Waking up to the sound of waves crashing on the beach is wonderful...until you realize that you have to go swim in those waves! These were some impressively large waves! But hey, at least we didn't have to worry about jellyfish, right? The start was the hardest part, but I used the "thru the wave, not over the wave" technique and seemed to get out past the breakers without too much trouble. It was actually alot of fun, like playing in the waves as a kid. Throughout the swim I had this sensation of being tossed around...up, down, right, left...made me very glad I don't have motion sickness issues. I felt pretty calm and comfortable the whole time, settling into my normal rhythm around buoy 2 or so. My biggest issue was navigation. I've practiced sighting, however in these waves the only thing I saw when sighting "properly" was the next wave coming at me. In order to see the buoy, I had to pop my whole head up. I got quite off course a few times (gee...there is no one around me except that guy in a kayak...), and actually ran smack into a buoy at one point (now where did that buoy go?...bonk...oh, here it is on my head). However, once I rounded the last turn the huge hotel was easy to spot and I was able to swim straight back. My friend Abby passed me at buoy 4 or so, and actually said "Hi Shelly!" as she swam past. How bizzare in a sea of black wetsuits! But it was nice to see her!

I felt like I wasn't kicking very much. Something about my wetsuit made me want to just pull and let my legs float. I need to spend some more time swimming in that thing to get used to the feeling. This was the first time I even had it on since last Summer. Actually, it was rather big on me and quite baggy. I probably need a new one...cha-ching...more money!

Considering that this was a half iron and not a sprint, I wasn't too concerned about my transition times. I paused for a leisurely moment in the shower coming off the beach, took the time to powder my feet and put socks on, spayed myself with sunblock and walked briskly with my bike instead of clip-clap running in my slippery bike shoes.

I'm thinking about taking scissors to my wetsuit to shorten the legs so its easier to get out of. I'm afraid it will be too loose around my ankles/calves. Food for thought anyway.

It felt like a great ride! I was surprized how quickly it seemed to go by. Since it was an out and back course, I saw alot of my friends at one point or another, which was fun. This was the first race I've done where I actually needed to pick up additional water along the way. That went fairly well. I had planned to stop for a moment to refill my fuel bottle, but decided to do it on the roll instead. I managed to get at least 80% of the Perpetuem powder into my bottle and then grabbed water at the aid station and squirted it in there. The biggest problem was the 20% that I spilled all OVER the place...that stuff is STICKY!!

Need to devise a different way to handle my fuel refill, ziploc baggie = big mess. Also, at the points where I turned into the headwind, I should have downshifted to compensate. I usually downshift for a hill, but since it was flat I didn't even think about it. I think that slowed me down because I wasn't in the most appropriate gear.

Once again, I wasn't trying to set a record here. Just trying to get to my run comfortably. I had decided to wear my fuel belt and therefore devised a way to pin my number to it. That worked really well, and it was great to have my own fuel with me.

Don't forget sunscreen for the legs!

Hot, hot, HOT!!! I started out the run strong, never really had that bike-to-run urge to walk. I guess I was just excited and didn't notice? Anyway, I hooked up with this girl Brenda from New Orleans (#82) and we ran together and chatted up until about half way through the park. At that point, the heat caught up with me and I just had to walk. I should have known the park would be bad, b/c I passed several of my friends exiting the park as I was approaching it, they all looked terrible and could barely manage a grunt in response to my enthusiastic "Hi!" I had also read that the park is a bad place, but it just didn't sink in until I was actually running through the boiling hot sand dunes. The rest of the run was extremely difficult. Thank goodness for Dave, who was out crusing around on his mtn bike to cheer me on. It was great to see a friendly face so often on the run. The run also went right past our condo twice, so my Mom was able to bring my girls out to cheer me on. On the way back, it took all I had to muster up a happy greeting for them, but I managed. At the end of the run, I didn't have anything extra for a last surge to the finish line. I took that as a good indication that I had given this my best shot.

Although I really enjoyed my conversation with Brenda on the first half of the run, I think it zapped my energy. Also, there was one aid station along the way that had sun block out there...should have put some on. I got so fried. I guess as I dumped/sponged all that water onto myself I must have washed off some of my sunblock or something. I was so whipped during this run that it didn't even occur to me that I should eat the gu I had in my pocket. That may have helped me a bit.

After crossing the finish line, I didn't really know what to do. I wandered aimlessly until Dave found me and declared me to be "not Ok." A pit stop in the med tent for an IV and a Gatorade did wonders (what was in that IV bag anyway??).


Experience with this distance. Now I know.


Gulf Coast is a fantastic race! Very well organized, great aid stations, and the very best post-race bash I have ever seen. Not to mention a gorgeous location and plenty of options for places to stay within walking distance to the start. I enjoyed this race, and my family enjoyed the little mini-vacation as well.