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 Swim
Comments: The swim was the most apprehensive part of this for me -- not the distance, but just the mass start of 2200+ people. This ended up being the most enjoyable swim of my life! What would you do differently?: On the second loop I was too close to the underwater cable which connects all the buoys, resulting in me getting caught up and kicked in the face a couple of times by people floundering around. I would have stayed more to the outside, which was a great place to be.  Transition 1
Comments: Wet-suit strippers did a great job. Running from the strip point to the T1 tent was a haul, but nothing too bad. What would you do differently?: Nada. I went to the far side of the T1 tent and had plenty of room and time.  Bike
Comments: First loop was great; second loop was tough on the last 20 miles. Kept power (wattage) to below 150 watts average as much as possible; ended the bike leg with 151 watts average and 208 watts normalized power. With a LT of 210 this was pushing it for me, even though the time was slow. What would you do differently?: Train more representative course, e.g., Skyline Drive with far more hills than I normally do. The last 20 miles of the course should be very hilly to represent the course. Transition 2
Comments: No issues. Everything went like clockwork; just need to speed up to take time off. What would you do differently?: Nada.  Run
Comments: Did a 5'/1' run/walk sequence, with a walk up the steep hills (2) that worked well. Finished very strong -- ran the last mile with no issues. Coke, Chicken Broth, Pretzels, Orange Slices all worked well and got me through the entire run leg. Did not use one Gu or Clif bar the entire run leg. My left knee was screaming the entire time but 800 mg Advil took care of that noise. What would you do differently?: Nada overall. Run more I suppose, but I'm convinced the run/walk is the way to do this type of race. Post race
Warm down: Walked around with my family; walked back to the Team Z tent, rode my bike (easily) to pick up my special needs bags (I had clothes in them). Ate a subway sandwich and drank some more coke. What limited your ability to perform faster: In the swim, simply need to improve efficiency. On the bike, I limited my output to the same average power as my longest training ride (151 watts), so my knee is definitely the major limiter. I simply need to work on strength and balance between both legs. In the run, my knee is the weak link, but this is made more challenging because of my weight. I lose more weight --> It will be easier to run. Event comments: This was the most challenging event I've every accomplished in my life, even more difficult than climbing Mt. Whitney last August (which led to a knee surgery in September 08). The 140.6 was not the issue; it was the bike time cut-off that made this mentally challenging. I finished the bike leg at 5:08 pm, only 22 minutes before cut off. Psychologically, that is a terrible constraint. Last updated: 2009-02-03 12:00 AM
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United States
Ironman North America
75F / 24C
Sunny
Overall Rank = 1907/2258
Age Group = 45-49
Age Group Rank = 254/304
Arrived with my family on Thursday after a 10-hr drive up from Northern Virginia. Checked into the Crowne Plaza just off Main St. and then got a quick bite to eat.
Started Friday with a 0.6-ish mile swim with some friends, got some breakfast, then rode the run course with a few detours. Walked all over the tri-expo, and went to registration to get my required gear. Attended the athlete's pasta dinner at the Horse Show Ground and was back to the hotel relatively yearly.
Started Saturday with another short swim, then grabbed a late breakfast with the family. Packed all 5 bags and headed to T1/T2 to drop the bike and gear before the 3 pm cutoff. Attended the Team Z dinner (pasta) and went back to the hotel to sit in the hot tub. Was in bed by 8:15 pm.
Up at 1:00 and drank two Ensures to top off carbo stores. Laid back down but never was comfortable enough to fall into a deep sleep.
Up at 4:40 a.m. Never hit REM sleep. Had a bowl of oatmeal and a cup of coffee at the Team Z tent. Dropped my special needs bags off and made a last trip to the bike to remove the bags (covering the PowerTap and the PT Hub seal). Drank 2 bottles of Gatorade over about 1 hour to ensure was hydrated. Got back to the Team Z tent and met my family by 6:30. Got dressed in the Orca and scanned in at the swim start. Ate a Gu. Swam across the start to make sure everything was as supposed to be and waited with my friends in knee-deep water, near the back and right, while the Pro's started. The cannon fired at 7 a.m. and started the overall timer on my watch, as well as the chrono timer to track the swim time.