Good swim for the most part given my typical minimal training. Happy with top-10 segment in my age group, not sure I've done that before at a big race. I'd like to get the HIM swim back down below 30 minutes, but haven't been willing to put in the training to make that happen. That said, 31 minutes isn't bad for less than 10-hours of swim training in the past 8 months, and I did shave over a minute off of last year's swim. I think I could come close to sub 30-minutes with just a few more hours in the pool carefully woven into training close to race date. I wanted to do more swim training this year but lacked the fortitude to step outside in cool evening conditions and jump into my chilly pool. The water didn't start to warm up until pretty late this spring due to our cooler winter this year. What I'm trying to say is that I've turned into a pathetic wimp about swimming in cold water. Time to change my avatar I guess.

Invest in a pool heater? :)

I think my T1 times are slower vs the field because I put on socks and also run in bike shoes.

Nothing, I don't want to ride in bare feet.

I'm very happy with this bike split. My overall strategy, knowing that I would be facing warm conditions and that I struggle running in the heat, was to hammer the bike and survive the run. Also, I focused a bit more on the bike training for this year's race, and that helped me execute that strategy. I couldn't have posted a 20 mph split on this course last year if I'd wanted to. I feel that I have a little better perspective on bike training now, and I think I could gain another 1-1.5 mph by focusing earlier in training on the right kind of intervals without adding any additional training volume.

Wouldn't change anything. I think I executed this about as well as my conditioning allowed.

Had the good fortune of a rack spot very close to the T2 entrance. Boy did that help !! I need to bribe the race director at my next race to get a spot that good again. :) In all fairness, this time I did manage to get my feet out of the shoes before the dismount. Also, my bike socks were dry, so I didn't have to peel off wet socks and roll on a new pair onto cold, wet feet like last year. Knowing the course and being mentally prepared for transitions pays off.

As I mentioned in the bike comments, my plan was to hammer the bike and survive the run. I knew I'd run more slowly this year because it was going to be hot. That alone would account for an extra 4-5 minutes on the course. And my training was a little less run focused than last year. Also, I burned a lot of matches posting that faster bike split. So, I shouldn't be surprised to surrender 9 minutes on the run. A few hundred yards into this run, and I knew it was going to be a very challenging day out there - no legs at all, and I felt pretty tired from the outset. BUT, I told myself to just run steady, keep the pace light and manageable, don't walk.

Things that went well given the conditions -- no stomach problems on this HIM run which was a first for me. I switched to sipping some cola at each aid station, and that worked very well. The routine I settled into was to grab a water at the start of the station, take a couple sips, dump the rest over my head. Grab a cola, take a sip or two, then toss it. Grab an ice water, take a sip to chase the cola then dump the ice in my hat and throw the ice on my head. I'd move the ice cubes around over the next 5-6 minutes underneath my hat to stay cool between aid stations, then repeat that cycle. I did finally break down and walk the last 3 stations, but that was the only walking I did.

I beat last year's time by 8 minutes, which will probably stand as my course PR. If I do a HIM next season, I will l likely choose a new venue. I've seen St. George cool and wet, and now warm and windy. I'm not sure I want to find out what other weather it can throw at me This year I did try harder to look up and enjoy the scenery on the bike and run. It's a strikingly beautiful area. If I do return for another go at the course, I will book a longer stay and see more of the sites in this spectacular area. Also, the volunteers at this race are the best. The race seems to have tremendous community support, which makes it a lot of fun as a participant.