EagleMan Ironman 70.3 Triathlon - Triathlon1/2 Ironman

It was nice that it was shallow enough to stand in the water before the horn went off. Much better than a deep water start. This was another good swim for me. Breathing felt good, sighted better this time, but I still have a lot to work on there.

After the race, I heard some people talking about the jellyfish. Luckily I didn't see any and didn't get stung!

The end of the swim was kind of rough (rounding the last buoy and heading toward the finish.) It seemed choppier than the rest of the swim and there were a lot of men that started in the 5th wave that were also trying to make their way to the finish. Got sandwiched in between two of them and swallowed some water. I also struggled a bit with the fumes from a jetski until I realized I could just breathe the other way and it was fine (duh!)

Funny that this was an awesome swim for me, and I felt great about it, but still was only 36/44 in my age group. Sheesh.


Nothing. This was a good swim for me!

Took a LONG time in T1. Not sure what the heck I was doing in there. Speed up!!

Stop putzing around.

Ah, the bike...
The good stuff: This was a good bike split for me. I went comfortably hard, but eased up when I started to feel twinges in my legs. Knew I had to be spot on with nutrition/hydration on the bike to have a shot at a decent run and I nailed it. Ate a GU every 30 minutes and drank a lot, but not as much as I needed on my training rides because I really wasn't sweating that much out there. I also wound up sticking to only water and GUs on the bike and that worked well for me. I'm not fast on the bike, but I pushed as hard as a I could within reason. I could feel when my legs were protesting and I eased up a bit when that happened.

The bad: I'm slow. Really slow. It's demoralizing when tons of people pass you. I think I passed (maybe) 3 people, and just got my butt kicked for the rest of the time. Miles 35 to 50ish were really tough for me. Wondering why the heck I was doing this, getting pounded by the wind, just a really negative, pi$$y attitude. It sucked. I'm not comfortable riding in aero yet so I took my aero bars off for this race. Not sure whether it was a good move or not. It's a combination of just not being comfortable enough on the bike and also not being comfortable with the fit. It bugs my lower back and hamstring that I injured a long time ago. I think if I get the fit right, that position will be a lot more comfortable.

The good (again): After I hit mile 50, I snapped out of my funk. 6 more miles until I got to RUN and I was happy. It felt like my energy and excitement kept building the closer I got to finishing the bike. Such an awesome feeling.

Ride more. Ride like I mean it. Get comfortable in aero. Ride enough so that 56 doesn't feel like a "long" ride. I'm there with the run. 13.1 doesn't seem like a daunting distance, but 56 miles on the bike does. Even though the bike split was good for my current fitness level, I'm ticked off with the split. That's a good thing for me because I can remember this experience and start riding like I'm pi$$ed off. I'm mad that was the best I could do on the bike. I've been given that advice before, but now I actually have some fuel for the fire. Riding like I'm pi$$ed off will do me some good. ;)

Another slow transition. I did take the time to put some sunscreen on and I'm glad I did. I didn't get crispy on the run.

Move faster. I think I need to practice my transitions because I'm wasting too much time here.

I love to run and was excited to get off the bike and start running. Honestly, I was shooting for my open half marathon pace and I believed I could do it. Mentally, that put me in a really good place. My legs were tired, but I never stopped believing I could hit that pace. Obviously I didn't, but I had a strong run.

Started running with another woman around mile 4 when she joked that we spent too much money on the race entry fee to run this slowly. We were close to each other for most of the bike course and both of us were thrilled to running. We joked that a longer swim/marathon race would be a good idea and forget that biking stuff. She ran Boston twice, Philly, and New York, and we ran together and chatted for a while until the turn around at mile 7, but I couldn't keep up with her pace. It was nice to have a running buddy for a while. It made those miles fly by.

Had a GU around mile 7 and alternated between water and gatorade on the run course. I took something at every aid station.

A little before mile 10 I really felt like I was dragging. My legs were heavy and I felt like I could use another GU. Ate 1/2 of one and that seemed to help. Also started running with a guy around mile 10. We exchanged a few incoherent words, but didn't do much chatting after that.

Hit mile 11 and saw the folks with the slip and slide. My running buddy went through and I was SO tempted to do it, but at that point my legs felt like bricks and I wasn't sure I'd be able to get up again. Sure did look fun though!

Mile 12. Sweet. 1.1 to go. The problem with that was I could see the finish line and even though 1.1 doesn't seem far, it is when you see how far it actually is. I had at least 5 people in that last 1.1 mile tell me I made it look easy. That was a big boost because my legs were screaming and it certainly didn't feel that way.

Mile 13...so close and dragging. One of the spectators gave me some encouragement and, I forget what he said, but I was feelin' good for the last .1.



Nothing except *maybe* go through the slip and slide ;) This was a good run for me.

Crossed the line, got my medal, chilled with Shelly and the Scotts for a while, met up with Steve, got some food, but only ate a few bites since I didn't really feel like eating. Packed up my transition area, hit the road, stopped at a road side produce place that also had a food stand called Grumpy's and had the best grilled cheese ever.


Not enough miles on the bike, but I chose a HIM early in the season without much riding experience so I think I did as well as I could. I felt like I paced properly, nutrition was right on, and it was a good day.

First 70.3. Even though, based on my OA and AG ranking, this was the worst I have done at a tri, I really like the 70.3 distance and I think I'd like to continue to train for and focus on this distance. Sprints are not for me. I know I have a long way to go on the bike, but I'll get there.


Very organized and lots of volunteers. Can't even remember how many aid stations were out on the run because there were so many of them! This race will be on my list for next year.

I'd also like to thank Rick (Daremo) for coaching me for the past 6 months for this race. I feel like I've made big improvements in all three sports and I'm confident that I will continue to improve. :)