This swim was way beyond my expectations. I figured on a good day I might be able to pull off a 1:10-1:12. I seeded myself right up front but off near the far right of the start on the outside. The current had been going right to left all week and I figured I could start wide and let the current gently push me towards the first turn buoy. The start was actually much less frantic than I expected. There was minimal combat swimming and I was able to settle into a relaxed rhythm almost immediately. Every once in a while there would be the occasional bump but I only got hit hard maybe 3-4 times the entire swim. The roughest part of the entire swim were the turns where everyone felt the need to round the buoy as close as possible so it got very congested. I just did a little breast stroke to keep my head out of the water and avoid being mauled at the turns. I was swimming comfortably but steady through the first lap. When I hit the beach and made the turn to run for lap 2 I heard the announcer say something to the effect of "these guys are all sub-1hr swimmers"...HUH? Did I just swim a relaxed 30min 1.2 miles? That really gave me a boost of confidence and I ran down the beach and dolphin dove out into the water and yelled "let's do it again!" past a bunch of guys who were trudging waist deep and didn't look nearly as excited to be there as I was. I just stayed calm and kept doing what I was doing. The large groups were getting strung out and drafting opportunities weren't as abundant on the second lap but I did my best to get on a hip when I had a chance. My second lap was a couple minutes slower but I attribute that mostly to not having as many people swimming so closely together. That mass of people all moving in the same direction definitely pulls a lot of water along and creates a current. I think I took advantage of that as best I could by starting up front and letting the faster people slowly filter by me. I did a good job pacing and felt like I maintained a steady effort through both laps. If anything I relaxed and backed off slightly on the second lap after hearing that I was well ahead of my expected pace.

That was the best swim I had in me and I can't say I would change anything.

Good clean transition. My goal was to move efficiently but not rush. When I came out of the water there were plenty of volunteers available to strip my wetsuit. I hit the ground and jumped back up almost in one smooth motion. I knew right where my transition bag was and grabbed it on my way to the changing tent. I quickly found a chair and emptied my bag on the ground. Helmet on, socks and shoes on, race belt on, stuff everything else back in the bag and out the other side of the tent. I had a straight shot out the door directly to my rack on the other side of the transition so I didn't need to waste any time running around the racks. I slipped my bike off the rack and headed down the main aisle and out onto the course.

I was feeling confident coming out of T1. With a very solid swim (my least favorite leg of the race) in the books I could settle into the aerobars and do what I had been preparing for all summer. My power meter had given me some strange offset results the previous day and earlier in the morning but it seemed to be reading accurately...initially. I started with 2 bottles loaded in my carrier...one concentrated nutrition bottle and one water. I had another nutrition bottle, Starbucks Double Shot, and a peanut butter cookie in my special needs bag and I also planned to take gator and water from the aid stations.

The first few miles were a more or less constant string of riders sorting themselves out but everyone was doing a good job of maintaining space and riding legal. By about 10 mile in my power readings started to climb and soon it was obvious that I wasn't getting relaible data. I could have made a quick stop and spent 20sec running another offset test to fix it but I felt confident that I knew exactly how to pace this type of course without the PM so I didn't bother. Over the next few miles I used PE to calibrate the power readings and soon had a good idea of where I was. My race rehersal back at Chesapeakeman was the perfect experience to overcome this sort of issue.

About an hour in I was cruising along minding my own business when I got swallowed up from behind by a massive pack of at least 50 riders (with one girl tucked in the middle) Most of them didn't seem concerned about their blatant disregard for the drafting rule. I was mostly concerned about being guilty by association and getting a drafting penalty for being in the wrong place at the wrong time. I decided to see if I couldn't get away so I worked my way to the front and tried to steadily make a break. Everyone was riding as a large mass 5-6 wide so I just made my way through the mddle passing people on both sides. When I passed the one girl on the right she made some snotty cmment about not passing on the right. Seriously? You're sitting immediately on the wheel of someone in the middle of 30 guys and you're giving me shit about passing on the right?I eventually made my way to the front and although I didn't have accurate power data I knew I was outside of my pacing zone and should only hold this intensity for 5min at most. I got off the front and backed off slightly hoping to maintain some seperation but within 5min I was sucked back in. Knowing that a large pack would likely ride faster then an individual I decided that if I dropped off the back I could resume my proper pacing and the pack would leave me behind so I sat up a little and drifted back through all the riders. A few others were stringing out behind the pack but everyone back there was at least staying withint the limits of the rules. I watch as the pack slowly pulled away and off into the distance. Eventually a course official car came creeping by from behind and I started waving my arm and pointing up ahead. The mass was still within sight and there was no mistaking that 50 or so riders were in peleton formation. Eventually the officials made their way to the pack and I thought for sure they were busted. A few miles later I passed the next penalty tent and saw a total of 3 guys pulled over...THREE!!! There was noting I could do about it but it sure was frustrating knowing that I was probably a stronger rider then a lot of the guys in that pack but they were putting time into me anyway.

The rest of the ride was mostly uneventful. I stayed focused on sticking with my plan and just kept churning out the miles. This definitely isn't an interesting course and there are lots of miles without anyone around. I hit special needs and quickly stopped to collect my things out of the bag. I learned at Chesapeakeman that trying to fight with the bag and keep riding isn't worth it. There is one out-back section on the back helf of the course where you get an idea of how many people are out there in front of you. While the massive pack had apparently split up there was a steady stream of riders who were still obviously disragarding the drafting rules. It was common to see 3-5 riders together in a tight string and then a coupel singles maontaining the legal distance. I guess it's just a matter of outnumbering the draft officials andhoping you aren't one of the few that actually get snagged with a penalty.

Miles 70-100 or so of the course have some pretty crappy road surfaces. There were constant seams and a sort of rough texture to the surface. I could definitely tell a significant difference in speed vs. effort through this section. I was mostly out there alone by now with an occasional rider to pass. Nutrition and pacing were going very well and I was on target to ride about 5:05 give or take, which is exactly what I planned and knew I was capable of. In the final 5 miles or so it looked like I could probably break 5hrs with just a little push to the end but I decided to stick with the plan and actually sat up a bit and backed off the pedals some coming down the final stretch along the beach. While it would have been nice to ride under 5hrs it was more important to set myself up for the run. In hindsight I bet i could have held steady without impacting the run but I didn't want to take any chances with the unknowns of my first IM. It's a learning experience for next time.



Without my PM data it's hard to say for sure but I think I probably was a little too conservative. Given the circumstances (unreliable power data) and consodering this was my first shot at IM, I think I rode about a perfect bike leg though.

Another smooth transition. Again, the goal was to be efficient but not rush. IM is nice because they take your bike for you so there is no need to run it to the rack. I went straight for my bag and one of the volunteers had already pulled it from the line and was holding it out. I grabbed it as I ran by and took a shortcut over the curb and through some landscaping to the changing tent. I didn't even think about it at the time but my legs felt completely fresh coming off the bike and I wasn't the least bit tight or stiff as I ran through transition or out onto the run course. In the changing tent I dumped my bag, changed socks and pulled on my Nike Frees, grabbed my hat and gel flask and bolted for the door. I was on autopilot and feeling very good.

The day before the race I went out and drove from transition to find the 1/2 mile marker. I wanted to have some feedback on my pace before getting the first full mile in. I felt really good coming out of T2...fresh almost. My legs felt very light and there was no hint of tightness from spending 5hrs on the bike. Up to this point I had nailed my pacing and nutrition and it was starting to pay off. I headed out on the run with a gel flask in my hand and small clamshell in my pocket with some endurolytes and caffeine tabs. I had another flask and a big cookie in my special needs bag and planned to take water and Gator from the course as needed.

My initial focus was on holding back and easing into the run. I hit the 1/2 mile mark at 3:15 feeling like I had been running easy...YIKES! I almost couldn't believe the pace I was on compared to how relaxed it felt. I know there was no way I could hold that so I forced myself to back off but still logged a 6:43 for the first mile. Still too fast but feeling very relaxed. It was really tough to dial it back even more...felt like I was jogging...but I knew that it would catch up with me later if I didn't back off and get down to my planned pace around 7:30/mile.

The next few miles I was sitting around 7:20-7:30 and I was satisfied holding steady there. It wasn't until I hit the turn-around and made my way out of the park heading back towards transition that I realized part of the reason those first 5 miles felt so easy was that we had a light but steady tail wind most of the way. The next few miles were a mix of running into a head wind and drafting off some other folks when I had the opportunity. My splits were in the 7:18-7:56 range. I was still feeling good but started to understand the dynamics of the course and conditions. When I hit the special needs back at transition I was feeling very positive and enjoyed the crowds cheering everyone on. I picked up my special needs bag and took about 20sec to stretch lightly before heading out for my last lap with a big chocolate cookie in my hand.

The next few miles were on the faster side again but this time I knew I had a tail wind so I didn't get too concerned with a few ~7:15 miles. That was about right on pace with the wind pushing me. Around mile 16 my pace started to drop significantly. I still felt like I was running relaxed and light but the pace just wasn't there. The heat was starting to get to me and I was grabbing sponges and ice at every opportunity and popping my Endurolytes regularly. For whatever reason my HRM chest strap started to feel constricting and I was doing everything I could to stay comfortable so i ditched it on the side of the road. It would have been interesting to have HR data for the entire run but I wasn't using it to pace with so at the time it wasn't a concern. From here my focus turned to concentrating on the next aid station and trying to maintain good form. I'd grab a cup of ice and chew on pieces as I ran. That was a sort of distraction that helped me along but didn't help my pace.

By mile 18-20 IM finally started to get challenging. It was no longer a matter of keeping my pace in check so as not to over-cook it like had been the case all day. In a way this felt more familiar...challenging myself to hold steady and push through to the end. I never felt the extreme lows that people talk about and I had some periodic high points where running felt easy again but mostly it was a matter of challenging my body to hold steady and gut out the last 6 miles without resorting to the "Ironman shuffle". I knew that once I got out of the park and headed back toward the finish line that I was in the home stretch although there was still some head wind to deal with. I just tried to stay focused and hold form...only 5 miles to go. By this point the accumulated fatigue and heat was the biggest challenge and I had used all of my Endurolytes. I was suprised that the aid station didn't have any when I asked. I decided it was a smart idea to take my time at the aid stations and make sure to get fluids down so I would grab a cup and walk aa few steps while drinking. I didn't physically need to walk but it was the only way to make sure the fluids went in rather then on me.

With 3-4 miles left I knew I was going to make it without any serious issues and that helped to open up my stride a bit. I got the pace back down under 8min/mile and gradually accelerated through the last 5k. With about 800m left I managed to pass another guy in my AG and while I felt reasonably strong I had no idea what kind of kick he might have so I just stayed focused on the finish and kept trucking. With maybe 200m to go I swore he was making a push to get me based on the cheers of the crowd and I broke into a near sprint with everything I had left. Later on I find out that there wasn't anyone even close to me at the line.



I can't really complain since this was my first IM although I feel pretty strongly that I underperformed on the run. I probably went out a little too fast although I don't know if that ultimately had much impact overall. My focus on bike training this season might have taken the edge off my running from earlier in the season but a 3:21 IM marathon is still respectable for my first attempt. I'm not sure what I could have done differently but I know I've got better in me for next time. A more conservative and consistent pace of 7:30/mile would have brought me in around 3:17 for the marathon, which is what I thought I was capable of.

I collapsed almost immediately after crossing the finish line. A couple of volunteers caught me and helped me to a wheel chair where I sat in a complete daze for about 5min. eventually I felt like I could walk but needed to get some massage to help keep my legs from cramping. I made my way to the massage tent and was taken to a table where a therapist began to work my legs. I started to get very cold and they were a bit concerned that I might be in the early stages of heat exhaustion. They sat me up and got me some warm broth and another blanket. It wasn't long before I was feeling better and was ready to get back on my feet. We walked back to the condo but made a stop for some greasy pizza and Mt. Dew...good stuff after living off of gels and Perpetuem all day.


Having my PM on the bike probably would have helped and I might have went out a bit too fast on the run but overall I think I performed up to 100% of my ability at this point in my development as a triathlete. I planned and executed my race extremely well and was very happy with the result. The only thing that held me back was a relative lack of experience. A couple more years building my aerobic engine and I'll be back for another shot at IM.