Although it's not a great time, I was very happy with my swim! I did much better than I thought, and the swim time included the jog up the beach to the transition area! I decided to start up front this time so I didn't get kicked and freak out like in previous races. This strategy worked really well for me and I was able to get in a grove and stick with it the whole way. This is until a jet ski passed in front of me which made big waves and I ended up swallowing some water..yuck!

I think I need to get a swim coach and work on my form to get my swim times up.

T1 took a little long for me b/c I was cold and had to put on gloves and arm warmers. I knew the bike would be cold, so I took some time to dry off with a small towel.

Nothing really...I needed my warm stuff and it just took time to put on!

I was so cold on the bike! I had arm warmers and toe warmers on my shoes (thank god) but my feet were numb the entire time until the last segment where I stood up once in awhile to get circulation back into them. It seemed to help b/c by the time I reached transition they were good to go. I wish I would have had leg warmers/tights b/c my legs were so cold! My knees and thighs started hurting after an hour or so and I finally realized they were frozen! Ohhh...the wind...it sucked! Coming down the final stretch on Quincy was rough with the wind, but I was able to push through. I thought I would do it in around 3hrs and I was close enough, so I was pretty happy..yay!
Oh, and I did great with my nutrition and fluid intake! I had a good mix of pieces of cliff bar which I ate early on, cliff shot bloks, and sport beans. I had an aerobottle with water and a bottle with GE and had plenty to drink. I didn't have to stop at any of the aid stations.

Maybe have knee warmers or tights to keep warm!

This went alright. It was a little slower than normal b/c I struggled taking off my gloves and arm warmers. I just left transition area and realized I forgot my garmin. I was really bummed, but I had my regular watch on so it was fine!

I stopped right outside of transition for a pee stop..thank god for that b/c after 56 miles I really had to go! :) I felt surprisingly good heading out for my run! I had a good pace starting out, but around mile 8 my legs started getting really tight. I also noticed that the temp dropped and it started spitting rain. I got really cold towards the end and my pace dropped. I carried my nathan water bottle with me so I could sip on GE whenever I needed it instead of stopping at the aid stations and choking on the water from the cups! I love that thing and I'm so glad I had it with me. However, I stopped at the mile 9 aid station to get some water and my legs immediately started shaking so I knew from that point on I could not stop again. So, I kept on running and was so happy to see the finish line in sight.
The temp. was cold, but I think it was perfect for running. I didn't get too hot and was able to stay well hydrated. It wasn't until the last three miles when I got really cold!
I think my run went pretty well. My best stand alone half-mary time is 1:45, so I knew I would be slower than that. I wanted to be under 2hrs. and I was by 3minutes! :)

Do more long bricks with runs over 8 miles.

Crossed the finish line and my legs went crazy. They were shaking and I was so cold! My husband, two boys, and parents were at the finish line waiting for me and my husband gave me his rain jacket to put on, which helped a little with the cold. He also brought hot chocolate for me (he's the best!) b/c he knew I would be freezing when I finished. I tried to stretch, but I was just too cold and just wanted to get out of there. It started raining a little bit more, so we high tailed it to the transition area, grabbed my gear, and left.


This was my first HIM and my goal was to do it around 6hrs. and I beat my goal by ~15min. so I was really happy! I felt good on the swim, bike, and run and felt I nailed my nutrition! The race was organized pretty well, but there should have been more porta-potties (6...are you kidding me??). Also, I thought the food at the end was kindof gross. It was cold and dry and just didn't taste good. My husband brought me a sandwich (thank god!) which I gobbled down! Also, I think they should have had more "security" in the transition area for after the race. My dad was able to walk right in, grab my bike, and leave. There was noone making sure the bikes leaving were with their rightful owners. It kindof made me worried b/c there were alot of nice tri bikes there that could have easily been stolen!
The great thing though was the amount of support on the run...great aid stations and great volunteers! I will definitely keep this race in mind for next year!