As I waited for my wave the weather just got worse and worse. The wind starting blowing strongly and churned the water into a white-capped nightmare. The start went OK. The waves were of manageable size for the starting area and did not have too much contact. In fact, I had very little contact throughout the swim though this was mainly due to staying just outside the freight train of swimmers. After rounding the first corner marker, I went kind of flat. I do not know if it was the chop or my wetsuit. My last few practice OWS's in my new suitsuit did not go well either. I initially attributed it to completing Hawaii 70.3 two weeks prior but I had no fatigue issues through the remainder of the race. I think my wetsuit is just too tight and restrictive.

I even had to resort to breaststroking occasionally to keep my heart rate down. I was pretty miserable. Approaching the second red corner buoy a safety kayaker told me to swim towards the next yellow marker as the corner had broken free. Half my wave was chasing the stupid thing as it drifted out of position. I do not know how much time this cost me but was representative of the type of swim I was having. It was about this time as I turned my head to take a breath and saw my daughter next to me as she started in the wave behind me. We exchanged grins and kept going. She is a strong swimmer and I didn't catch up to her until about the 7th mile of the bike. After getting around the last corner, I started getting into a rhythm and finished OK. Even though 40 minutes was my goal I was OK with 48 minutes given how poorly my swim went.

Gone out a little slower. Navigated course more aggresively. Go back to my old wetsuit.

Had a pretty good transition given the distance that needed to be covered coming up the path from the lake to T1. I trotted right along and went right to the biggest wetsuit stripper who whipped it right off. My daughter told me later she went to a lady and little girl who had problems getting her suit off. It is beyond me why they put a 10 year old girl in a wetsuit stripper position.

Nothing

Just after mounting my bike while going over a speed bump my water bottle popped out and at the next speed bump a few hundred yards later one of my gel flasks fell out of my back pocket. At this moment, I thought the horror of my swim was going to continue out on the bike course. After crossing the dam, there is a steep descent which I decided I was going to just get aero and go for it. I usually stay on the horns at these kinds of speed but it was dry for the moment and I had some making up to do.

The first climb went well and I caught up to my daughter. Again, we exchanged smiles and encouragement. I was feeling really good and the miles were ticking off. Than the skies just opened up and the rains came so hard it was difficult to see. I do not think it is possible for it to rain any harder than it did while climbing up to the Birds of Prey. The descent from there was slowed considerably in order to stay safe. The temperatures dropped than also as it started to hail.

The 3rd and final ascent came and went without too much difficulty. I felt really strong on all the hills today. The next part of the course was a long flat twisting road with a slight tailwind. This was my favorite part of the course as I felt like I was just flying. At the 40 mile mark I was right at 2 hours with just a flat section, a few uphill rollers and the descent into town. I was sure I was going to shatter my bike goal. But once again, mother nature threw another challenge at us with a headwind that turned that section into a bit of a slog. The rains came back as hard as before while descending back into town. This section was a great opportunity to rest up for the run ahead. Coming into T2 was just a thrill as you come screaming around a sweeping downhill turn onto Capital St. that is four lanes wide all closed to traffic. You have four or five blocks where you can see the end of the bike leg and it is like a parade route.


Nothing.

I had a pretty good spot in T2 that was 2 blocks long. For some it was a long jog with the bike. Got my shoes swapped, left my sunglasses there because it was still raining. I thought my legs would be a bit wobbly after 56 miles but took off back through the crowd of spectators with a strong relaxed stride.

Nothing

My Garmin took a long to synch up and I was nearing the first mile before I got my first pace reading. I was cruising along at an 8:18 pace and feeling really good. My goal was a 9:30 minute mile pace with a 30 second walk every mile so I figured I'd just go with it and log some minutes in the bank. First three miles were all around 8:20, fourth was about 9:00, than 10:30, than 11:00. I figured it was time to get back to the game plan. My first half split was just over one hour so I was pleased at that point.

It continued to rain and was cool throughout the run. I heard a lot of people grumbling about the poor conditions but after running in Hawaii 2 weeks ago on a hilly course in high heat and humidity I just smiled as they had no idea how bad they could be suffering under other conditions. The second half of the run was tougher than it needed to be after my fast start but I think I learned from it and wouldn't make that mistake again. The finish was great running through the crowd. People were so supportive.

Stick to the plan. Stick to the plan.

Wrapped up in an tin foil blanket and waited for my daughter in the finish chute as she was right behind me.


Doing my first 70.3 two weeks prior to this event.


Great venue for the race. Very well organized. The volunteers were 2nd to none. They were enthusiastic and brought a smile to my face throughout the race. Finishing through the crowd at the end was a great feeling. Many little kids with their hands out waiting for a high-five from an athlete. I hit every one! Was the best part of the event.