Had an ok swim for me but was hoping to come in closer to 40 minutes rather than 45 minutes. Maintained a relatively comfortable pace with good breathing to keep from overheating. But, definitely began to wear down on the way back in. Overall though not a bad swim for my first time at this distance. However, I really need to focus on my swim training to start putting up respectable times.

More swim training to further build endurance and continue to focus on technique/speed.

Took a little extra time in T2 to to get my HR down and gain my composure as I was a little dizzy coming out of the water which caused me to jog slowly to my bike. Wetsuit came off easily and I sat down to put my socks and bike shoes on. Put my helmet and sunglasses on and shoved 2 Gu's in each pocket as well as 1 Cliff Bar. Then I was on my way.

Not much. Maybe speed things up a little. Would have liked to have been around 3:30 but considering the heat I was fine with this time.

Had a good ride and came in exactly where I anticipated. I paced myself properly and perfectly followed my nutrition plan. Drank roughly 56 ounces of Endurox and had 3 gels. I was averaging 20 mph at mile 40 but I definitely began to fatigue over the last 10 to 15 miles as it was obviously extremely hot and the headwinds started to pick up a bit. I also may have been riding at a lower PSI down the stretch as a result of a slow leak because when I picked my bike up after the race both the front and back tires were flat.

Not much. I felt like I properly paced myself to prepare for the run and my legs felt ok coming out of T2. God was I wrong and I found that out very quickly!

Good T2. Bike racked and shoes off/sneaks on quickly. Grabbed a drink of gatorade and emptied the used GU packets and bar from my shirt and put back in 4 new Gu's.

Nothing.

This is where the wheels fell off for me and what seems like everyone else. I cannot believe how hot that course was! This could have been the worst pain I've ever felt. I started to walk around 27 minutes into the run and became very discouraged as I have never done this in a race before. After roughly a minute or so I made a deal with myself to start running again and not to stop until I got to the aid stations. I grabbed as much ice, water and gatorade as I could at each station to try and stay cool but I was falling apart and praying for the finish line just so I could stop moving and get out of the sun. I also could not eat any of the gels I had on me because my stomach just wouldn't allow it.

Not much. Obviously my time and everyone elses was affected by the weather but that was out of my control. Maybe a little more training.

As soon as I finished I felt like passing out and I think I was delirious. A volunteer helped me to a chair then squirted me down with a hose and put a cold towel on my neck. She also gave me some gatorade and water. As others have mentioned already, the volunteers were great at this event and it was very much appreciated. After about 10-15 minutes I made my way over to my wife and kids and hugged and kissed them and also saw some friends that made the trip down to see me race as well. It was great seeing everyone but I had to lay down on the grass for another 15 minutes or so while my wife poured cold water on my neck and back. I finally got up to get some food/drink and take a dip in the River to cool off.

My realistic goal coming into this race for my 1st 1/2 IM was sub 5:40 and on a normal day I am very confident that I would have accomplished that. However, early on in the run I realized that wasn't going to happen and my focus switched to finishing. I tried desperately to break 6 hrs. by the 2nd half of the run but I just didn't have anything left. I am still very happy with my overall perfomance and ability to persevere through the pain and finish where I did under such horrible race conditions.


Outrageous Heat and Humidity!


Overall, this was a great first 1/2 IM for me despite the weather and course conditions.