Stayed in the middle/right zone where I found some swimmers to draft and pass. I swam a bit more than 2.4 miles due to this but I didn't mind. Contact was minimal. The sun was super bright though heading east. I swam about a quarter mile longer than needed but that's the cost of swimming away from the buoys. =P

2015 time: 1:22:09
2017 time: 1:26:42

Nothing. I planned and executed my pacing to have a great start to a long race.

Took my time here. The wetsuit peelers helped get my wetsuit off and I walked to my bike gear bag and changed inside the tent next to the entrance where it was warm. Dried myself as much as possible, re-lubed for the bike course, packed my sunscreen, lube case, spare tube.

The volunteer coordinator was advising us that the winds have picked up already and to be careful about that. I was thinking as I heard this, uh oh.

Yeah, yeah, hurry my ass up but I decided to just chill and continue enjoying my day and make sure I don't forget anything.

I went with my "should" pacing and executed that well but my nutrition plan failed. I took everything as I did during training and a bit more but it was still insufficient. I needed more water! I got a slow leak in my front tire around mile 90 and was lucky to be able to pump it up and go until I reached the aid station at Shea where the bike mechanic helped me replace my inner tube. Man that was quite a bit of stressful stopping and going to get there. >.<

I had to stop and pee more often than during training and had to lube 2 more times due to chafing starting to happen. This may be due to the super dry conditions.

2015 time: 8:01:56
2017 time: 7:18:34

Test bib shorts and drink more water. More peeing should have been a sign! Flat tire, it may have been possible to save time by changing the tube myself but they were my friend Bernard's Zipps 404 with a disc config rear. I was worried about scratching them or something silly like that, hehe.

Was very mindful changing here because I was dizzy and nauseated getting off the bike and walking into the change tent. The water I drank while changing helped but I still had to take a moment to sit and recollect myself because I was not able to walk straight.

Drink more water in hot, dry, and windy conditions even I don't feel thirsty.

As soon as I was able to walk straight I exited T2 and made my way onto the run course and I was already cramping. Walked it off until I was able to run more but my left hamstring locked up. It must have locked up twice before mile 1 marker then once more after the mini hill about a half mile before mile 2. After that finally settled down my planned pacing (at 2:30/0:30) was going well despite feeling side cramps on my right the whole time.

After about an hour I shifted to a faster pace of 5:00/0:30 run/walk but that didn't hold more than 20 minutes due to worsening cramps so I dropped the pace back to my initial pace until mile 16. From there I was forced to a 1:00/1:00 run/walk pace. So many people were not doing so well and were walking which was a nice pickup mentally for me because I kept reeling them in one by one. Also shortly after mile 15, my 920xt starting warning me that it's low on battery power. I guess it dropped to 25% and at that point in time, I was about 12 hours into the race. It bugged me so turned the watch functions off and went with the time to do my run/walk intervals.

I wasn't able to do any more running up the long hill at Curry though so I walked that whole thing up. I think that was after mile 23 where my legs were jellified. I'm not entirely sure but walking this time felt much harder than 2015. Shortly after the last aid station, my stomach felt queasy but there were no more porta potties so I had to keep myself together and poop after I pass the finish line. That in itself was VERY hard to do, hehehe.

2015 time: 6:42:11
2017 time: 6:24:53

Not much, I really pushed myself and my feet and legs were really hurting.

Walked around, got a mylar blanket, and quickly went to a portapotty and pooped ALOT. O_O Good thing I kept my cleaning wipes that I had in my special needs bag because there was barely any TP left. After cleaning up I returned to the finish area and saw Elisa and chatted a bit and drank Endurox.

Then I went for a massage and the chicken soup I had in there really helped me feel better. Maybe I should have taken some during the run. Ate a banana and pizza before heading out.


Warmer and windier conditions than predicted. Not hydrating well enough. Disc wheel may have affected me as well due to crosswinds. Also the construction near our hotel was so loud that I had to use the a/c fan to drown it out but that didn't help me sleep well either. 3 nights in a row of insufficient quality sleep was also factor in my performance.


I'd do this again but I think I want a change of venue for my next Ironman race. :)