Ironman Arizona - TriathlonFull Ironman

Start was as crazy as I expected. I kept trying to move back as more folks came into the start, but somehow I kept being in the middle of the pack. Cannon goes off and everyone starts moving forward so I start. Tried Freestyle but felt like a slug and had 2 folks swim over me and also got kicked in the arms. Went to breast stoke so I could manage to see open water and also my arm movements protected my face from being kicked. Stayed in a pack of folks, around the stadium area I started alternating crawl & breaststroke. I was totally stoked when I saw at the 2nd turn bouy that I was at 40 minutes! Rest of swim I was able to find open water & was uneventful. The pack really cleared on the way home.

More training on freestyle, it is coming along but I still have a long way to go. Need to really work the kicking drills.

Wet-suit strippers are fantastic!
Don’t even know what happened here. I thought I was out in a very fast time, and was really surprised to see my time once I got back to the hotel. Heart rate was a little faster than I wanted & the run to the bags was a long as Louisville.


Need to figure out what took so long. I thought it was really quick.

1st loop was crazy. I had practiced the Bee Line highway on Friday, and was able to hold 20 MPH on the way up the hill, so I thought I’d have a great ride. When I got out to the Beeline the wind was blowing a headwind at maybe 20 MPH!!! I tried as hard as I could, but couldn’t break 14 MPH on the way up the hill. I was stunned & really worried about this, as I was expecting a less than 6 hour ride. Once I made the turnaround at Shea Blvd it was a screaming good time going back to town on the 1st loop. Had to stop & pee at about 20 miles which I thought was great.

2nd loop the wind died down, it was more of a cross wind instead of a head wind. Packed too much at special needs, so I was really happy that they where giving back the bags on Monday. The 2nd turn around was awesome there where a lot of folks there screaming & ringing cow bells. It was also cool to be passed by the Pros! Go Jordan!

3rd loop headwind now was out of the south so the ride back into town was slower than expected. Stopped and peed again. Tried to get a lot of food down on the way back. I noticed I was getting behind on my feeding schedule.


Manage the intake of my calories better. Maybe learn to pee on the bike. I need to get a bike fitting, as my ITB band was feeling tingly on the 3rd loop. Overall though I’m really happy with the bike. It was a PR.

Went really well, Ate a couple of pretzel’s changed & got going. Saw family that made me happy!

I noticed after the race that I forgot my Hat & a couple of other items in the bag, but it worked out ok

What can I say I’ve been working on my run and it is getting better. Here is my story. Came out of the tent rocking, wanted to go at a 10:30-11:00 pace, but found myself going at a 9:15-9:30 pace. Remembered what Jill said, so at almost the end of the 1st mile, walked until the time caught up. When I went across the bridge on Priest Ave for the 1st time I finally got my time under control & kept going. Only walking on the 1st loop was the major hill going up in the park. 2nd loop started fine, no issues, about mile 11 my stomach turned on me. It felt like a rock, & made me feel extremely uncomfortable. I came up on the special needs & just felt bad, but I was still run/walking. After stopping at special needs I only ran the down hills until Rural road. At the Rural road aid station I tried the Chicken soup. It instantly made my stomach feel much better. I was going to be happy I thought (Wrong). When I started the hill in the park for the 2nd time I knew something was wrong. I ran down the hill & straight into the porta-potty and had to stay there with cramps & stuff coming out for about 5 minutes. The cramps seemed to stop so I got out & started walking. Met a former JFT’r Tami from Austin! But when I rounded the Marina I knew I was going to have trouble again & went straight for the porta-potty again. This time it was a much longer visit, like 10-15 minutes. I actually was worried that I wouldn’t be able to leave! Finally, I just said to myself what is the worst that could happen? I got out. My legs where done after stopping so long so I just walked to the end. I only took Ice cubes & some sips of coke until mile 20. After that I was able to get a cup of Coke down. I had been shooting for a 5:30 run so I was really, really disappointed in my outcome. I need to say that even though it was really bad, I still managed a PR on the run, because IM KY was so bad.

Still need to figure out what happened. I have no desired to finish a race in a porta-potty!

Ate a piece of Pizza went to the hotel, took a shower & went into minor shock until I got in bed. Woke up the next morning & was STARVING!


See the run section


Parting comments. I like the venue, but the race is so late in the season that it makes it hard to stay focused for. I should come back once I figure out the run, as this course is easily the one built for Ironman PR's. Compared to Louisville or IM Canada the course is way easy.