Ironman Florida - TriathlonFull Ironman

the swim started a little crowded, but i felt more confident this year than ever. it was a wide beach and i started middle/left just a few spots back. the first leg out was a little bumping and the first turn is always insane, but the water was very calm and it was one of the least crowded im swims i have done.
by the way back to the beach i had mostly open water and was cruising along comfortably. i never pushed it unless i was shooting for a gap between people and i was still on pace for a pr swim. the only issues was that the early bumping got salt water in my goggles and it stung really bad. i was afraid to stop to fix it and chance getting run over so i just dealt with it for the first loop.
i walked/jogged the beach run being careful not to spike my hr, and the second loop was more of the same. nice and smooth. i came out of the water feeling fresh and a few minutes under my goal of 1:10.

nothing.

i saw nate filming us and my family screaming on the sidelines. i was eager to start the bike and moved as fast as i could in t1.
the tent was packed, but i finally found a chair and changed shorts. most of my food was on my bike, but i put one gu flask and a makeshift first aid kit (band aids, sunscreen, tylenol, etc.) in my tri top pockets.

nothing.

i started the bike and immediately came upon another rider with a "wedemeyer" bib. for a second i was surprised, but then i realized it was k! she beat me out of the water (not very surprising), but with a faster transition, i was able to catch her right out of the chute. it was great to see her, but it turns out she flatted at mile 8 so it would have been better off if she was still up ahead and i could have helped her out.

as soon as i left k, i realized both my flask and first aid kit were gone. they must have fallen out immediately, so i was down a little nutrition and needed to be smart. i decided to start with my gu schedule, but also eat bananas every chance i could.

i continued up the road and the course started with a decent bit of wind. i was holding a good speed, but i was working for it. after banking some time in the swim and t1, i would need a sub 6:15 bike to have a shot at my 11-hour goal. the bike was pretty mind numbing. luckily, i was grouped pretty tightly with friends. tim caught me and then laura was not far behind. then i ended up catching heidi and we were all leapfrogging each other on and off. it was great to see them ad know they were out on course dealing with the same things and it helped keep the boring scenery from being too discouraging.

i made the turn south after the special needs and that's when it was time to fly. i was able to hold mid 25's with a little effort and mid 22's with almost no effort. i decided that i was way above my goal pace and it was time to just save my effort for later. i didn't want to get greedy and ruin the day. tim laura and heidi were all up ahead at that point and i was resigned to just ride it in with as much gas left in the tank as i could.

the out and back ended up being a little tough and some bad roads, but i was still playing with house money so i just tried to relax. my legs were getting tight and i was getting sunburned. i was very ready to get off the bike and finish this thing off. luckily, i somehow caught back up with heidi and tim and was able to leapfrog with them back to t2. it was very cool to ride it in with them. other than not being able to draft, it felt like we were just out for a training ride.

jump in a pack and average 25mph?!?! time to vent a little. if you want to cheat and draft, have at it. you know who you are and you can live with yourself. i am not your mom or a ref and i'm not going to judge anyone. i just don't want to hear any more b.s. that you can't help it. i have done imfl for myself now and i rode it clean. i saw countless athletes riding it clean with TONS of open space for anyone that wanted to join us. there were numerous packs out there (some 3 wide and 25 deep like a full peleton), but this was going to be my pr and i wanted to know i did it by myself. i'm not looking for a pat on the back or calling myself some kind of angel, i just want people to know it's possible and if you drafted, you chose to. admit it.

came into the t2 tent w/ tim and everything went smoothly. i got a ton of sunscreen applied by yet another amazing volunteer and hit the bathroom. i had a bet with tim and laura on the run, so i wanted to get the bathroom break on my t2 split!

nothing.

i caught up to tim right away and chatted for a few minutes. i was feeling great and after t2 i was way up on my goal. i had a chance at 10:30 and if i didn't completely fall apart, i was going to break 11:00 and finish in the daylight.

i went on ahead knowing that laura and heidi were out there somewhere. heidi couldn't be too far since we came into t2 with her, but laura crushed the bike and went off the front so no one knew where she was. it took me over 2 miles to catch heidi. she had a great transition, but more importantly, she was flying on the run. she was looking great and we chatted for a minute or so before i decided to go try to find laura. i briefly had visions of an amazing run with a negative split and everything, so i eased up a little and concentrated on running nice and smooth.

it took me about 6 miles to catch laura. she was looking good and we were able to chat for a few minutes in the park before the turn around. she said her bike was effortless and it looked like her run wasn't much harder. those 2 are monsters.

it was just after the turn around that i had my first signs of trouble. my stomach wasn't feeling 100%, and that rarely happens unless i drink something other than water when i run. i never have salt issues in training, but the im is so long, i was starting to worry about that too. i didn't have any electrolytes and i was strictly doing my ususal routine of gu and water at that point. i began rationing water a little, but i knew i had to keep eating as i've made that mistake before.

everything held together to finish the first loop on pace. i saw craig looking strong but i still didn't see k. my pace started to fall with each mile however, and i soon realized a negative split and my 3:30 goal were both insane. i just wanted to hold it together to finish in the daylight. i knocked off a few more miles, but the run was really getting tedious. every feeding was forced and i would occasionally cough up some foam. i don't ever remember wanting to stop as badly as i did then.

i rarely walk during runs. i'm not too good to walk. on the contrary, it usually hurts just as much and prolongs the pain. i was worried that i would never get running again if i stopped, but i finally convinced myself that i would walk a few aid stations to get some gatorade in me. it tasted really good and helped a little, but i really just needed to push on. i knew there was no stopping laura and heidi and they were hunting me down. i also needed to get up the road and see k. i was starting to get worried., but luckily i saw her and she was looking better than me. she was doing great and it was 2 flats that caused her delay. that was great news and all i needed to get to the finish.

i did have time to stop and pull out a jason mask we saw at wal-mart (it was halloween after all) and i hit that magical chute. mike reilly called me "a scary ironman" and i have never been happier to be done. pr in hand and time for a real break. congrats to all you finishers. that one hurt.



i need to figure out my water/salt in-take. that probably cost me those 13 minutes on the run. other that that, i am happy.

massage, pizza, beer, and the finishing line. excellent warm-down.
in fact in the next 24 hours, i ate (in order):
7 pieces of pizza and 3 beers
3 pieces of raisin toast
cake
egg mc-muffin
homemade pancakes
chicken parm sandwich
cheese fries
wings
fish and chips
more beers


a desire to not blow up on the bike and liquid intake on the run. i was dehydrated at the end. stupid.


awesome race. as always, NAS puts on an amazing show and the volunteers are incredible. they make it all happen and we couldn't do anything without them. my only criticism is the pre-race dinner. way too packed. i love all the fan fare, etc. we were eager to get the hell out of there.