I wanted to try and get in a faster (~1:05) group and see if I could hold on, so I seeded myself near the front. Big mistake. I was getting pummeled at the start and within 100 meters I was struggling with my breathing. I decided to get out of there and swam (fought my way) perpendicular to the mass of swimmers and headed for the buoy line. Once there I held a buoy long enough to get my breathing under control and then started swimming inside the buoy lane. I easily worked my way through the field and came out of the water after the first lap in 34:xx.

I found a strong kicker to draft off of early on the second lap and was enjoying the draft when I realized we were headed towards the SN bags. Not a good place to be going. I dropped off his/her feet and made my way back towards the buoy line. After the turn I found myself alone. I swam that way, while occasionally passing someone, until the exit.

Start further back, as I have in other races, and work my way through the crowd.

I took the time to put on a rain coat in T1. The transition area was becoming a mud pit and my cleats became caked with mud.

The course is beautiful and challenging. The first half of each loop is very fast and the second loop features a number of rollers that build in elevation gain, but there's no true mountain climbs.

I spent the winter and spring riding hills. Short, steep climbs; long mountain climbs; and rolling hills. Many of those rides were in the rain. I also did a three stage TT race in the mountains, and a mountainous HIM in building for the race. With those miles in my legs, the LP course was very manageable for me.

I was never out of my comfort zone, and despite the miserable weather I had a great time.

My goal was to even split, and I thought I could ride ~5:45:00. My first loop was 2:47:57 and second loop was 2:50:09.

Nothing.

I opted to keep my shoes on as I didn't want to get my feet muddy in transition. Most of transition was paved, but there was a small patch of mud to run through, and it was muddy in the tent.

I did find a part of the tent that was over concrete to use to change shoes.

A few years ago I twisted my spine and herniated three disks. I've since had my spine fused from L3-S1. Unfortunately I have some nerve damage that continues to affect my legs. Primarily my left hamstring and right hip flexor. This in turn affects my running stride and I actually come to a brief stop when my left leg lands, thus I have a very inefficient running stride. My long run pace is in the 9:45 - 10:00 pace.

My goal for this marathon was to run a 10:00 pace and walk the aid stations. I told myself I wouldn't start walking until I got to the first volunteer and would resume running when I got to the last waste basket. No other walking allowed.

I stuck to this plan for the entire marathon. My hip flexor bothered me on the hills, and my hips ached in general for much of the run, but I was able to stick to my plan.

I slowed a little between miles 19 and 23, but ran the final hills and the last mile hard. My second loop time was within three minutes of my first loop.

I feel I raced to the best of my potential for the day. This was my fourth IM and I PR'd it by ~14 minutes. It was by far my best race day execution.


As always, the volunteers and spectators were amazing, but even more so due to the miserable weather conditions.