There was a mass start, with all of the Ultra athletes at once, so it was pretty crowded. Not the worst crowding I've ever experienced, but close, but I'm way more comfortable with this than I used to be. Still, I was struggling a bit in the beginning with the crowds and was breathing more heavily than I would've liked. By the far buoy on the first loop, however, I was fine and settled into a nice, easy strong stroke and rhythm which I pretty much held throughout. I was slightly worried ahead of time about never having swum 4000 yards straight in training but it turned out to be not an issue. I wasn't really even breathing hard when I got out of the water and still had what was for me a great time. As for the jellyfish/sea nettle issue-- I felt many of them brush by me, but I never got stung.

Maybe I could push the swim more.

This was not a good transition, in part because of logistics. The tent was really crowded, and it was hard to find a spot to lay out my things and change. I had to pee, and the porta-potty was _after_ going through the transition area. So I had to change (and I decided to wear a bike jersey for the bigger pockets), go out of T1 to the PP (while avoiding going over the timing mat), and then go back to my bike. I also lost time because I couldn't get my old Garmin to boot up. Damn. Then I discovered when I got back to my bike that I'd forgotten to put my food in my pockets-- I'd left it in my bag in the changing tent. Fortunately the bag was still there and easy to find. I got my food and then headed out.

Remember my stuff before leaving the tent!

I consciously kept my riding easy, and even backed off from that during most of the first loop. I pushed a little harder on the second loop. I stayed in aero most of the time, although got out of it periodically to stretch my shoulders which did get a little sore at times. The wind was stronger for the first loop and wasn't much of a factor for the second. The section with the water on the road was interesting the first time and just plain irritating the second time. It was up over my pedals and just completely drenched my shoes and socks and tri shorts (and even though there was little traffic a car passed me in this section both times and couldn't help but splash me). After the rain all night my drive train was already squeaking a bit and after a trip through the water it was worse. Overall, though, it was an enjoyable ride, and despite being flat I thought the scenery was beautiful and peaceful. It drizzled on and off a bit, but the rain mostly held off. My nutrition plan worked well, I think-- I had two peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, a power bar and a half, half a cliff bar, a few bottles of gatorade, and two or three gels. My legs felt a little tired early, but my energy held up pretty good throughout once I got warmed up. My left hamstring felt a little tight(after getting splashed by the water on the road) but never really became an issue.

Nothing, really. Do more speedwork in training, I guess.

I was so glad I packed a dry pair of socks to change into considering my socks were soaked in brackish standing water and my feet were wrinkly from being wet. There was a moment of truth sitting on the chair when I allowed myself to wonder how I was ever going to run 26 miles. I pushed it out of my mind and got up and headed out.

The first mile was tough. I felt really tired. But after the first water stop and a bathroom stop, I felt energized and was into it again. My strategy was to walk the water stops. I really enjoyed the run-- the three loops didn't bother me because it gave me a good idea of just how far I had to go, and it was cool to keep seeing people passing by, and get to know the spectators and water-stop people. I had a running conversation with one group who happened to be from Doylestown, and that was cool. I was in good spirits throughout-- joked with a bearded guy at a water stop whose beard (almost) rivaled mine and with some kids who called me Santa Claus. I did tire around 17 miles and thought I was going to end up having to walk the rest, but after about a quarter-mile of walking, I figured I was just as tired as I was running and just got going again. From then on I ran, and when I knew there was only a 5k left, I felt fantastic. What a difference from my first (stand-alone) marathon experience. I drank mostly water, just a couple of cups of Gatorade. I passed on the coke and soup and cookies.

More speedwork in training.

The race director sat me down at the finish line and treated me like a creaky old man. I felt fine, though it _was_ nice to sit down. I walked around briefly and got something to eat and chatted with a few people I'd gotten to know on the run, then got my stuff and headed to the hotel.


I guess I was tired-- I would've liked to have run faster, but I'm completely happy with my swim and bike times, as well as my overall time, especially for my first Ultra.


This was an epic journey. I'm so glad I did it, and am looking forward to the next one!