Soma Half Iron Triathlon - Triathlon1/2 Ironman

Swim is my worst discipline and it showed. I'm always worried about going out too fast, so I take it easy and keep it manageable. Still need to figure out how to draft. Sighting was tough on the way out with the sun coming up.

Be a better swimmer.

There were wetsuit strippers, but I just passed them and ran to transition. The grass was freshly mowed and there was loose grass all over the place. I sat down to strip wetsuit. I didn't leave my shoes on the pedals. I have since gotten a new pair of shoes that make it much easier. Anything under 2:00 for T1 is good for me, though, so I'm happy.

Maybe take advantage of the wetsuit strippers. Try not to sit. Leave shoes on pedals.

Seat post dropped about 3/4" during the ride. Was hoping for somewhere between 2:30-2:45, so I'm happy with the time, but looking at some of the other times, this is a really fast course.

Was too slow. I guess it took too much time to put on socks. Should have skipped them, but I was worried about hot concrete, so I didn't wear Zoots - went with Asics Nimbus. Got blisters anyway.

Wear different shoes and not wear socks. Get out of shoes while riding last section of course and swing right leg over to left side prior to dismount. Maybe wear road helmet instead of aero helmet to keep cooler - although it really didn't feel too hot on bike. There was some cloud cover and it didn't really get too hot until the run.

Went out a bit too fast. Leaving transition, I knew I would have to make a pit-stop at a porta-potty. I caught a few people, but I could feel the heat. Stopped around mile 2. HR was up, breathing was up. Struggled the rest of the run. At about mile 4, I started walking each aid station and dumping cold water on my head before starting back up. Slowest half marathon run yet.

Be in better run shape. Start slower. Use the porta-potty in transition. Drink more on the bike / skip aero helmet in hot races.

Wait for others from our group - cheer on.


Poor fitness & nutrition leading up to the race. Last race of a long season and I was a bit raced-out. Recovering from Chicago Marathon 2 weeks prior. This was more of a race to enjoy a trip with friends, so I can only expect so much. Still, it was my fastest half IM by almost 10 minutes (but the course was probably more than 10 minutes faster than Lake Stevens.


It was a good race. The course was flat, but we had some hot conditions on the run. It was up over 90-degrees towards the end. The swim was calm, but slow in nasty "fresh" water. Post-race food good and healthy, but quantity was limited.