hike to T1 but leaving some flip-flops to run on the pavement really helps. I had one side of the wetsuit get hung up on my ankle - 15 or 20 seconds of my life I'll never get back again..otherwise, tolerably efficient transition.

I deliberately laid off the pace for 40 miles so I could finally do the run segment some justice; mission accomplished. Counting the extra mile and change, I held 22mph but it was probably around 20mph until the last third. It was much less breezy than usual but even a small tailwind definitely speeds things up. My adjusted split was pretty close to times I was getting over 10 years ago and did it without over-cooking my legs.

There was a typical amount of intermittent congestion, complete with grupettos of 4-10 working together.

I don't know..when you're trying to lay off the pace, there's a risk of overdoing it. If there was any more speed to be had from the bike, i should have worried about it then...

Tolerably efficient..

Have the gods of balance grace me with the ability to stay standing while I'm changing shoes?

I had just the one goal: do the run course a little, teensie-tiny bit of justice. Legs felt ok off the bike, I went through the first four in under 31minutes, lost some steam at the turn, and held on to the finish. Dreams of olympic laurels and standing ovations doth not grace this result but compared to some of my recent efforts, it's a step in the right direction.

The run course is where you have the most interaction with volunteers and bless their cheerful hearts..they really make the day. Thanks to you all. Also, I will always love the very brief conversations I always have with other runners; one guy I was keeping pace with stuffed like 8 gel packs at an aid station into his pockets when we only had two miles to finish. That was good for some back and forth all the way to the end..

My wife and our friends were waiting close to the finish and it was great having the team to lean on as I was trying to get my stuff organized after the race.

Based on current fitness, I think there was, maybe, 30 secs or a minute of additional speed in there. IOW, not enough to worry about. Finished the day carrying my shield, not being carried on it, so that's a win.

The two most destructive forces in the Universe: Sugar and Regret

Anyhoo, my goal at IM events is top 10% for AG - done. A podium is never going to happen because there are some fellows who are still absurdly strong and are defying the crushing realities of aging. Measured by my results from earlier years, I'm more or less holding serve with races from a decade ago and I freely admit that's a feelgood. On to the next one..


I think NC70.3 compares well to any race I've done. Right time of year, welcoming host city that's a cool place to hang out once the race is done..