Buffalo Springs Lake Ironman 70.3 - Triathlon1/2 Ironman

So everyone learned the trick to the BSLT swim -- The very right edge of the starting cove is very shallow, turning the first 100m into a run, more than a swim. It was kinda fun, actually. Had a pretty good swim. Was sighting more than I wanted. I didn't draft consistently, but I did try to jump from person to person as they'd pass me. The low visibility made it a little difficult to stay on the feet. There were enough people in the water that there was usually someone nearby. My sighting was OK; didn't get too off course, and I was pretty good at the bouys.

Got my goggles slapped once, and kicked in the face another time. Luckily, goggles stayed on both times.

Not much. I'm happy with the swim time, though it makes me wonder if the course wasn't a smidge short.

My suit got stuck on one arm, and my wetsuit stripper wasn't very aggressive to get it off the legs. Finally got her to yank hard enough to get it off. Rest of T1 went OK, including bike mount.

22nd in AG.

Don't grab goggle until wetsuit off; that may be why it was stuck on my arm. Also, need to be conscious of trying to identify a larger/aggressive wetsuit stripper as I come out of the water.

Oy -- I crashed again!! :( Details in a minute.

My plan today was to practice for Louisville. That meant taking it pretty easy for the first 20-30 miles at least. Lots of people passed me, which was annoying, but I did this pretty well and just kept it steady. I'm happy with how I handled the hills -- lowest gear and just spun up. Never stood, and usually passed a couple people in the process.

Treacherous conditions today. Saw a couple wipeouts at the turnarounds, even though everyone was going as ridiculously slow. I was happy to see that nearly everyone was riding their brakes down the switchbacks and taking all the corners and turns conservatively. The course was fairly crowded, and given the winds, I was careful of riders getting blown around during any passing or while reaching for nutrition, etc.

My fateful moment came around at a left-hand turn around mile 50. I had slowed, come out of aero, and chosen a conservative line through the corner. But still, my back wheel went out from under me and I found myself on the asphalt. Arrgh!

I was a little slow getting up. I checked to make sure nothing was injured seriously (it was the same side I'd fallen onto a could months ago and also last summer). Hip, elbow batterd, minor scrapes on sides. I'll live. Eventually started going again, then biked in anger for a bit. Finished stong

Ignoring the bike crash for a second, I would probably have called this a below average segment. I usually don't drop too many places on the bike, but I did today. However, given the conditions and that I was specifically targeting IM pacing and easy effort for much of it, I would classify it as average. I came off the bike thinking, "Ok, I could do that again," which is exactly the way it should be at this point.

Err... stop crashing? :|

I don't know how to determine what I'm doing that causes this. Tire pressure? Rear disk? Something about my bike fit, or my technique on left-had turns?

It was actually a good job at following the plan, even if not the stongest pure 'bike' effort. But that's the trick right -- saving it for the run?

My dismount was sub-par. I had discovered during my ride on Saturday to get out of my shoes at the top of the hill before transition, then I took that final downhill pretty slowly. Nonetheless, I just wasn't feeling confidence for a running dismount. I did a quick stop, still straddling the top tube, then dismounted.

After that it was pretty good. Had put on socks in T2, so just slipped into shoes and grabbed my hat. I'd put two gels in there that I wished I hadn't also grabbed, since I had two extra in my pockets from the bike already. Instead I just shoved them into pockets and ended up running with them.

3rd in AG. Looks like good transitions kept me couple spots higher in the AG.

Not much. The dismount was an anomaly.

This was a solid run for me. I just picked a fairly easy pace and kept it steady throughout. Didn't have to walk any of it, and managed to overtake quite a few people.

Plan was: easy through the park on the way out; then steady through the hills to the energy lab. Option to pick up a little at the start of the energy lab, or at the turnaround, if it felt good. Steady and under control through the hills again; option to push the final 5k once back in the park.

After the turnaround, the wind was in our face, so I did some drafting and jumped to different runners when appropriate. I held my own pretty well on the uphills, but tended to pick up more speed and people on the downhills. I know I made up a couple spots in my AG during the run.

We were lucky with the overcast skies; heat really wasn't a problem. I took water at every aid station, and mixed gatorade with it every other station. Also took a salt tab at the turnaround. No nutrition problems.

Not sure if it was the hills or because I was compensating for the bruised left hip from the fall and had different form, but my right hip flexor that I injured earlier this year became a problem again during the run. After the final downhill into the park, it was expecially noticable. Any upward grade to the road became painful, so I was trading places with other races, depending on whether we were heading up the minor grades or down them.

Minor annoyance: that tiny rock in my shoe. Just big enough that I'd feel it under my toes sometimes, but small enough that it wasn't all the time, and I couldn't justifly stopping to pull it out.

Gerald passed me on the first major downhill. He was already pushing hard and booking it, and when I saw him again near the turnaround I wasn't certain he's be able to hold that effort. Not sure how he did it. Also saw Rodney, Sydney, and Brittney out there. It's great sharing encouragement, if all you've got energy for is a finger wave. :)

In the next HIM, I'll be trying to push a little harder. Never found myself really out of breath on this run. Legs were a little tired near the end; if I'd started a second loop, there would almost certainly have been some walking. But for IMKY, I'll be playing it a little more conservatively and not picking up the effort.

Bring dry socks for T2. Don't know if would have really helped, but would have been nice and might have helped avoid the blister.

Had a bit of trouble catching my breath right after the finish, so I grabbed the side of the med tent and just held myself there for a minute or two. It passed. Did stop in the med tent for ice packs for the hip I fell on and the hip flexor I pulled again. Checked the blister on my foot but it wasn't nearly as bad as I thought. Later, did get some hydrogen peroxide and bandages for various scrapes.

No stretch or jump in the lake; just the medical attention. Grabbed some bagel and watermelon and put my name on the list for a message before walking around to find folks I knew. (Though we later hit Freebirds before going to the awards banquet.)


My plan. Goal was to practice for IMKY, so there were parts of the race I was intentionally holding a steadier, slower pace that I might have for an all-out HIM. As an IMKY training race, it worked out great.

The weather. Was very conservative on the turnarounds, bike corners and descents.

Gravity. Too bad I fell anyway.


Everyone preps for the heat at BSLT (which can be brutal). Few anticipate cool weather and rain; it made for a bit of a treacherous course, but I still liked it. A challenging day mentally, and I like the terrain we don't get in the Dallas races. Even though we didn't face the heat, and I wasn't pushing overly hard, I still felt like I really accomplished something just b/c of the terrain. I like the beach start for the swim, although they need to cut out the ability to run so far into the water.

Well organized race, and the volunteers were plentiful and great! Perhaps the best med tent I've been in; they were clearly ready for the normal, hot conditions.

Post-race really wasn't very good. Food was bagels, watermelon, and oranges, although there was beer. Not a very spectator-friendly course; and, other than the beach, not much for spectators to do during the race. Also, nowhere to hide out had the heat been in full-swing, so I'd recommend not bringing the family to this one. (Unless you're planning to camp out in the park, which puts you right along the race course.

The awards banquest buffet wasn't bad, and was BBQ instead of the all-too-common pasta. Something exciting about watching Kona slots get handed out. Not much swag; really just a cotton t-shirt. Finishers got another cotton t-shirt and a finishers medal.