I lucked out and found some good feet to follow. At first, I thought she was swimming too slowly, but then I realized that drafting was making it much easier for me. I didn't have to pick the way. We quickly caught caps from the wave which started 4 min. ahead and then some from the wave before that. After the final turn on the rectangular course, there were lots of people and it got kind of hectic. Then someone in a pale blue cap punched me in the side of my face.


Nothing. Best 1.2 mile swim in a long time.

The wetsuit strippers were awesome! That was a time saver.

What can I say about this bike course? Dangerous, treacherous...I was happy to finish cleanly. I saw 8 flats within the first 4 miles. I came upon a few crashes, one guy needing the ambulance. They had cones lining the bike lane and it seemed too narrow to me. There was not enough room to pass. The road conditions on the first 10 and last 10 miles were horrendous. The middle section was rather pleasant. I wasn't sure of the aid stations because they weren't marked accurately on the map. However, maybe if I had gone to the mandatory pre-race meeting, they might have mentioned them.

I ran over a piece of tape and it stuck to my tire and flapped for the last 20 miles. That was really annoying.

Consumed on the bike: Clif Bloks, 1 choc. power bar, 1 GU. I only took 3 Endurolytes during the ride. I drank one short bottle of water and tossed that at the first aid station. I had 2 bottles of Gatorade with me. I picked up 2 bottles of water from the course and only drank about one completely. I had to store that in the back of my pants. I was afraid of it falling out of my back bottle holder.

Speaking of bottle holders: I launched one of my bottles on the railroad tracks coming back. Luckily, that was the one that tasted like soap. I wasn't disappointed.

Came in off the bike and had to pee really badly. The Linda R trick worked really well again.

Changed my socks and put my visor on. I did not wear sunglasses for the run.

I felt some cramping pretty soon into the run. I took 3 Endurolytes. I had a GU at about 6 miles. I started drinking the Perform and even tried the Coke. I usually can't stand that but I needed something. Soon, the cramps were accompanied by slight nausea. I realized I was dehydrated. It was a cloudy day and hadn't forced fluids on the bike.

I dumped ice down my top ever chance I could.

I saw my brother David as I started my second loop of the run. It was where we crossed the main road into the park. He was second in a line of cars. I was happy to see him and he actually gave me motivation to keep running.

I saw George at the 3 mile, 4 mile, and then twice again on the second loop. He was always someone to look forward to seeing.

The run became a real sufferfest. I don't know why it seemed so hard but it did. I made no effort at all to smile for the cameras. Oh well, I didn't care at the time. When I looked at the finish line video, I was horrified. LOL!!

What did motivate me was the people's comments when they'd see the "60" on my leg. One woman yelled "you rock 60!" Another woman told me that I looked 40. And a guy said he was really impressed as he passed me. Maybe wearing a "60" on my leg isn't so bad after all.

I was dying to get out of my wet stinky clothes. I went right to the car. I was stopped mid-way to the car by a debilitating cramp. A woman stopped and let me lean on her to stretch it out. That helped. Then I got my stuff out of transition and loaded the car. I knew Linda R would need help with her stuff. I went back to the finish line but I couldn't find anyone that I knew. It encompassed a very large area and it was really crowded. After getting some food, I decided to wait back at the car. That's when I ran into Stacey and Frank. They walked down to the lake with me and we picked up our morning bags. That was a long trek! We were rewarded by delicious home-made brownie muffins at the tent. That was nice.

Finally back at the car, we ran into Steph and Ed. We said our good-byes and they all left.

I went back to find Linda R and go to the awards ceremony. I took first and won the opportunity to take the slot to the 70.3 championship in Austria. I declined.



It was a good race. If the roads on the bike course were paved, like I had heard they were supposed to be, it would've been really nice.

Ironman races are pricey, but I think they do a good job. The volunteers were awesome!