Memorial Hermann Ironman 70.3 Texas - Triathlon1/2 Ironman

Being my first triathlon and not being able to swim frontcrawl very well i decided to do breastroke and i am so glad i did. Whilst a lot of people were thrashing around kicking each other and zig zagging all over the place i was slowly straightling between all the buoys. The result was that i felt calm and got out of the water feeling really good. Also pre race i was worried that i was one of the few people not wearing a wetsuit, water temperature was fine and again im glad i just did my own thing

If i have a lot of time on my hands i will try and learn frontcrawl properly however my experience in this race showed me that its not that bad to do BS

Took me about 20 miles before i felt warmed up and ready to race, not sure why this was. Stopped at 2 of the aid stations to refill water bottles and stretch my legs a bit as hamstring felt like it was about to cramp up. This helped a lot and the second half was a lot more enjoyable

I didnt have aero bars as i only recently started cycling so get them fitted and do a lot more training rides without breaks getting used to being on the saddle continuously

My hands were numb from the cycle so i struggled to do my laces up! Grabbed the suncream as i left and put some on as i was running

get some elastic laces

First mile was possibly the hardest thing i have done in my life, body felt like it was overheating and legs felt very heavy and tight. Managed to run through it and got into a rythm. Walked at every aid station to get some fluids down me and cool myself down with the sponges.

I was a bit worried about pushing myself too hard with the way my body felt however i think that is just the feeling you get after being on the bike for so long so i think i could have gone quicker.

Went and lay down and stuffed my face with pizza! Had a massage and watched the rest of the race. Cycled back to the motel which stretched my legs out a bit


Not used to the heat, only been training for a short period of time.


Couldnt beleive the organization that had gone into the race, very impressed. Well worth flying over from the UK for it. Also everyone i met were extremely helful and friendly. An excellent trip to the US and an excellent first tri. Just trawling the internet for my next one!