Ironman Florida - TriathlonFull Ironman

This was the worst swim I have ever had. First of all I found out that I hate saltwater swimming. Second the waves on the second loop were insane! I did the first loop in 42 minutes with very little effort. Not for lack of trying but it was too crowded to go anywhere. I figured I had a 1:20 in the bag. On the second loop the seas were so bad I was more body surfing then swimming. It felt like you were swimming in place getting thrown around by the waves. It was very frustrating to lose so much time on the second loop but I was so happy to be done and out of the water.

Otherwise had the typical punches, kicks, goggles knocked off, and jellyfish stings!

Seed myself closer to the front. I lined up on the buoys about halfway back. I held my line perfectly but could not go anywhere quick.

I don't know what took so long. I didn't waste any time in T1. The whole transition area ended up being longer then I thought. Between the chute, the parking lot, and the ballroom it seemed quite long.

Not sure. I really kept it simple. I guess I will have to play with this one.

This was the worst bike I have ever had! If Kona winds are anything like what we experienced then I have lost my desire to win a lottery slot. The headwinds for the fist half of the race were brutal! Especially during the hilly part. That's right I said hilly. Don't let anyone kid you there are hills on this course which combined with a headwind start to take a toll. To give you an idea of the winds my first "fresh" 56 miles took 3:45. My second "tired" 56 miles took 3:13. I was expecting a 6-6:15 bike so I was quite disappointed in my time. However, I tried to take it in stride and enjoy the day. I was just happy to get off my bike and I was set up perfectly to go sub 14:00

Since lot's of you guys were able to PR I guess I need to become a better cyclist. I don't understand how anyone could PR in those winds. The course itself was great but the wind slowed my average speed by like 8mph. I bought a new Cervelo P2 for next year instead of my brothers roadie and I plan to go out and justify the purchase!

Faster but still slower then I thought I would be. I am not sure if I was moving slow or the transition was just bigger then I anticipated.

Not sure.

This is where it all came tumbling down. I ran very strong through mile 10 and was on pace to easily finish sub 14:00. All of a sudden my GI track shut down. I couldn't even take in water. Everytime I tried to take in anything including water I threw up. This is very frustrating because I am a runner first and usually run a 4:00 marathon. With my stomach shut down I kept on as best I could but quickly ran out of energy. The marathon quickly degraded to a shuffle, then run/walk, then walk, then stagger. By the end I had a difficult time standing up and forming words. In addition my feet ended up with 12 blister covering the majority of my feet. Some were blisters on top of blisters. Very uncomfortable.

I am not sure what happened but need to figure it out before IMWI 2010. I am thinking maybe a sodium deficiency? After crossing the finish line I did not go to the medical tent but should have. I just wanted to see my wife so bad. I cried and hugged her for a long time. The rest of the night revolved around me shaking uncontrollably. I had no ability to regulate my body temp and I was completely covered in salt. I think I may have stopped sweating and my temp got up to 102. It took about 48 hours to feel back to normal but I am ok now. It is just so funny because again running is my strong suit and I was worried about the other two events.

Not sure but I need to figure it out. I am thinking of trying the salt tablets so I don't need to down as much gatorade and gels to get the sodium. Once my body started rejecting water I knew I was in trouble!

Popping blisters, fluids, nutrition, and pretty much bed ridden for 24 hours.


Big seas, Strong headwinds, and whatever happened to me on the run.


In the end I dug as deep as I possibly could and crossed that finish line. Not the way I wanted to finish but I finished with 1:25 to spare! I am looking forward to a redeeming performance at IMWI 2010