An overnight storm caused rough water and moved some of the buoys leading to a delayed start. They offered an option to skip the swim for those who were uncomfortable. I saw a guy in the wave before mine start the swim only to turn around and bail out.

My only goal for this swim was to place myself more in the mix and take some contact so I can start getting ready for the IM washing machine. We lined up on the beach so I stood in the second row, about 5 women over from where the buoy line would be. Once we cleared the big waves I dove in and started swimming.

I got my wish, lots of contact, but I realized it's really not that bad. I swallowed a lot of water due to the waves, but was swimming the best I've ever done in a race. I ended up staying close to the buoy line and staying on course for once. I did a swim last summer after Hurricane Bertha that was just as rough, if not rougher, and I'm thankful I had that experience to draw from.

I reached the turn in about 18 minutes so my pace was consistent throughout. The turn was a major pile up to navigate and people were panicking. A girl next to me called out for help and a kayaker was on his way for her. I could hear a lot of talking and yelling when I turned to breathe, it was really disorienting.

The return swim felt harder and I wasn't as great on navigation, but still really strong for me.

Nothing. This is the best swim performance I've ever had. I pushed really hard and went way out of my comfort zone. It paid off.

I felt like this was really efficient yet my time was still pretty slow. I didn't waste one second, but maybe just need more transition practice.

Move faster!

My only goals for the bike were to stay on my nutrition plan and not be timid. This was an incredible ride for me. I feel like my hard work last month in LP and WI paid off. I covered 19.08 miles in the first hour. My average dropped in the second hour due to the hills, which I felt I tackled really strongly. I felt good in the final hour and my average was 18 until the twisty, turny, potholey, railroad track filled final stretch. My legs felt great, my energy level was consistent and I felt like this was the strongest ride I've done this season.

I followed an HR strategy, I had it tucked under the rubber band on my aero bottle, and was relatively on track nutrition wise. In the past I've underhydrated/fueled, but I actually overdrank in this race. I killed the entire aero bottle in 30 minutes at one point and ended up having to pee so badly I thought I might burst. If I didn't have 6 hours of sitting in the car unshowered with my bike in the backseat ahead of me, I would have just gone on the bike.

Somewhere in the early part of the course, Bobby (Dream Chaser) rode by and I said hello, fully expecting he'd wave and ride on. Instead he dropped back for a few minutes and rode next to me, chatting about the race. BTers are really an amazing group of people. I knew he was aiming for a big PR yet he took the time to say hello and boost my race a little. I appreciated that.

Nothing. I can't ask for more at this point.

Porta potty stop - had to be done. I also had a very long run out, I was racked immediately next to Bike In, and thankfully the porta potties.

HTFU and just pee on the bike.

I felt great on this run. I was aiming to maintain an 8:40-8:50 pace and see if I could hold it the entire time. I walked the Hell hill on Angel Street due to advice from those who had done the race before. I started to jog up it the first time and forced myself to stop. I battled side stitches this entire run. I had to press really hard on my side while trying some deep breathing, all while continuing to keep my pace consistent. I skipped two aid stations as a result.

I had a shooting pain in my left foot/heel around Mile 9 and debated stopping to check it out, but limped for about 20 steps and it eventually subsided. I ran through all aid stations so aside from the hill, ran the entire thing, which is always my goal. While the hills slowed me, my splits were consistently in the 8:20s to 9 range, with a couple off ones - one at 7:39 and one at 10.

I saw JorgeM a couple miles in, saw Mat (newyorkfan21) around mile 9 but he was in the zone and didn't see me, and passed Jonah twice. It's nice to see familiar faces.

Aside from minor knee stiffness my legs felt great. All those big bricks have helped a lot. At the turnaround I looked at the time and realized I was definitely on track for a sub-6 finish and couldn't believe it. A couple miles later I realized I could make it in 5:50 if I gave it my all.

In the home stretch I thought I had a shot at 5:49 and gave it my best finishing sprint, chicking two guys in the process ;). That got a lot of cheers from the crowd. I was ridiculously overjoyed at the finish line and hyperventilated a little after crossing so I crouched down and covered my mouth for a bit to catch my breath. There really aren't words to describe how I felt. I was so excited I forgot to get my medal and had to go back!

Nothing. I'm capable of more than I give myself credit for sometimes and need to stop doubting myself.

Walked to the IMLP '10 sign up table :) Had lots of water, some pizza (salty, yum) and a Coke. Drove 6 hours home.


Nothing


This was a well organized race given the challenging point-to-point logistics. The aid stations are top notch and the course is really good - challenging, but totally doable. I set a 26-minute PR over my HIM in New Orleans a few months ago so I couldn't be happier.