Great Floridian - TriathlonFull Ironman

My first IM mass start swim so thank goodness there were less then 400 people. The rain and wind made the water choppy but after the first few hundred meters the course opened up and I found some space. I was happy with my swim time as it was in the range that I predicted based on all my pool swims. I wasn't ready for the black water that people described...it was weird.

Seriously...what did I do for almost 9 minutes??? I can tell you that I did not apply sunscreen on my back and that was a mistake. I took my time and suited up for the bike, used the porta-john then got on the bike.

Apply sunscreen to whole body and not miss my back!

I had a great ride. The one thing everyone told me to do was to go easy on the bike so I did. The first 40 miles I kept it in the little ring and at the 42.3 mile mark I dropped it in the big ring. I didn't get passed by anyone from that point on. The bike course was great. I am glad I drove it the day before so knew where to go faster and where to spin.

I think I went a little to easy on the bike and could have done a sub 6:00 without to much more effort. Bottom line- I felt great off the bike so maybe I should just keep doing what I'm doing.

Again, another longer transition but I tried to eat some of a PB&J sandwhich which did not appeal to me but then I spotted some iced oatmeal cookies I hung out at the table for a minute, then hit the porta-john, exchanged some high-fives with the family and started the run.

Grab the cookies to go!!

What a great run. I started the first mile with an 8:01 split and realized I needed to seriously slow down as I had 25 miles to go. I only walked through the aid stations (from start to finish) and stopped twice to pee. The run course was nice and flat but the angle of the road was a little steep on the back side of the lake. Aid stations were good and well stocked for the most part.

I was able to run the whole time and was really excited about my run time.

Nothing...I could not have asked for a better run split for my first IM. It was only 30 minutes slower then my last marathon.

Drank some water and couldn't fathom eating food. Rinsed off in the shower outside the bathrooms on the beach and finally was able to eat an energy bar.


What an amazing first IM experience. I could not have asked for a better race, on a better day, put on by a better group of people. The volunteers were great, the cops were all smiling (except one by Cherry Lake Rd around mile 105) and the whole experience was wonderful. I would highly recommend this race to everyone and especially anyone for their first IM. I can't imagine doing my first as an M-dot race. My next IM is 2008 IM CDA so I have one great IM under my belt before I attempt that.

I can't complain- my first time out I placed 10th in my age group and won an award! That's a story for the grandkinds one day! IM CDA here I come!