Black Bear Triathlon - Triathlon1/2 Ironman

Really good swim. Water was very clear and only a little choppy. Started out ok in the pack. At 2 min mark I was a little fatigued as this always happens. I took 2 secs took a deep breath and focused on a relaxed pace. I then felt great and started to pass people. About halfway through the out leg I saw a guy slowly moving past me on my right. I tucked in behind him and it worked out great. He was a little faster than me and I let him sight. I followed him the rest of the way out and about a 1/4 way back. I lost him when I got hit by someone in the wave in front of us. I looked up but the sun was in your face and we were in the middle of the next wave so it was hard to pick him out. Sighting was a little difficult from there with the sun but still felt good. Came out of the water and watch read 30:05. Long run to timing mat from there and a longer run to T1. I was very happy with this swim as I really did not push hard. I feel I am "swim ready" for IMLP at this point.

Not much

This was a long run to T1 and I just kind of took my time. I took the suit off as soon as I got to the grass and then carried it up from there. The grass was on a slight incline (everything about this course had hills!!) so I lost balance stepping on suit and fell on my ass. Oh well. Not bad overall though.

Not fall.

I am not a strong cyclist. I am definately not a strong hill rider. Not a good fit for this course. Having rode a loop of this course about a month ago I knew this was going to suck. I stayed within myself and really just focused on getting through the bike without going lactic. Got passed like crazy. Some people were flying on the downhills. I was just not trying to crash. Would suck to get injured this close to LP. Found a guy from my tri club on the course and we spent the day going back and forth. Was nice to have someone to talk to. My magnet bounced and I did not have my computer the whole ride. I think this was better as I wasn't focused on what I still had to do, just focused on getting over the next hill. Nutrition was only ok. I had a sandwich but couldn't eat it. There really is no flat area on this course where you could reach around and grab/open and then eat. It was hilly to say the least. Just ate 2 bags of shot blocks which is about 400 calories. I did work the bottle exchange and I emptied 4 water bottles during this ride. Wanted to make sure I stayed hydrated. One comment on the volunteers. I botched the handoff on the second loop and the guy crossed the road to get me on the way back after the turnaround. I thought that was really great. I needed that bottle. Kudos to all the volunteers out there. Overall I am ok with this bike time. I did a flat half back in the fall and I averaged 20.9. This shows my weakness on the hills. I do feel that now I am close to being ready for IMLP on the bike. I was not completely shot and was able to fell good for the run.
One last comment....how fun was that last hill on the second loop? Nothing like turning into uphill climbs.

Ride more hills. Ride more hills. Ride more hills. Eat more.

Just ok here. Was not moving terribly fast and I used my laced running shoes. Put socks on, tied up comfortably and took off from there.

Not much. Not too worried about transition times right now as they are really irrelevent in my goal of IMLP.

Felt pretty good and paced well. Focused on keeping my HR down. Drank at every station a couple of sips. Run was a little challenging. First loop went by rather quickly and I was passing people at a decent clip. The leg out across the dam and the next mile or so after that were in the hot sun. This kind of sucked but the wind kept things a little cooler. I ran through the neat covered bridge and headed out on my second loop. Philly Tri Club group from the sprint were there cheering us on. Was nice to see friendly faces. Second loop was obviously harder. Legs were getting a little heavy. Decided to walk halfway up the large hill as my heart rate was starting to climb. This was a good call as I took a nature break as well. Got back into a good groove and continued on. The heat and sun were really picking up and miles 2.5 to 5 were pretty rough in the heat. I stayed hydrated as much as possible without getting that sloshing feeling. Loved the cool towels at the aid stations. There were a ton of aid stations and the volunteers were great. A really well run course that did not leave you wondering where your next drink was coming from. Still passed people on second lap but these were mostly people on their first loop. Found a guy in the distance with about a mile to go and focused on catching him to get my mind off things. I caught him at the covered bridge about 300 yards to the end. We came out of the bridge and saw the line. You have to leap up and over a ditch on a hill to get to the finishing 100 yards. When we did this, he took off and sprinted ahead. I went after him, but just couldn't catch him. I think I passed him too early. I should have waited till the line. It was kind of dumb when I think about it...I mean we aren't winning or anything, so what is the point of a couple of seconds and 1 place in a race that was over 5 1/2 hours long? Still that mental switch in your head says go when someone passes you at the line and your instincts take over. He nipped me at the line and I felt like crap for a couple of seconds. Got a drink and stretched for a while. Was overall very pleased with this run. I stayed focused and paced very well. Did not go out hard and did not blow up at the end. A positive experience heading into IMLP.

Not much.

Stretched a bit and kept walking. Wasn't really hungry so I skipped the food line. Grabbed a diet coke from the tri club tent and that tasted so damn good. Caffiene picked me up. Stuck around to cheer on other finshers for about 2 hours then packed up and drove the 2 hours home. Was a little stiff getting out of the car and I didn't smell great either!


I need more hill training for the bike. I feel like I can accomplish IMLP at this point and be fairly comfortable. I would like to do a certain time as my C goal for the race (A being finish, B being have fun) so we will see what happens.


A very well run event. Larry & Michelle do a great job and the volunteers deserve a lot of praise. Tons of stations on the run course and that was key. Volunteers knew the course and which way to direct you. Great job!