Jumped in the water and was pleasantly surprised it did not feel cold at all. Swam to the start buoys and decided to position myself on the far left along the buoys, just behind the speedsters. Not sure why other than I felt confident and feel my swim has improved to the point I will not get in anyone's way with such a small wave group (40-50). My sighting was better than normal and I kept a good line with the exception of a single point on the back end where I drifted right a little. Followed the buoy line and made strong turns, and with about 400m to go I put more energy into my stroke and felt great. PR swim time for this distance, so no complaints, although I do think I can go even faster.

Keep with my form a bit more. I found myself "windmilling" it a few times, and not staying long in the water, so I had to reel it back in and get back to good form. More and more experience and discipline will remedy this. I find myself getting better with my OWS form, so I know that will continue to improve.

ONE Multisport manned the wetsuit peeling station, so it was out of my wetsuit in no time and running through transition. My rack space was right by bike/run out, so I had a long run through transition. Where I was racked there was no grass, so my feet got a little dirtier than I would have liked and I had to towel off, which cost me some seconds. However, I was through in good enough time and ran my bike out to the mount line. It was not that cold, so I ignored my arm warmers and cycling gloves, which saved me a few seconds. I had planned 2:30 T1 time, so an extra 30 seconds was not a killer. Funny thing, I almost blinded myself with my sunscreen, as it came out in a straight spray rather than a mist - that was a wake up!

Try to set up my transition blanket over more of the dirt so I do not waste time having to towel off my feet. Since I was so close to bike out, there was no need to clip in my shoes, so no big deal with getting dressed and heading out.

I was really looking forward to seeing how I would fare on the bike, as my bike skill has gone up considerably since IM AZ. It paid off with a 19.5mph average, by far my best at this distance in a race.

Winds were meddlesome, but not debilitating. Cross winds pushed me around a bit from time to time (used my SRAM S80 wheelset), and with the wind it made riding an effort the entire time (no downhill relaxation and recovery time). However, I kept a good cadence and pace and was strong through the entire bike. I thought at one point I was pushing too hard and it would tire me out for the run, but my endurance held firm and I kept going, having confidence I knew what I was doing. Got a headache (from my helmet and the wind noise I assume) about half way through, but took some Ibuprofen at mile 50ish and it was gone before I hit transition.

My nutrition plan was effective (every 30 minutes either a Gu Chomp or Clif Bar - rotating with Inifinit and G2 to supplement throughout), and I am happy that my discipline is increasing - I did not want to eat a couple of times late, but forced myself to, and I really think I benefited from this.

For some reason, I could not get a song out of my head the entire ride, even though I kept trying to change the tune. Meat Loaf's Objects in the Rear View Mirror was playing over and over and over. ARGH!

Loop 1, at Ft McDowell aid station, I went 0 for 3 trying to pick up water. I hope I did not anger the volunteers, I just could not seem to grab the bottles and kept knocking them out of their hands. Sorry!

At the turn going west on McDowell, turning onto Alma School on loop 2, Just as I hit the turn (I pedal through and do not coast) a gust of wind hit me and knocked me outside the cones. It took me by surprise and luckily there was no traffic there, but man it was a second or two of trying to regain control.

Coming in to T2 I was able to get out of my shoes and ride in, although I had some sprinters who were Sunday driving into transition and had to navigate around them to keep my pace strong.

Wow, great question. Without some professional guidance, I am really not sure. I kept my HR right where I wanted it (145bpm avg), and felt strong, so I think I rode to my ability.

A strong T2 for me. My toes/feet were frozen from the ride (just like Oceanside), so running was a bother, but I managed through transition and racked up quickly. I got my running shoes on easier than T1, as I avoided the dirt more and was not wet so no toweling off needed. Having to run all the way through transition with my bike, 1:32 was a great time and it was right in line with my plan (1:30).

Nothing - I am so much better at transition I am not sure how much more time I can cut off this.

My run flat out ROCKED! I took off out of T2 and was at 8min/mi pace, even though I felt I was holding back. The track workout I started (thanks Carlos and Sue with ONE Multisport!) had positive effects, even though it was only one time before this race. My PR for a stand alone Half Marathon is 1:41ish, so 8 minutes off that pace (and 6 minutes better than Oceanside, my previous PR for a HIM run) was incredible.

I got into a great rhythm and kept my routine of water on the quads at each aid station, coupled with a swig of Perform to stay hydrated. I added in a Gu Roctane at mile 7, a new trial for me, and I think it helped me through the late stages. Typically the last few miles are a chore, and although I could feel my legs tiring, it did not affect my pace and I kept at it. The last few miles I was tracking my time, hoping to try and come in at 5:29 total (to break 5:30), and when I hit mile 12 I kicked it up a notch and think I ran a 7:00 mile to the finish. My HR was right where I expected and wanted it to be (about 160bpm avg), and I had no cramps or leg issues, and felt awesome afterward, so my effort and pace were definitely not too hard. I am totally pumped up about this effort - it proved to me that I am getting smarter and stronger.

Another great question. Let's see......I suppose I could have pushed a bit more during the mid miles, which is when my pace slowed just a bit, but really an 8:23/mi pace avg for the run is way better than my expectation or plans (1:55 planned run time), so I am not going to look a gift horse in the mouth.

Waited for Steve Pilon to cross (he was about 10 minutes behind me), then hung out with the ONE group and watched the awards before walking over to transition and loading my gear. Stopped at Subway for a celebration foot long Club, and went to the ONE post race party at Tilted Kilt. Felt great, so I did not bother with foam rollers or massages.


One word - weight. I am still sitting about 195, and if I can stop eating poorly from time to time, I think I can get to 185-190, and enhance my ability a bit more.


Red Rock does a fabulous job, and I really enjoy their races and venue. Moving transition closer to TCA was different, and added a slight twist, but it made the finish area more spread out and easier to navigate, so it seemed to work out well.