Rock 'N RollMan Half Iron Triathlon - Triathlon1/2 Ironman

Not as good of a swim as I thought. I swam better at Peachtree. My sighting was pretty good and I did not get run into too many people. I strayed off the course a bit in the last leg, perhaps that why my time was slower than expected. I had a good time in the swim.

Call the DR for lessons.

I took my time t1 make sure I had everything for the bike. I had trouble un racking the bike because of aero bottle. Next time, I need to wrack bike on brake handles. Also, my hr shot up to 187 going into T1. I had no trouble removing the wetsuit.

About what I expected. It was nice to have my folks follow me around with their car on the bike course. I had fans! The bike was solid except for 2 snafus, 1. my chain popped off and it took me several minutes to get it back on, 2. One of my water bottles fell out of the carrier. The top of the bottle was still in the carrier and I lost all my water except for about 16oz in my aero bottle.Fortunately, I was less than half a mile from the 2nd aid station. If this had happened after the aid station, I would not have had enough water to make it to the next aid station without risking dehydration. These little snafus cost some time.

I was very please with my nutrition and hydration on the bike. I had a 3 1/2 hour bottle of concentrated perpetuem and the plan was to drink about the third of the bottle per hour with a little left over. I consumed exactly what I needed (roughly 260 calories an hour). I also took 2 salt stick caps (500 mg sodium) an hour as well. I drank about 96 oz of water and never felt dehydrated. I knew if I executed my nutrition plan properly on the bike that I would have a good run and not a death march. I was very pleased.

1. put the nutrition bottle on the tube instead of on the rear seat carrier. I was reaching for it about every 20-30 minutes and I would have to come out of aero and lose momentum in order to do it.
2. Figure out how to secure bottles in rear mounted carrier.
3. Also, instead of putting salt stick caps in a plastic bag in my tri top pocket (potentially subjecting pills to moisture causing the pill to dissolve) look for a way to mount them on aero bars. There is probably a product out there that can help.
4. Not concentrate more than a 3 hour bottle or perpetuem. I made a 3 1/2 hour bottle and it was a tich too thick.
5. my back was a little sore. I'm in a pretty aggressive aero position. I may consider changing my position on the bike.

Finally, I still am not improving on the bike like I should be. I'm not sure why. This will be question for Jim.

Good transition. Originally, I was to run out with a small bottle of spray on sunscreen and apply it on the course in the first mile. I decided to apply sunscreen in t2.

Nothing, for longer races, taking time in t2 to apply sunscreen makes a lot of sense.

I executed my nutrition plan perfectly on the bike so I was set up for a good run. The plan here was to get water at each aid station, take gu roctane at 45 minute intervals, and take salt stick caps in between taking gels. It worked perfectly! I held a steady and consistent pace, I did not bonk, and there was no death march. I felt great during the run! My big concern was the heat. I have not had a chance to train in warm weather and I knew the key to the run for me was going to be managing the heat. I was going to focus on running from aid station to aid station and keeping cool. The cold towels at the aid stations were fantastic. I was able to stay cool and the heat never got to me as long as I kept my hr below 165 (LT 170). Any time I hit 165 or higher, I could not catch my breath. It almost felt like I was hyperventilating. This was very likely heat related. To deal with it, I ran under 165. Also, because of the heat, I took off my tri club top (it is black). I put it on in the last mile so I could have a good picture! Overall this was a fantstic run. Everything went according to plan, the plan worked, and I effectively dealt with the heat. My run was as good as it could have been given my level of fitness and the conditions.

The last mile was wonderful. The ice water shower I got from fellow ATCers at the last water stop was freaking awesome! I decided to cruise in the last mile so as to enjoy the finish. I was pumping my fist and cheering and having a blast. I sprinted down the chute and was done.

This was a fantastic experience.


absolutely nothing!

Great race! This is a challenging race, however, if properly prepared, a person should do well.