Great Floridian Triathlon - TriathlonFull Ironman

Swim was uneventfull. As someone mentioned before, somebody got really creative to get the 78 degrees to make the swim wetsuit legal. It felt a little too warm, specially on the second lap of the swim.

Put a little more effort into the swim

Transition into cycling gear was good, but when I picked up the bike it was not rolling smoothly and the computer was not working. After a quick inspection I noticed the bike had been bumped or dropped somehow because one of my bottles was halfway full (with some of the accelerade on the frame), the chain was off, the computer cable was disconected and one brake caliper was pressing against the rim. It took like 5 mins to get everything corrected and ensure everything else was in working conditions before finally heading out of T1.

Nothing.

This was the beggining of the end for me. That morning I realized I had left two of my bottles containing Accelerade, so I had to pull one of the spare ones from my special needs bag (kept the other for the second loop)and decided to use whatever was provided at the aids stations. Started suffering severe cramps at mile 20 and they continued for the next 92 miles. Tried everything from taking more endurolytes, more water, more food, etc, but nothing worked. At times I felt as I wast getting better, but must've been my mind playing tricks in the heat, as in reality the cramps got worse. After completing the first loop I stopped at the special needs area to use the port-a-toilet, just to find out I had to stand in line for about 10 minutes because there was only one. Anyhow, I guess that was a welcome opportunity as it helped to recover. I didn't feel as I was pushing too hard, HR was an AVG of 135 (well within my zone), but apparently that was not the case. As I started the second loop, HR went up to 145-149 and wouldn't come down. I never worked so hard to go so slow. Avg speed dropped to below 15 mph. I went on vacation at every aid station on the second loop, as if I was in all-inclusive resort. Took a break, water, gatoraid, ice, poured ice cold water all over, I mean, the works. Nothing helped. At about mile 90 I started feeling some chest pains that radiated to my neck and lower back. A few weeks ago I had suffered the same symptons and ended up passing out in the shower. I thought the same would happen here and really got worried, so decided to coast the last 22 miles in hopes that I would recover enough for the run. After almost 8 hours, I finally went into T2, and for the first time, was certainly not looking forward to the marathon. Then only reason I'm marking the bike leg performance Below Average is because I finished it. Otherwise, it would've been below BAD.

Get more familiar with the course conditions WAY BEFORE the race. Hydrate a lot more and reduce the effort at the beggining. Basically, follow the training/racing plan and not make stupid last minute changes.

Went into T2 feeling miserable. My legs recovered towards the end of the ride, but the chest pains were still there and not getting any better. I was considering dropping out at that point. I had never tried drinking coke before, and I've heard some swearing by it to get them out of trouble, so I decided to give it a try. After a couple of cups (diluted with water) I actually felt better, so I decided to continue. Took my time getting ready and took off.

Started the run with a slow walk followed by a 5-min/1-min run/walk until mile six which I reached in about 63 minutes. I tried to maintain the effort but the chest pains were aggravating, and after mile 4 were almost unbearable. At mile six I stopped at the aid station and was immediately attended to by the the support staff. That was the end of my race. As many others that day, I got to the point were I had to (1) consider going at whatever cost, or (2) make the regretable decision to retire. I made a promise before before I started the race (that is another story), and had to maintain that promise, so, to my own dissapointment, I chose option 2.


Pray to the Tri-GODs a lot more...

We all know that not everyone is going to be happy, and that there is always room for improvement. So, with that said, I do not want to insult the dedication and hard work of the race director/producer and volunteers by even providing constructive criticism. They had a lot in their hands this time around, record high temperatures, a lot of new and unexperienced athletes, road constructions, and reduced police assistance among others. Under the circumstances, I stronly believe they all did an exceptional job at adapting to those last minute changes and made it possible for all to enjoy a high-quality event.