Nasty swim - VERY choppy and we're all flatwater swimmers here. No one I talked to was happy with their swim. I was all tight and constricted like I always am during races. Starting choking on water at one point and had to wave over a kayak because coughing it out wasn't working. Worked it out while hanging on and continued swimming, but never felt comfortable or fell into a rhythm. Was going easy and slow but still had to breathe every other stroke instead of bilaterally to get enough air. Sighting on the way back was AWFUL. Nowhere near enough bouys. Kept having to pop up my head to figure out where I was. Was bounced around by the waves so much I actually felt queasy and I NEVER get motion sickness.

I'm fine in the pool and fine in open water by myself. I do need more work in chop, but I think my main thing is getting more swim starts under my belt so I don't get all tense - it really affects my swimming performance in races.

Once again, time is a guesstimate. Suit got stuck on ankle chip, but otherwise uneventful. I don't do a flying mount - ran my bike to the mount line, started my Garmin, and got going.

Not much - maybe learn flying mount in the future.

Nasty headwind on the way out. HR never came down no matter how easy I went between that and the hills. (It was already spiked from the rough swim.) Granny-geared each and every hill. Had a cold pelting rain too, oh yes.

Stomach went kabbutz at about mile 40. Up to then I had been following my nutrition plan perfectly, but my stomach said "If you put anything more in me, I will refund it immediately." Per the plan, I took it even easier and started coasting the downhills, but it didn't help. I was at least able to keep hydrated with water.

Otherwise felt perfectly fine. (In fact, on the last mile in I saw I had a chance of breaking four hours and had plenty of juice to kick it into high gear (on the flats) to try to do it. Saw I wasn't going to make it about a quarter mile away so eased back up and spun easy on the way in. Felt fine for the run.

Split back was 12 minutes faster than way out because of the wind.

I feel that I executed fairly well, so the only way to get faster is either pick an easier bike course or build up more power on the bike.

Get more comfortable in the swim so I don't "waste heartbeats" for the first hour pacing in Z2 with a HR of 165.

Figure out a nutrition plan that works in racing - part of it may be that I'm still training my gut to digest while exercising. That's a new thing for me.

Felt good coming off the bike, although I didn't quite trust my legs enough to do a flying dismount, which is a new skill for me.

Even joked with a couple of the fast guys who had already finished and were packing up their stuff. Told them I was getting my money's worth out of the race. Stopped at the porta-potty and rolled on out.

Heh. Learn to pee on the bike so I don't make the pit stop? *G*

First mile was rough, but then my legs shook out nicely. Still couldn't digest even Powerade, but was able to keep guzzling down the water. Never bonked, amazingly. Aid stations weren't a mile apart, so added my own walk breaks and walked all uphills. About halfway through, got to a point where running fast hurt LESS than a 10-11 pace, so did short bouts of that with mostly walking.

About mile eight my quads just had nothing left. It was frustrating because I had plenty more energy to keep running, but my legs weren't having it. It was fine though - I knew I was going to finish, and I knew I wasn't even going to be the last one in. Had to completely walk the last four miles with a smile, but ran it in at the finish line. (In fact, looked at my Garmin and I hit a sub-eight pace coming down the chute. LOL.) Amazingly I passed six people with this half-marathon time.

Stay injury-free so I can be better trained for the run. Become stronger on the bike so that mountain climbing doesn't drain my legs as much or choose a flatter bike course next time. Maybe do some strength training in the off-season - even when I was big into weight-lifting my quads were always very weak.

Warm DOWN? I had been going for over seven and a half hours! LOL! My boyfriend DID make me walk around a bit though.


Starting from almost zero base and having to limit my running. Also lack of comfort with swim starts. All in all I'm amazed with what my coach has done with me: five months from zero to a 7:30 Half on a tough course in nasty weather.


It's good in a hometown way, but very bare-bones. Nice touch that they don't have time cut-offs - they let two guys finish in over nine hours last year. Run course isn't bad but the swim was choppy for a second year in a row and the bike course isn't technical but it's brutally hilly.