Subject: RE: First time 70.3I did Peterborough this year for my first HIM. I found the bike course wonderful - lots of hills, lots of nice scenery, little traffic, smooth roads. I found the run boring and, most of all, hot. Depending on your pacing, you'll find yourself on a mostly-unshaded country road at noon in the middle of July. The last two times I've been to Peterborough (last year for the sprint, this year for HIM) the weather has been crazy hot. To do my first HIM again, I'd probably choose one any other time of year. Although I'd do the bike portion of a relay at the drop of a hat. On the heat note - get some telemetry. I still wish I had a HR monitor and GPS on at peterborough, because it would help diagnose why my run went so badly (2:05 instead of an expected 1:50 or faster). I don't know if it was fitness or pacing or dehydration or lack of nutrition or something else, and some more data would have helped eliminate some of those possibilities. Another hard-won tip: if you do do a mid-summer HIM, avoid the hose station at the start of your run (or get waterproof shoes/socks). Running for 21km with soaked shoes is no fun It may seem wonderful and cooling at the time, but it's blistery and heavy for the remaining 2 hours. Edited by AHare 2011-10-02 7:46 PM
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