Timberman - Half Iron - Triathlon1/2 Ironman

The first 100-200 meters felt like a non-stop washing machine. It wasn't as turbulent (no fists to the face this time) as some of the other races I've done this season but it felt completely relentless! Once I was eventually able to break free I got into a really good rhythm and before I knew it I was rounding the first buoy. Before rounding the second buoy my goggles were completely fogged and had a hard time sighting. I had a hard time seeing the buoys, so I tried to make sure there pink caps around me. Still felt great after rounding the second buoy. Starting thinking about how great it was that I had no where swimming close to me....and that would be bc I drifted off course! Overall I felt really great in the water, and I’d say this was definitely one of my better swims (drifting off course aside).

Wear different goggles, have better sighting, not get off course. I've grown to really love swimming, and overall this was a really great swim for me! I felt like I could have easily kept going and going today.

What a treat to have wetsuit strippers!!

Nothing

First half of the bike I felt really great....way better than expected. And the first 30 miles or so totally flew by! I was got passed by a lot of super speedy people. But, I kept reminding myself that this way my day and I needed to race my race, and not to push too hard. Shortly after the turn-around my nutrition fell off a cliff and I paid dearly for it the rest of the day. I let myself get to the point of feeling thirsty, and when I hit the aid station grabbed a bottle of water which I sucked down in about 10 seconds. Giant mistake...I know better than this! I realized right away what a mistake I made and shortly thereafter my stomach was churning. The last 20 miles were downright miserable. I spent nearly an hour feeling incredibly nauseous...which also meant nearly an hour of not taking any calories. I knew I'd have moments of highs and lows throughout the race, but some of the low points during the bike were so much tougher than I expected. Despite some setbacks I really enjoyed this course!

Stay on track with hydration and nutrition!

I don't think I've ever been so happy to get off my bike. According to my friends and family who saw me, I looked terrible heading into T2 but must have done an awesome transformation bc I headed into the run with a huge smile on my face.

Nothing

I was a little worried how I was going to feel heading into the run since the bike didn't totally to as planned. Aside from my GI feeling a little unsteady, I felt strong. I think it was also around noon by the time I started out, so it was HOT! I'm normally strong on the run, and I thought if I could get in some calories and a few Endurolytes during the first few miles I could get myself back on track. Planned to take the first 3 miles easy and use it as a warmup. My legs weren't quite ready to pick it up at mile 3, so I kept an easy pace, stopping at all the aid stations. My legs started to feel pretty good for a few miles and my GI seemed to settle out a bit, but by mile 7 I was cooked. From then on I tried to keep my pace easy & steady and I walked the hills. The Best. Motivation. Ever. came around mile 11 when Andy Potts came walking down the street cheering on the runners!

As I neared the point where the finish shoot and 2nd course loop split a volunteer asked if I was heading to the finish or if I'd be taking my 2nd lap of the course. This was it....I was almost there!! Any pain I was feeling was totally gone and I was hit with such a wave of emotion I thought I was going to start crying, except I felt so emotional the tears wouldn't budge. Running down the finish shoot everyone was yelling my name (it was printed on my bib) and I couldn't stop smiling. It has never felt so good or so rewarding to cross the finish line as it did today!

This was a really tough run. I don't really know what else I could have done differently here. The lack of calories on the bike really caught up to me by mile 7.

I got my finisher's medal from Chrissie Wellington, which made the whole day a million times better! Then I spent the next 20-30 minutes trying to not throw up. I felt pretty awful. Once I was able to get some food in, and soak my legs in the lake I felt great.


Experience, poor nutrition decisions


My day didn't go fully as planned, but I adapted as best I could and all things considered I'm really happy with the day. This has been an amazing experience! I couldn't have picked a better race for my first HIM!!! I would certainly recommend Timberman to anyone looking to do a HIM in the northeast.