Ironman 70.3 Florida - Triathlon1/2 Ironman

Swim felt great. The fresh water was a nice change. I started in the front on the right and slowly worked my way to the inside(to the left) as the crowd thinned out. Because we started in the 13th wave out of 17, we caught a bunch of back markers. I had to duck of few of them doing the dreaded breast stroke. They have a tendancy to kick and punch by accident. I felt like I navigated well and kept the HR in check.

Probably nothing. However, I feel the swim was a little long compared to my training and St. Anthony's swim times. If the swim was not long then I would swim a little bit faster.

Out of the water and a longish run into transition trying to stay on the carpet laid out over the mulch. I found my rack, got my stuff and headed out.

Nada.

The bike leg was one I was going to be cautious with. In the past, I had gone out too hard and paid for it on the run, big time. My plan was to keep the HR at the low end of my aerobic zone. I had calculated a 2:45 bike split was going to keep me on track for my overall 5:15 goal.
There were tons of people out on the course which made it interesting and fun. The rolling hills were a change and the traffic was light most of the time. I suffered a little from FBS (frozen bottle syndrome) because I forgot to take one of my 3 bottles of Perpetuum out of the freezer the night before. So I took in the gels for the first hour and made it a point to shake the bottles every so often to get them to thaw out.
Towards the end of the ride, I felt a million times better at that point than in my previous 4 half IMs. I felt confident getting off the bike and into the run.

I guess I could have pushed a little harder. However, not knowing the bike course, what rolling hills meant and wanting to do well on the run, it seemed like a conservative well-thoughtout plan to go easier.

I didn't want to waste any time in transition. So I just threw everything down, put on my socks and running shoes, grabbed my visor and fuel belt on the way out of transition.

Nada.

The moment I was waiting for, the run. In past half IM races, pre-LT testing, I would tire out due to an 'underdeveloped' aerobic system (as per the lab technician, Beth Jones at Memorial West Hospital). So naturally I would tire shortly into the run, maybe 3-5 miles into the run. This would make my half IM runs feel like a death march.
So, now 18 months of proper aerobic training and since my last half, I was ready to go past the 5 mile mark without tiring. However, around the 1 mile mark the course took us into a grassy area with horrible footing. I did not realize until the first loop was complete that it was approximately 2.8 miles on that type of surface. This was new territory for me. I have never run cross country or xterra.
During the second loop, everything was good until the 6 mile mark. My right hamstring (I have never had issues with my hamstring cramping) was giving me the early indication of wanting to cramp. So, I shortened my stride, took in salt tablets and figured I was halfway home. Just gut it out. Almost out of the grassy area my left quad (yes, the quad cramping I remember from other times, but not this year in training) was giving me the same warnings. I took more salt tablets and moved forward. Second loop complete. I was on a 7:40/mile pace. The jock math in my head was telling me I was inside of 5:15 and flirting with 5 hours.
So far my fitness was there, I wasn't stopping from lack of fitness. As I headed out fot the third and final loop, my hamstring tightened up and that was all she wrote. I was stopped in my tracks. I did a few toe touches and walked for about a minute. I had less than 4 miles to go and 3/4 of a mile on asphalt before the dreaded grass. Once on the grass for the last time, the cramps were coming fast and furious. As soon as I would work one out by stetching and walking, I would start running for little bit before being forced to slow and eventually stop. Frustrating! I worked throught the ordeal and saw the time slipping away and nothing I could do about it. I finally made it to the last stretch and into the finish chute. I was glad to make it even if I almost had to walk across the finish line. Done!
All in all, I am happy with my run and knowing that my fitness and pace were on the money. The training took care of that. The cramps were probably due to my lack of training to run on grass, changing my running form. No worries, now that I know what to expect for next year, I can change the run training a little to suit this course.

Train off road running.

Came out of the finish area and found Martha and the boys. I went over to the food tent and chowed down a couple of slices of cheese pizza. I then headed back to the finish and met up with Patches and family under a tent. I changed into some dry clothes and just chilled. We met up with Mimi, Ivanka, Fernando, Richard, FranSan, Frank C, Steve T, Big Mac, Eldred G, Leah H & Gus C. We took some pictures and relaxed.


The run course.


A good race, competition, setup and venue with the exception of the run course. RANT ON: It almost felt like Disney was calling the shots and in order to not incovinience the other tourists(mind you the 2000+ triathletes and families had a huge economic impact to Disney), hid us in the crappy grass run course. With all the roads Disney owns, you would think that we could use a nice 3 or 4 mile stretch and do a few loops on that. On the other hand, if the race organizers are using the off road run as a feature of the race, they are dead wrong. It sucks! I would even concede to run a little bit on the grass but put more milage on asphalt, please. RANT OFF

I will do this race again next year ;)