Ironman 70.3 Steelhead - Triathlon1/2 Ironman

Really enjoyed the swim. Loved the fact that it was overcast. I had swum about 15 minutes on Saturday around 10:30 am and the sun was very bright. But because we were going south to north, I knew sighting buoys wouldn't be a problem.

Overcast made that a non issue.

Was able to separate from the pack pretty quickly.

There was some sort of south west current (pushing us forward and slightly eastward and away from the buoys) happening. I'd line up the next buoy and then notice I was farther out by the time I got to it. Curious if anyone else had that sensation. Maybe I was just swimming crooked!

Might have used clear lenses instead of tinted. But it wasn't that big a deal. I like pulling my running/biking jersey up a bit over the back zipper of the suit to help prevent chafing (had a nasty burn at Escape from Alcatraz last year. Had to stop twice to momentarily adjust the jersey. Wish there was a better solution to that.

LONG hike up the beach back to transition. Walked most of it because of thick sand. Didn't want to twist an ankle or something.

Had some difficulty removing wetsuit up by the bike. Had to sit down and peel it off.

Figure out how to pull off the suit faster.

I felt like I had the best ride of my life. Course felt like it downhill the entire way. Had to stop to urinate 4 times along the way, and had trouble getting a foot out of a shoe just before the sensor track. I figure I lost 5 minutes because of that. I think my ride was more like 19 mph. Personal best for me.

A bit surprised I still ranked 134 out of 161 for my age group with that time. Guess I need to get that much faster.

Need to make sure I get shoes off quicker at the dismount. Decided to leave shoes in the clip because of the long run in transition.

Don't know if I could do any better with the 4 pee stops. Cool temp and swigging 5 ounces of Cytomax every 15 minutes helped me maintain, but filled up the bladder. Oh well.

As I stated above, had some trouble getting feet out of shoes. Not sure why this transition took longer than the last one. Felt pretty smooth overall.

Intentionally went slow at the beginning because we were warned about a steep 1/2 mile hill at the beginning of the run.

Felt good for the first eight miles. Then started cramping going up hills. Had to start walking them. Then started cramping on and off on flats, ups and downs at mile 11. Really struggled in the last 1/2 mile. Lot of pain, but kept running.

Probably drink more fluids. Drank a half a cup of water and gatorade at each aid station. Ate my gels every 45 minutes like I had the whole race. I always tend to cramp up. I tried to pee once around mile 6 and didn't have much luck. Was worried at that point that the cramping was coming. Sure enough.

Walked around quite a bit afterwards and recovered pretty quickly.


Dehydration on the run. Interestingly, as bad as I felt I did on the run, I ranked 137 out of 161 in my age group. Felt GREAT on the bike and ranked 134 out of 161. Unless I'm wrong, that tells me a lot of guys struggled on the run.


Really enjoyed the experience. Was able to check off that I completed a full 70.3

Bummed about the run since the weather conditions overall were spectacular. Really had no outwardly excuses not to end strong. Better luck next year, I hope.